Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

Rolo Tomassi

Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It is the fifth studio album from the UK based band Rolo Tomassi, and it is with deep regret that I mention that this was my first full experience listening to the band. Their chaotic and thoughtful approach to punk and metal should have been right up my alley considering how much bands like The Fall of Troy have changed my life. The band has been on my radar for awhile but always slipped through the cracks somehow. However, I didn't let that happen upon this record's release and never again will I overlook this band going forward because this record has left a deep mark on me that I won't forget. This album is everything; dark, brooding, aggressive, serene, uplifting, triumphant, any descriptor you can think of, there's probably a moment on this record that reflects it. The lyrical topics, from what I gather in a few of the songs' key mantras, deal with surviving loss, finding the strength to carry on, and how our memories can sometimes be that guiding light or continue to hurt at the thought of what could have been. It's an emotional rollercoaster much like how this album is sonically.

If you're new to this band, the opening of this record is going to be very misleading. Towards Dawn serves as the album's introduction with a serene reverse loop and soft vocal pads that is eventually joined by some warm electric piano. This goes right into Aftermath, a very melodic track with clean guitars and pianos backed up by an energetic drum beat. Eva Korman's vocal performance makes her sound small and reserved. The choruses in this song, however, expand immensely with thick walls of distorted guitar and shimmering synths. The ending of this song reaches an even higher level of guitar saturation as Korman sings about being unafraid of the road that lies ahead. This track also transitions quite nicely into Rituals; in fact this whole record flows together beautifully making it difficult to tell where one track ends and another begins. It makes for a very satisfying, holistic listening experience. As I was saying, Rituals is where the rug gets pulled out. It begins with these sour synth melodies before being accompanied by heavy guitar and thudding drum hits. The pace initially is quite slow before the track suddenly speeds up into this blistering blast beat. It is here where we are first introduced (at least on this record anyway) to Korman's nasty false chord screams. The intensity is relentless.

Lets fast-forward to Alma Mater which has some more of my favourite album moments. Just in this three minute song, Rolo Tomassi showcases the mathcore chaos they're known to deliver. Drummer, Tom Pitts, busts into a speedy punk beat as guitarist Chris Cayford plays this angular guitar riff. Cayford suddenly plays a flurry of notes which is accented by Pitts' sudden shift into a blast beat. It is absolutely thrilling and unexpected. Later in the song is a very cathartic moment where Korman sings angelically over these beautiful guitar leads and crashing cymbal hits. The catharsis continues on the following track, A Flood of Light, which just might happen to be my favourite on the record. I love the alternating between the clean and harsh vocals on this track and the oppressive, thick, walls of guitar and synths. The last half of the song is the record's defining moment in my opinion. We still have that oppressive wall of sound, but it is joined by these swelling synths that make the track feel incredibly triumphant. I am also stopped dead in my tracks by the vocal melody when Korman sings "but there you are, always." The way it floats gracefully over all the distortion and noise is like a beacon.

Getting towards the end of the record, we have Contretemps which has a lengthy but satisfying build-up consisting of clean piano chords, a steady tom groove and these shots of organ-like synth. When Korman finally enters onto the track with her pained shrieks, she is met with synthetic string pads and chiming lead guitar while the rest stays unchanged. It continues to build until the song reaches a grand climax with crashing cymbals and that wall of guitar and synth that we've become familiar with at this point. The song's last leg has perhaps the record's most peaceful moment as Pitts lightly rides the cymbals, James Spence performs delicate piano arpeggios, and Korman delivers another angelic vocal performance. Lastly, we have the album's closer Risen, which really tugs at my heart strings. At its core, this song is a guitar ballad with heavy reverb as Korman sings forlornly about an unexpected loss. As she repeats the last line "the love we dreamed of," the song begins to be swallowed by noise until it is almost entirely consumed.

As you can probably guess, I absolutely loved this record. Rolo Tomassi crafted an album experience that must be heard from start to finish with how well everything flows together. It is exhilarating, scary, and also joyous in a way I imagine the best rollercoaster can be. Certain songs may have been missing that one moment that made me love it thoroughly, but as I mentioned about the sequencing, sometimes lulls in one track serve as build-ups to another, making it feel like the record isn't losing as a whole. One could also say that Korman does not have the strongest singing voice, but I actually think the vulnerability and size of her voice perfectly counteracts the heavier moments that we so desperately need reprieve from. Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It is a truly amazing, captivating record and there's nothing much left to say other than that I implore you to listen to it.