“A Tornado Of Angst”: As Rome Burns Debuts With “Reactor”
Album Review ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites ★ 3 Minutes
London has always been a place that, as an outsider looking in, seems to be overflowing with creativity and art whether it be through film, literature, or music. It’s certainly a place I hope to visit one day and it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl watching Shakespeare in Love for the first time. Several of my favorite artists have hailed from the luscious city such as Led Zeppelin, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and David Bowie and more recently, As Rome Burns has come across my radar.
Hailing from London, As Rome Burns is a four piece band that melds styles of punk, grunge, and indie into one dynamic sound. The moment I saw this group I was intrigued both because of their DIY roots and because of the band’s name that I can only assume is taken after a song of the same name by The Smashing Pumpkins. On September 26th, As Rome Burns released Reactor, their debut EP.
As Rome Burns, photographer unknown
Reactor consists of three tracks and it opens with Animal. “A visceral response to the political realities of modern Britain”, the song kicks off in a dark, alluring manner that is sure to suck any listener in. As the band so eloquently states, “the song captures the feeling of being abandoned by your own country, dehumanized and alone”. It’s tense and heavy with meaning, each element contributing to its outspoken nature. The fuzz of the guitar, the go-getting approach on the drums, the bass you can feel in your soul, and the vocals that demand attention all create a tornado of angst that speaks to listeners on a level that transcends sound itself.
I Think You Should Leave follows Animal and it begins with a Flea-esque (Red Hot Chili Peppers) bass opening that kicks into a powerhouse of a jam which explores the weight of intergenerational trauma and the emotional intensity it involves. The lead singer repeats mantras such as “I just wanna get better” and “I think you should leave” throughout the song, emphasizing this deep and frustrating theme. The initial fervor is only dialed up by a thousand halfway through the track with a rip roaring guitar solo that, according to the band, “was improvised in a single take after scrapping a version that didn’t feel right. It was shaped in real time by the intensity of the moment and a raw conversation about the song’s meaning”.
I Am Your Enemy closes out Reactor, though by this point in listening I was very much ready for a whole double-album’s worth of tunes. The band describes this song as their wild card and they note that it includes an element they believe has never been done before: “a layered wah pedal solo that creates a rolling wave effect by integrating two separate takes, one rising as the other falls”. The song itself is long in comparison to its preceding tracks, coming in at 6:23 for a last hurrah. As Rome Burns’ nu-metal and grunge inspirations are very prominent within this song but funnily enough, I couldn’t help but compare them to more modern (ish) acts such as Primal Moon (RIP), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Creed from the get go. I Am Your Enemy is mysteriously enchanting from its soulful guitar work to its rhythm section that sticks with you even after the song is long over, serving as a perfect though unfortunate punctuation to Reactor.
Reactor was a welcomed though unexpected surge of energy for me. As a journalist who works with multiple artists per week, it is extremely refreshing when I come across a talent so genuine and raw like As Rome Burns’. I never would have thought a DIY group from London would pack such a punch but I was thankfully proven wrong. Reactor is one hell of a debut and I can only hope this band sees success that reciprocates their work, skill, and passion down the road. As of publishing, Reactor is available to stream anywhere you find music.
