The Galilean Satellites

Last updated
The Galilean Satellites
Rosetta-the galilean satellites.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 18, 2005 (2005-10-18)
RecordedAugust 2004–December 2004 [1]
Genre Post-metal, [2] sludge metal, [3] space rock
Length116:54
Label Translation Loss
Rosetta chronology
Demo
(2003-04)
The Galilean Satellites
(2005)
Project Mercury
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg link
Blabbermouth.net (8/10) link
Deadtide.com link
Decibel Magazine (favorable) link
Decoymusic(favorable) link
Music EmissionsStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg link
Splendid Magazine(favorable) link

The Galilean Satellites is the first studio album by American post-metal band Rosetta, released in 2005 on Translation Loss Records. The album is two discs long and the track lengths on each disc correspond to each other, indicating that the band intended the albums to be played at the same time. [4] Disc one is in a post-metal style while disc two is ambient noise.

Contents

Production

Originally, the band intended to record a standard one-disc album and use the ambient pieces as segues; however, the band had enough material and the approval from Translation Loss to record a second disc. This setup was inspired by Neurosis' album Times of Grace . [1]

Scott Hull of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed fame was originally hired to master the album; however, the band's dissatisfaction with his work caused him to leave the project; Weed himself did the mastering instead. [1]

Release

The album was first released in 2005 in a limited-edition digipak format, then later in 2006 in a standard jewel case, both on Translation Loss Records. Additionally, an acoustic remix of "Au Pays Natal" was also recorded, but is not included in the album; rather, it was released as a download-only track on the band's website. [5]

A CD-R recording syncing both discs together as intended was released during Rosetta's 2005 tour and was available in extremely limited quantities.

A 5.1 surround sound DVD-R version of the album was also made by the band. The mix featured the first disc in the front speakers and the second disc played at the same time in the rear. The first version, a plain disc, was sold at shows in 2006, while it was re-released for mail distribution in 2006 and 2007. The DVD also included three live videos. [6] These editions were very limited and are no longer available.

The album was finally released on vinyl on July 15, 2009 by E-Vinyl and Radar Swarm Records. Due to its length, the original first and second discs were released in separate, double-disc gatefold packages. Both were limited to 250 copies each of black and blue colored vinyl.

The album's gatefold artwork was designed by Hydra Head Records founder and artist Aaron Turner, after Translation Loss themselves asked Turner to create the art. The band members have stated that they are fans of Turner's work (Isis in particular, to which Rosetta is frequently compared). [1]

Themes

The liner notes contain no lyrics; only the phrase "These songs are about a space man", indicative of the band's fascination with astronomy. The lyrics themselves also seem to be (on one level) about space travel, and make many references to Europa, one of the Galilean moons. The band themselves have stated that the songs tell a story about a man who becomes dissatisfied with the world around him and leaves to find a place of solitude (Europa). However, upon reaching it, he realizes that he left behind things that were meaningful to him. [1]

The track names on disc two all are names of different stars: Deneb, Capella, Beta Aquilae, Ross 128, and Sol (the Latin name for our own sun). The track names on disc one are all French phrases (apart from "Europa", since "Absent" is the same in English and in French).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rosetta

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Départe" (lit. "departure")8:13
2."Europa"10:25
3."Absent"9:45
4."Itinérant" (lit. "itinerant")16:14
5."Au Pays Natal" (lit. "the homeland")13:32
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."Deneb"8:13
2."Capella"10:25
3."Beta Aquilae"9:45
4."Ross 128"16:14
5."Sol"15:28

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Hawkwind</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Hawkwind

Hawkwind is the debut album by Hawkwind, released in 1970, originally on Liberty Records, later reissued on Sunset Records. This album is historic since it is one of the first space rock LPs.

<i>Overkill</i> (Motörhead album) 1979 studio album by Motörhead

Overkill is the second studio album by English rock band Motörhead, released in March 1979. It was the band's first album with Bronze Records. Kerrang! magazine listed the album at number 46 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". American thrash metal band Overkill was named after this album.

