Artist: Rome
Title: The Tower
Genre: Neofolk
Release Date: 19th December 2025
Label: Trisol Music Group GmbH
Album Review
2025 was not just another year for ROME, but the year of the project’s 20th anniversary. First of all, congratulations are certainly in order. The anniversary year was celebrated with an extensive tour, before its closing chapter brought not just one, but two albums released in parallel. One of them is ‘The Tower’, which will be the focus here.
Taking the image of the tower literally - and, considering the artwork, also visually - it can be seen both as a place of retreat and as a vantage point: a high position offering a clear view of the surrounding landscape and the path already taken. An image that fits the anniversary context well. A moment to pause. To reflect.
And indeed, reflection dominates ‘The Tower’. Bombast, pathos or martial elements are clearly not at the forefront. Instead, the album is shaped by beauty and a very classic form of neofolk. This becomes apparent with the opening track ‘The Twine And The Twist’, built on clear acoustic chords, minimalist instrumentation and vocals delivered in a calm, deliberate manner.
Thoughtfulness and goosebumps often go hand in hand here, as also demonstrated by ‘To The Great Work Only’, which enriches its chord progressions with subtle melodic guitar lines. One can clearly sense that Jerome Reuter is entirely at ease within himself on this record.
Atmosphere also plays a central role on ‘The Tower’. A track such as ‘The Lighthouse And The Catacombs’ unfolds its impact through its restrained pace and carefully crafted sound design. It does not feel threatening, but rather admonishing, while Reuter intensifies the mood not only through his lyrics, but also through his vocal performance.
A similar approach can be found on ‘The Baron (Ordeal By Fire)’, which initially focuses heavily on atmosphere before its remarkably clear tones begin to resonate emotionally. Once again, Reuter demonstrates his ability to sound calm on the surface, while remaining deeply affecting underneath.
From time to time, the tempo is slightly increased - at least by the standards of ‘The Tower’. A song like ‘This Slaughter Behold’ features more driving moments, supported by subtle percussion and cohesive guitar lines. It is a facet that suits the album very well. Certainly, hearing such moments more frequently could be appealing, but criticising this would amount to little more than searching for a proverbial hair in the soup.
Instead, ‘The Tower’ stands firmly on its own: restrained, coherent and precisely for that reason emotionally powerful - a truly strong and moving body of work.
Tracklist
01. The Twine and the Twist
02. To the Great Work Only
03. Twilight Leaves
04. The Lighthouse and the Catacombs
05. This Slaughter Behold
06. Remember to Dare
07. Mine Were of Marble
08. The Baron (Ordeal by Fire)
09. Ire and Troth
10. This Hour Her Vigil
Line-up
Jerome Reuter - Vocals, Guitar, Percussion
Tom Gatti - Bass, Synths, Sound Design
Website
https://www.romepage.org / https://www.facebook.com/romeproject
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 9
Total: 8.5 / 10
