'ROOH' is Aswekeepsearching At Its Best!

It's been a while since Post-Rock sweethearts released their album 'Zia', an album filled with epic tunes that quickly became hits and it was quite intriguing as to what step the band would take next. Updates and studio clips showed the band taking a rather different approach from their previous albums and their fans were eager to know what the next Aswekeepsearching record would sound like. Well, that time is here, as the band release their third studio album, 'ROOH'.

A PRODUCTION MASTERPIECE!

The work being put into the album that the band teased beforehand seems to have really paid off on this new record. Everything from the performances to the production is by far the best Aswekeepsearching has ever achieved on a full length. Coming in at a sweet 35 minutes of runtime, the record material wise and production wise takes you through a dynamic trip. Songs like 'ROOH' and 'Chasing Light' show the band at its most energetic, whilst songs like 'Green and Blue' and 'A Night In Zottegem' showcase their core Post-Rock leanings. This album is also interesting because of the different approaches taken in songs like 'Eneke Najaaba' and 'Aitbaar'. Whilst it might sound like a lot of stuff is going on, the entire sonic space ties in together perfectly. The band along with Delhi based musician and producer Ritwik De certainly did wonders in capturing the performances that are there on the record. That has only been christened with the masterful work of Mixing and Mastering engineer Forrester Savell, who is more than known in the Progressive Rock circuit for creating the sounds of bands such as Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, Skyharbor and so on. Whilst 'Zia' sounded like a wonderful Indie record, 'ROOH' sounds like a big International Label release. This further translates to the artwork of the album, made by Anoop K. Bhatt and the new logo made by Aaqib Wani. The simple outlay of both the artwork and the logo scream out the sound of the record. The dot-styled artwork really evokes a positive emotion, whilst mostly being black. At the same time, the new logo incorporates 4 lines, denoting the four members of the band. It's free, yet specifically structured.

THE 'ASWEKEEPSEARCHING' SOUND

Another reason why 'ROOH' is a wonderful record is because this is the most Aswekeepsearching has ever sounded like itself. They have finally come around to really fully imagine and realise their sound. Not many bands can say that they can do that by the time their third studio record comes out. The song structures have a lot more Progressive Rock leanings as compared to just being Post-Rock driven songs. There are moments that remind you of Steven Wilson, whereas some remind you of Devin Townsend. The layers of synths and orchestral layers take the already existing wall of sound into the atmosphere. Uddipan Sarmah has hands down delivered his best vocal performance. Whilst it sounded like he was a bit hesitant being the so called 'frontman' of the band focusing more on the Instrumental and writing aspect, he has really come out in a formidable way with this record to prove that he's one of the best vocalists in the Independent scene in India. 'ROOH' is Aswekeepsearching at it's best. This record is a solid 8.5/10. 'ROOH' is out now and available on all streaming platforms! Make sure you check it out. And if you do like the record, make sure you catch the band on the ROOH Launch Tour: Get your tickets here: https://aswekeepsearching.in/tour?fbclid=IwAR0wbN v41pYoCFKRL9IiRbItbnnefHKwW_U1mEyyZ5r1SY9g_Z5J-GhQow