Vitality Theory

Personnel: Madison Stolzer (vocals, guitar); Cody Lumpkin (vocals); Ricky Bakosh (guitar); Nate Steinheimer (keyboards); Matt Hahn (drums); Joel Wanasek (programming).
Audio Mixer: Andreas Magnusson.
Recording information: JTW Recording, Milwaukee, WI.
It isn't hard to understand why some screamo bands don't want to be called screamo bands. So many forgettable, pedestrian bands came out of screamo in the mid- to late 2000s that screamo-bashing became quite fashionable. Problem: it's unfair to lump the talented screamo bands in with the glut of lousy or mediocre screamo bands. It's best to evaluate screamo on an album-by-album basis, and Rosaline's The Vitality Theory deserves to be recognized as one of the stronger screamo releases of 2010. This 48-minute CD has the familiar screamo elements; Rosaline love to contrast melodic sensitivity with brutal hardcore-minded outbursts. Clean vocals are contrasted with screaming hardcore vocals, although Rosaline occasionally throw in some death metal-style Cookie Monster growls. And while these Chicagoans are far from groundbreaking, you have to applaud their sense of musical craftsmanship. Rosaline's melodies are nicely constructed, not thrown together in a sloppy or haphazard fashion -- and there is a thoughtfulness at work on The Vitality Theory that is missing from so many of the cookie-cutter screamo discs that have been flooding the market. In fact, Rosaline's sense of melody is so attractive that The Vitality Theory probably would have been a creative success even if they had omitted the hardcore elements and gone for a "normal" alternative pop/rock approach (whatever the heck "normal" is). But the hardcore elements are a plus because like the melodic elements, they are used to get Rosaline's emotional points across. Rosaline are highly introspective, and their introspection ranges from a melancholy introspection to an angry introspection; either way, The Vitality Theory works -- and Rosaline are proof positive that not all screamo/post-hardcore/melodic hardcore is created equal. ~ Alex Henderson