Rome is a Luxembourgish neofolk band founded in November 2005 as a main output for the songs of Jérôme Reuter (born August 2nd, 1981)[3][4] of Luxembourg.[5] Though Reuter is the main creative force in the band, he performs live with a range of musicians who also contribute performances on various studio recordings. In early 2006 Rome was signed to the Swedish record label Cold Meat Industry. Rome has since signed with the Trisol Music Group record label as of 2009. Rome is considered one of the most important acts within the neofolk genre.[6][7]

Rome
Rome performing at the festival Mėnuo Juodaragis in 2013
Rome performing at the festival Mėnuo Juodaragis in 2013
Background information
OriginLuxembourg
GenresNeofolk, martial industrial
Years active2005–present
LabelsTrisol, CMI
Members
  • Jérôme Reuter
Past members
  • Patrick Damiani
  • Nikos Mavridis

Background edit

Reuter previously recorded music under the name Reggie Fain, which was influenced by Tom Waits.[4] He was also a member of an Oi! band[8] called the Skinflicks,[9] and a post-punk band called Mack Murphy and the Inmates,[6] where he performed under the name Mack Murphy.[4]

Reuter's first recording as Rome was the EP Berlin, which was recorded in Patrick Damiani's studio in Germany in December 2005.[10] Damiani, a sound engineer, has been considered a full-time member of Rome since 2008.[11][12] In 2009, violinist Nikos Mavridis joined the group,[12] although he left after being conscripted into the Greek military.[3]

Rome has had live performances featuring Die Weisse Rose on drums.[13]

Musical style edit

According to Paul Simpson, the band's sound combines "military drumming and horns with atmospheric electronic textures and ethereal acoustic guitars, as well as samples and poetic lyrics often relating to war-related themes, as well as more universal topics such as love, pain, and death."[5] Many of his albums have historical themes, such as Flowers From Exile and A Passage to Rhodesia, which focus on the Spanish and Rhodesian Civil Wars, respectively.[14] Reuter has cited Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Albert Camus, Ernst Jünger, and Jean Genet as influences on his music and lyrics.[15][16]

Discography edit

Albums edit

  • Berlin (2005)
  • Nera (2006)
  • Confessions D'Un Voleur D'Ames (2007)
  • Masse Mensch Material (2008)
  • Flowers From Exile (2009)
  • Nos Chants Perdus (2010)
  • Die Æsthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit (2011)
  • Hell Money (2012)
  • A Passage To Rhodesia (2014)
  • Coriolan (2016)
  • The Hyperion Machine (2016)
  • Hall of Thatch (2018)
  • Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro (2019)
  • The Dublin Session (2019)
  • The Lone Furrow (2020)
  • Parlez-Vous Hate? (2021)
  • Defiance (2022) Digital EP
  • Hegemonikon (2022)
  • Gates of Europe (2023)

Live albums edit

  • Hansa Studios Session (2017)
  • Hansa Studios Session II (2021)

References edit

  1. ^ Kahrle, Mikael (2016-06-01). "New Rome album in August, featuring Joakim Thåström". Release Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  2. ^ "Πάτρα:Το «Jazz+Πράξεις 2018» του Διεθνούς Φεστιβάλ". pelop.gr (in Greek). 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  3. ^ a b Cristina (2010-04-26). "Interviu: Jerome Reuter, Rome". Metropotam (in Romanian and English). Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  4. ^ a b c Muno, Claudine (2005-01-21). "MUSIK: Du und deine Freunde". Woxx (in German). Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  5. ^ a b "Rome | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  6. ^ a b "A CVLT Nation exclusive interview with ROMEby Oliver Sheppard -". 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  7. ^ "An Interview With Jerome Reuter of Rome". www.idieyoudie.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  8. ^ Murphy-Bates, Sebastian (2012-01-19). "THE SKINFLICKS INTERVIEW with bassist Patrick Skinflick! 19/01/2012". Ball Breakers Media. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  9. ^ Caregari, Luc (2013-08-16). "NÉOFOLK: L'éternel incompris". Woxx (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  10. ^ "biography". romepage.eu. Archived from the original on 2010-02-20. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  11. ^ isis (2007-11-01). "Rome Interview; This Twisted Crown". Heathen Harvest. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  12. ^ a b Knepper, Erika (2015-01-08). "Preview ROME (Jérôme Reuter Solo) - Munich 2015-01-29". Reflections of Darkness. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  13. ^ "ROME". Kogaionon. No. 10. 2008-12-29. pp. 11–13. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  14. ^ Della Pelle, Giulia (2020-11-04). "Rome di Jerome Reuter: l'Europa in musica". Shockwave Magazine (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  15. ^ "About | ROME". rome.lu. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  16. ^ Void, Lilian (2019-02-22). "Masse Mensch Material: An In-Depth chat with ROME - CVLT Nation". Retrieved 2023-07-24.

External links edit