Totentanz

No longer just the German expression for "dance of death" (or scuzzy bar in Cyberpunk 2077's hazardous Night City), "Totentanz" is the killer title of Spanish bards Rosslyn's sophomore full-length, released in April following 2018's roughshod debut, Soul In Sanctuary. Suffice to say, it's been a while since a "nwothm" entry floored me this mightily, as the quartet's ever-eclectic, Middle Ages like and hard tooting style is along similar lines as Konquest and Witchtower, whilst hinting of even more arcane Philadelphian formations Blazon Rite and Morgul's Blade.

This is the stuff of legends; the whole shebang melds beautifully, honouring Franz Listz's original solo piano orchestra by the same name, as well as cryptic skeletal artwork above. Combinations between clean, soft harmonies and fierce heavy metal melodies abound within each individual track, to the point where the album's entire forty-six minutes pass by all too quickly, amounting to an apt musical representation of said painting. I'd even go as far as comparing Rosslyn to Borrowed Time, the tragically short-lived jewel from Detroit which equally mesmerized many fortnights ago.

Admittedly, you might be thrown off at first by front man Borja's wildly nasal and off kilter hoots, but before long, dashingly fleet footed and slippery instrumentation conjoins to such quirky rhythms, one cannot help but jingle forward, slowly emerging from their initial doubt into an astonished state of melodic rapture and fully committed fist pump-ery.

In fact, I'm so blown away by Totentanz that I struggle to formulate the rights words to express my awe. This might also have to do with the fact my love of music is now supplanted by affinity for visually interactive fare, but take my word for it: Rosslyn rules! If you're seeking the next best thing, welcome home.