Any desire for reclusion undoubtedly comes with good reason anymore though it takes a massive, life-altering level of negative reinforcement to provide alienation enough for a complete exit from a crowd, much less an exodus from society as a whole. Inclusion alone is trauma enough. In returning for a second full-length album roughly four years beyond their first German folken deathrock group ROPE SECT speak to the malaise that hangs over the disenfranchised, antisocial mind seeking autonomy directly as they craft their most memorable plan for escape to date. If you are already familiar with these folks then chances are you know exactly what to expect from ‘Estrangement‘ as a direct follow-up to their prior major works thus far, yet you may be surprised at the finesse with which they build additional nuance unto thier unique sound by way of tightened songcraft and altogether refined production values.

For the necessary provenance per Rope Sect‘s discography and the development of their sound look to their debut full-length album (‘The Great Flood‘, 2020) and my review of it where I’d granted their work high marks and a spot at #43 on my Top 100 Albums of 2020. The gist of it is that their unique yet easily read approach to depressive rock music bears its own level of extremity and connectivity, lending their work some potential for apex level outsider sorrow-class music in an era of born-dead imitations in revival. Here on album number two they’ve cinched up the render, cut the running order down to only the most essential statements, and kept their work tuneful and consistent across the board.

From the first song, “Revel in Disguise“, we find that there is a fading light in every step of ‘Estrangement‘ where every strum of their signature snapped-out guitar progressions is set to drain and dry. It feels like we are dropped directly where these folks had left off a couple of years ago, per an impressive mLP release in the interim, but also for the sake of nothing drastic or frightening having occurred in the space between albums. As this opening song digs into familiar guitar techniques, thrashing and strumming along we get one key portion of the artist’s unique sound alongside Inmesher‘s (Grinning God) soured but glowingly deadpan vocals. The immediate tone upon arrival felt outright comfortable, like I’d never stepped away from ‘The Great Flood‘ though the actual sound design had changed more than I might’ve noticed without direct comparison.

One of a few bigger observations to make outright here is that the production values are clarified, reigned in of the heavy reverb of ‘The Great Flood‘ at the cost of the larger presence of the drums on that album. Here the guitar tone is no less of a focus but it competes with fewer performances, letting the rhythm section present the general flow of these often standard song structures while the vocals hum in parity with the main guitar performances. By eliminating some of the artificial sense of space we are left with a more confrontational, grounded tonality which is present and nigh confessional in its relay; Again the forlorn warmth and general personae of Rope Sect‘s music centers around the vocalist’s work and with less distance from both guitar hooks and narrative voice songs like “Massenmensch” and “Mementote”, strong mid-album peaks, feel like they hit one after another in an increasingly connective, interrelated thread largely void of filler moments.

If ‘The Great Flood‘ was a droning hideaway that’d indulged in a few too many pieces which’d detracted from the sublime ecstasy of a few standouts (“Hiraeth”, “Rope of the Just”) here on the follow-up each of these ~4-6 minute songs not only count but compliment one another when presented in a row. I’d felt this album did a much better job of honing in on its groove, immersing quickly and perhaps at the expense of never really breaking out of that tunnel vision. A song like “Nefelibatas” has that opening guitar snap you’d want from a Rope Sect song, the palm muted strikes of it amidst the familiar mournful vocal melody snaking in its introduction but we’re not quite getting the pure attack of it so much as a folken arrangement that patiently reveals its core melody without any interruptive stampede to break focus. On the plus side the heavier guitar drivers found on “Cesspool of Vice” and “Mementote” re-break the familiar bones of their work with some almost doomed grooves and I’d found those to be some of the most impactful rhythmic turns taken.

If there is a song on here that does feel like it adapts a certain style of doomed-ass black metal into its guitar work, it is probably “Massenmensch” which quickly stands out for its crunchier guitar techniques and the drearier-than-thou turn of its pre-chorus/chorus to get beyond its transitional points. For me this is peak guitar technique for the album and some of the catchier songs per my own taste. Of course it takes a bit of patience to get there, but giving these folks some time to cook up a hook is where the album is flexes its strongest moments; The weaker points on the album are few, in fact I think only “Hindsight Bias” and parts of “L’Appel Du Vide” ever wore on my senses after countless rides through this record. I’d felt like going from the soft and slow drain of “Hindsight Bias” into the rousing, weirding step of closer “Rope of the Mundane Love”, which features King Dude on guest vocals, as a piece with plenty of energy that rolls hard through the end of the full listen.

Less volatile magickry. — Less filler, less repetition, a more substantial spin… ‘Estrangement‘ raises the bar across the board yet provides fewer hills and valleys for the sake of strong contrast. As a follow-up record it is remarkably consistent work from a band who’ve never put out a bad song and I suppose my best argument for this one being a bit more potent comes from admiring the details rather than the size of the waves made. Yes, I was missing the killer app to start, that one piece that really took the album away until I’d kinda found every piece had its own place and importance. Granted I over-listened to this album, drove it well into the dirt in the meantime as I put it through its paces at least thirty plus times before putting any thoughts to paper, having enjoyed it with similar rabidity on par with my experience with their previous LP. This should ultimately be endorsement enough for folks interested in folkish depressive rock, post-punk/deathrock inspired music though my main recommendation goes out to folks who’re already fans as ‘Estrangement‘ should assuredly inspire greater fealty. A high recommendation.

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