Rose Funeral
The Resting Sonata

February 2009
Released: 2009, Metal Blade Records
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

Cincinnati’s Rose Funeral first hit these ears with their 2006 debut, CRUCIFY.KILL.ROT, so when they landed a deal on major indie, Metal Blade Records, it seemed like the timing was right for their blend of Black Dahlia Murder-influenced deathcore. For their sophomore release, THE RESTING SONATA, the band has cleaned up the production significantly (a real sore spot previously) but stuck to a pretty similar formula musically. Tim Russell’s vocals style is not unlike Trevor Strnad’s on-a-dime shifts between high-pitched shrieks and ultra-low growls. The guitar team of Ryan Gardner and Jesse Biesner manage to inject plenty of melody into the speedy leads and chugging riffs, as well. The comparisons to The Black Dahlia Murder are not unfounded (the band avowed to their fondness of that band in a recent interview) but the root of Rose Funeral’s sound lies within the deathcore realm. Breakdowns are aplenty here but there manages to be enough brutality to the death metal on THE RESTING SONATA to distance the band from the endless parade of Whitechapel and Suicide Silence clones.



“Sodomizer” wastes no time in ripping listeners’ ears to shreds with a monster-sized rhythm section that attempts to annihilate with a torrent of blastbeats and chunky bass. Tremolo-picked riffs and double-tracked vocals all combine into one pummeling track that demonstrates Rose Funeral has some serious chops. “God Demise” is more melodic with a great riff lying behind the chaos of Dusty Boles’ drumming. Equally, “Redeemer” features some quality licks from Gardner and Biesner, especially as the song hits the homestretch. For the pit hounds, look for crushing breakdowns on “Left To Rot” and “Buried Beneath,” both of which will get necks snapping and arms windmilling.



Unfortunately, there isn’t much beyond these points to really separate THE RESTING SONATA from the crowd. The instrumentation is all well played and this is some solid deathcore mixed with melodic death but as far as creating their own identity, it would be difficult to pinpoint a Rose Funeral song amidst the glut of bands doing the same thing. Fans of the genre will certainly find plenty of appeal here but THE RESTING SONATA seems like it might have a hard time rising above the crowd.



KILLER KUTS: “Sodomizer,” “God Demise,” “Left To Rot,” “Redeemer,” “Buried Beneath”