Rome – Hansa Studios Session II (Album – Trisol)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Folk, Chanson
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: Four years after the first edition of “Hansa Studios Session”, Jérôme Reuter moves back to the famous Hansa Studios to record some of his older songs. The studio is a legendary place where an endless list of great names (from Bowie to Depeche Mode to Iggy Pop to ZZ Top) have stayed to record their work. You better take a look at the studio’s homepage. Rome recorded eight songs in this studio.
Content: Just as for the previous work recorded in the Hansa Studios, Jérôme Reuter revisited some of his songs. The songs are taken from the
EP “Berlin” (2006) and albums “The Hyperion Machine” (2016), “Hall Of Thatch” (2018), “Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro” (2019) and “The Lone Furrow” (2020).
The songs still sound in the purest Rome vein, mixing elements of Dark-Folk, Ballads and chanson. It sounds minimal and driven by the passionate vocals of Jérôme Reuter.
+ + + : This work simply reveals the magic of a professional studio. I noticed artists like Das Ich and Deine Lakaien also recorded some of their works in this studio. I think Rome has gained a status he really deserves to record his work in a top notch studio. The production of the vocals is something magic; mixing passion and charisma. But the authenticity of the instruments is another essential element coming through. You can hear the perfectionist side of the artist. Rome’s songs are excelling in grace, emotion, sensibility, passion and melancholia. My favorite songs are “Blighter” and “West Knows Best”.
– – – : The oldest song from the album (cf. “Like Lovers”) originally released in 2006 on the EP “Berlin” (when Rome was still signed on Cold Meat Industry) is one of the few tracks that couldn’t totally convince me. It also was another period when Rome was dealing with a different sound approach than in the last years.
Conclusion: This release is an essential item in the impressive discography of Rome; this is much more than simply revisiting ‘older’ songs, but an artistic creation symbolizing the genius of Rome!
Best songs: “Blighter”, “West Knows Best”, “Skirmishes For Diotima”, “Who Only Europe Know”.
Rate: 8½.
Artist: www.facebook.com/romeproject
Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol-Music-Group/104166526285471
About Rome
Jérôme Reuter, born on 2 August 1981 in Luxembourg, is the musician behind the neofolk project Rome, formed in November 2005. Before Rome he performed as Reggie Fain, played in the Oi! band the Skinflicks and contributed to the post-punk group Mack Murphy and the Inmates.
Rome’s music combines military drumming, atmospheric electronic textures and acoustic guitars with samples and lyrics that deal with war, love, pain and death. Reuter has named Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Albert Camus, Ernst Jünger and Jean Genet as reference points.
The first “Hansa Studios Session” was recorded in 2017. “Hansa Studios Session II” followed on Trisol in 2021 with eight re-recorded songs. Rome later issued “Civitas Solis” and “The Dublin Sessions II” on the same day in April 2025.
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