Rosetta West strut in with smoke in their wake with old amplifiers buzzing. The Illinois-based blues rock band’s latest album, God of the Dead, is a fever dream of raw guitars, gravel-throated vocals, spiritual musings, and fearless wandering. Frontman Joseph Demagore clearly isn’t afraid to get weird—or real—as he leads the way on vocals, guitar, and piano through a 15-track odyssey that moves from psychedelic freakouts to stripped-back soul-searching.
Take the opening track, “Boneyard Blues.” Right off the bat, you’re pulled into a thick fog of fuzzy, churning guitar riffs and a slow, steady drum groove that drips with grit. Demagore’s voice is raspy and impassioned, like he’s lived every lyric. Then comes “Tao Teh King,” which grooves with a smug, toe-tapping confidence. It’s a swaggering little gem with hooks for days and that signature fuzzy texture that makes it impossible not to nod along. Somewhere between punk-funk and front-porch philosophy, it knows exactly what it’s doing.
But what really gives this record its teeth is the way it plays with continuity and storytelling. You will find “Susanna Jones, Pt. 1” in the first half, continuing to “Pt. 2” in the latter half. Rosetta West shows us her love for longform songwriting, letting characters unfold across time and tension. The final track “Midnight” swoops in with soulful sincerity as churning guitars cradle a heartfelt vocal performance.
All in all, God of the Dead is a wild ride through a graveyard of genre conventions. Listen to it on Spotify.
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Review by: Naomi Joan