Album Review: Roamer – What the Hell? (Czar Of Revelations)

What the Hell? is the debut release of Swiss alternative rock band, Roamer out on April 27th 2018 via Czar Of Revelations.

Roamer are a quartet, named after the watch factory in Solothurn, where they rehearsed in the early years. It’s been a long wait for this debut as the band have been around for ten years with a history filled with difficult personal and fascinating artistic challenges.

Combining passion for Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Björk with a penchant for jazz and improvisation, What the Hell? is an interesting listen, something that can certainly be called unique. The softly sung vocals and odd tones of Open My Pants is initially a bit jarring, hard to stomach and get your head around but with an increase in tempo it comes together nicely. That being said, I can see a lot of people switching the album off after the first few minutes.

That would be a mistake though as Roamer have crafted an eccentric and intriguing album. Track like Today, Sick Enough and Bye Bye Baby produce memorable and sweet soft rock melodies dripping in Roamer’s influences.

That being said, this isn’t an easy album to digest. It’s complex and inventive and unwilling to stick to one particular path. Take One Step as an example with it’s in your face vocals and unique instrumentation which is than followed by the fairly bland tune of Touchscreen.

The album comes to a close with a tribute to Nine Inch Nails in Number and the subtle melody of Sunday Morning. Take your time with What the Hell? There’s way more to it then you might initially think. If you’re a fan of the more obscure then this is perfect for you.

Roamer – What the Hell? Full Track Listing:

1. Open My Pants
2. Today
3. What the Hell?
4. Sick Enough
5. Bye Bye Baby
6. There’s No Me
7. One Step
8. Touchscreen
9. Rebel
10. Number
11. Sunday Morning

You can order the album via Czar of Revelations here and find out more/keep up to date with Roamer via Facebook.