Brume are a Psychedelic Doom band from San Fransisco who’ve been embarking upon bringing their bleak message to anyone dark enough to endear listening. Their first album Donkey laid the blueprint design of the monster they were crafting. While Rooster lets the monster smash anything in its path.
Rooster starts with “Grit and Pearls”. Like dense storm clouds rolling onto an unexpected city it consumes everything Susie’s vocals and bass are drenched with pain. The glacial pace of Jamie’s guitar constantly collapsing. The festering drums of Jordan are almost attempting to keep everything contained until the halfway point comes and what sounds like a war between riffs and percussion takes place. Susie’s singing loses any sense of sadness halfway through as it takes on almost complete hatred. The tempo excels and the storm vanquishes anything in its path. Our adventure has begun. “Harold” sees Brume permeating doom like a witch’s cauldron. As it overflows leaving wilted leaves, curled flower pedals, the color dissipating from anything natural. The guitars and vocals are slower and more rounded leaving the drums as a rare focal point you rarely see in any song. It, also, must be noted the lyrics have been taken directly from a poem written by Victoria June Baigrie. Susie’s beautiful singing comes to full spotlight on “Reckon”. But while her singing may take center stage here the guitar and drums are fully engaged constantly colliding off one another until a jarring guitar effect creates a mesmerizing experience the morphs again and again. “Call the Serpent’s Bluff” builds from the previously mentioned transformation creating this bulging beast of a track soaking in reverb. The mental state I have for this track is euphoric until a drastic shift in everything has a somber guitar against Susie’s vocals which is delivered with so much sincerity that you’re waiting for a sharp shift back into the ferocious style from early. And that happens, but not in an obvious way. It’s fragile. Beautiful even. Taking an almost folk inspires change is “Welter”. It’s sprinkled with piano work by Billy Anderson. Spiteful lyrics that are delivered with such refreshing crispness. The entire piece is so calming it almost feels like your brain’s previously acquire inflammation is draining out your ears. Album closer “Tradewind” creates a similar feeling what what “Grit And Pearls” had earlier. But it’s so much more controlled. Like Brume has entered the town mentioned earlier. Infiltrated it. And is moving on to infiltrate more.
This is the sound of a band coming together. Building off what they did on previously, but, honing each sound to utter perfection. All members have started a fight with their respected instruments and won. I’m so excited to see where they go from here.
Richard Murray
