CoC : Sub Rosa - Strega : Review

Sub Rosa - _Strega_
(I Hate Records, 2008)
by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10)

Sub Rosa hail from Salt Lake City -- yes, that Salt Lake City, the international home of Mormonism, and yes, at least one member still identifies with Mormonism. This might explain the inclusion of a haunting a capella version of "Go Down Moses (Let My People Go)", a traditional African-American number, albeit sung to a different melody. The remaining songs cannot be shoved into a pigeonhole without a great deal of violence; ostensibly sounding like Southern sludge, a lot of rhythms are reminiscent of Riot Grrrls, especially _Bricks are Heavy_ era L7. And like Riot Grrrls, they are an all-female metal band, which if it were an animal, would be heading the way of the dodo. The vocals are relatively varied, ranging from occasional howls through to a delicate ethereality. The constant drone of the guitars has a hypnotic effect. The combination is unique but may work to their disadvantage, by being too heavy for the indie crowd, but too alternative for metalheads.

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/subrosatheatre

(article published 13/12/2008)