Review Summary: A surprisingly enjoyable album that will have you moving to the beat either at home or at the local club.
Sitting in the dimly lit interior of the only Industrial club in town the DJ leads into his next song, one with pulsing beats, lyrics that beg you to sing along, and a wonderfully upbeat synth line that seems to pop in an out of existence - "Exterminate Annihilate Destroy." My introduction to Rotersand, Welcome to Goodbye is an album that took me completely by surprise, Rotersand has crafted something truly worthy of the club scene without snubbing the home listener in the process. The entire album can stand on its own or be remixed to produce stunning results, "Almost Wasted" in particular can become a behemoth of a track in capable hands. From the way "Dare to Live" draws the audience in with soft, whispered lyrics to the strange, undeniably quirky yet somehow lovable lines of "Would You Buy This?" Rotersand does nothing that an avid Darkwave/Industrial/Futurepop/EBM listener has not heard before; they keeps things simple and it works.
The vocals are something that tend to sell me on an artist right away in the Industrial genre, Rascals dry monotone delivery is addicting and at times bringing with it a power similar to that of Ronan from
VNV Nation fame. The lyrical content ranges from rather non-existent with “Storm” to downright powerful with "The Last Ship" and its father-son message. A large amount of variety is to be had before they album draws to its conclusion, after showing the audience much of what they have to offer by the end of “Undone” Rotersand saves a gem for those willing to brave “Will You Buy This?” This strange track is reminiscent of
Combichrist “God Bless” minus the dark feeling or the catchy background syths, but the lyrics bring it a charm all its own when the listener is asked in a rather serious tone,
“do you suffer from headaches, do you masturbate, do you like flowers?” Afterwards comes the gem, at track 11 “Alive” brings out a harsher, more evocative vocal style to keep things fresh and remind the audience just why they were listening to the album in the first place.
The one thing that seems to bring this album down is the decision to close on the softest note possible, "Angels Falling" drops the energy Rotersand brings straight off the map killing the power of the album altogether. I somewhat understand the decision to continue what opener “Welcome to goodbye” started but it is a buzz kill every time. If you haven't heard anything by Rotersand before but enjoy the genre I can recommend this album wholeheartedly, go give "The Last Ship (part 1)," "Undone," and the afore mentioned "Exterminate Annihilate Destroy" a listen - you won't be disappointed.
