Rome – Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro (2019)

September 20, 2023

Infinitely more well produced (and sung) that most neofolk that I’ve heard in my limited lifetime. Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro sounds like 00s Anathema, the first Bastille album and Death In June all rolled into one confusing ball. Sprinkle in some mixed vibes and hey, presto! Despite everything that Rome has going for them in regards to their talented frontman and extended palette of musicality, then let themselves down with the uniformity of their music. In parts, Le Ceneri puts forward bland patriotic hymns more commonly assocaited with bone-head right wing circles, and in other parts veers dangerously close to the whole “stomp / clap / hey!” hipster bullshit that plagued us a few years back.

Despite this, there are some fantastic songs on this thing, such as “Who Only Europe Know” and the ridiculously catchy “Black Crane” – both help elevate this record significantly. I would be very interested in hearing more music from Rome, even though the 4 minute intro to this thing nearly put me off the band for life (its peak cringe).