''The Hyperion Machine'' is the tenth studio album by the Luxembourgish music act

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, released on 12 August 2016 by Trisol Music Group.

Release

Trisol Music Group released ''The Hyperion Machine'' on 12 August 2016. It was Rome's tenth studio album in ten years.

Reception

Laut.de ''laut.de'' is a German online magazine covering music and entertainment. It was founded in Konstanz in 1996 by Rainer Henze concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, but it addresses some of the same subjects. These include the treatment of Jews and political opponents by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in the songs "The Secret Germany (For Paul Celan)", which references Paul Celan's " Todesfuge", and "Die Mörder Mühsams", which is about the

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

Erich Mühsam. Marco De Baptistis of ' described the historical and literary references—which include Louis-Ferdinand Céline and the novel ''Hyperion'' by Friedrich Hölderlin—as romantic, ghostly and hallucinatory. Hennig described the album as musically divided in two halves, where the first has simple arrangements and the second is "more exciting" and uses ambient techniques. The Swedish newspaper ''

Dagens Nyheter (, ), abbreviated ''DN'', is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major nationa ...

'' brought up the collaboration with Thåström, who appears as a guest vocalist on the song "Stillwell" and has his song "FanFanFan" covered by Rome as a bonus track. The critic said the

neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrume ...

on ''The Hyperion Machine'' has some similarities to Thåström's music, as well as to

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

and the "late industrial blues" of

Einstürzende Neubauten (, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The band currently comprises founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard) and N.U. Unruh (custom-made instruments, percussion, ...

. Sara Berg of ''

Nöjesguiden ''Nöjesguiden'' (Swedish language, Swedish for "the entertainment guide") is a Nordic free-of-charge young adult monthly magazine, available in the major cities in Sweden, which was established in 1982. It is also published in a similar format ...

'' described the album as " americana folk,

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

, polished

growl Growling is a low, guttural vocalization produced by predatory animals; producing ''growls''. Growling or growl may also refer to: Sounds * Death growl, the dominant singing style in death metal music * Stomach rumble, Stomach growl, or borborygm ...

and dystopian melodies"; unfortunately, according to Berg, it has a "martyr-solemn sound" which makes it seem self-pitying. De Baptistis wrote that the album combines Rome's later influences from

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...

and

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (; 24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released ...

with the martial industrial elements of the band's early releases. He said ''The Hyperion Machine'' is more varied than Rome's previous records and that the guest appearance from Thåström turned out successful, hoping to see more collaboration between him and Rome. Hennig said the melodies, rhythms and mood alone make the album worth listening to, but the lyrics add another depth and make it a ''

Gesamtkunstwerk A ''Gesamtkunstwerk'' (, 'total work of art', 'ideal work of art', 'universal artwork', 'synthesis of the arts', 'comprehensive artwork', or 'all-embracing art form') is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. ...

''.

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyperion Machine 2016 albums Rome (band) albums