<i>Another Perfect Day</i> 1983 studio album by Motörhead

Another Perfect Day is the sixth studio album by English rock band Motörhead. Released in May 1983 by Bronze Records, it would be the band's last studio album with the label. It is the band's only studio album to feature lead guitarist Brian "Robbo" Robertson, best known for his work with Thin Lizzy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gatefold</span> Type of packaging for music albums

A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover. The larger gatefold cover provided a means of including artwork, liner notes, and/or song lyrics, which would otherwise not have fit on a standard record cover. It became famous as an extension of progressive rock, as the expansive, transient gatefolds by artists such as Roger Dean, H. R. Giger, or Hipgnosis became associated with concept albums.

<i>Panopticon</i> (album) 2004 studio album by ISIS

Panopticon is the third full-length album by Los Angeles, California based post-metal band ISIS, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2004. The album's title is derived from philosopher Jeremy Bentham's panopticon prison ideal and philosopher/historian Michel Foucault's later allegorical appropriation of the concept. The liner notes also include quotes from technology writer Howard Rheingold and futurist Alex Steffen; as a concept album, Panopticon's focus is on the proliferation of surveillance technologies throughout modern society and the government's role in that spread.

<i>Feeling the Space</i> 1973 studio album by Yoko Ono

Feeling the Space is the fourth solo album by Yoko Ono, released in 1973. It was her last one to be released on Apple Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Controlled Bleeding</span> American experimental music group

Controlled Bleeding was an experimental music group based in Massapequa, New York. The group was founded by Paul Lemos, the group's only consistent member. Most of Controlled Bleeding's released recordings feature two main collaborators, Chris Moriarty and vocalist Joe Papa, who both died in the late 2000s. In February 2020 Lemos announced that the band had dissolved.

<i>In the Name of Suffering</i> 1990 studio album by Eyehategod

In the Name of Suffering is the debut album by American sludge metal band Eyehategod. It was initially released in 1990 through French independent label Intellectual Convulsion and reissued in 1992 by Century Media.

<i>The Chthonic Chronicles</i> 2006 studio album by Bal-Sagoth

The Chthonic Chronicles is the sixth studio album by English metal band Bal-Sagoth. The first in five years since 2001's Atlantis Ascendant, it is rumoured to be their last album. This album was released in Europe on 10 March 2006 through Nuclear Blast and in the US on 16 May through Candlelight Records. A remastered digipak edition from Metal Mind Productions followed in October 2011, while a second digipak release from Dissonance Productions and a limited edition gatefold vinyl version from Night of the Vinyl Dead were issued in October 2020, with a subsequent double vinyl gatefold edition being issued by Back on Black in 2022.

<i>Argus</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Wishbone Ash

Argus is the third album by the British rock band Wishbone Ash, released on 28 April 1972. It is their most commercially and critically successful album, peaking at No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Demonica</i> 2006 box set by Behemoth

Demonica is the first compilation album by Polish extreme metal band Behemoth. The boxset includes demos plus previously unreleased and re-recorded songs from Behemoth's "old school" days when they still played traditional black metal.

<i>In Sorte Diaboli</i> 2007 studio album by Dimmu Borgir

In Sorte Diaboli is the seventh studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released in 2007. It is the band's first concept album. A site on the Nuclear Blast website was created for In Sorte Diaboli, in which a new promotional photo can be seen and an audio sample can be heard. This would be the last album by Dimmu Borgir to feature ICS Vortex, Hellhammer and Mustis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosetta (band)</span> American post-metal band

Rosetta is an American post-metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania incorporating elements of post-hardcore, shoegazing, drone, post-rock, avant-garde and ambient, with influences as diverse as Neurosis and Isis, My Bloody Valentine, Frodus, and Stars of the Lid. The band somewhat humorously self-describes its music as "metal for astronauts", and its members are very interested in astronomy and space travel.

<i>Greasy Truckers Party</i> 1972 live album by Various artists

Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 Greasy Truckers concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured three bands, Man, Brinsley Schwarz, and Hawkwind, and musician Magic Michael. Originally a double vinyl album, in a limited edition of 20,000 and sold at just £1.50, it rapidly sold out, and became a collector's item.

In the world of British underground rock, the Greasy Truckers Party ... ... looms about as large as the Monterey International Pop Festival does in American rock lore; it wasn't the biggest gig ever played by the bands involved, but for reasons of exposure, and resulting word-of-mouth, and the excerpted live album that followed, it came to define what they were capable of.

<i>Ithyphallic</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Nile

Ithyphallic is the fifth studio album by American technical death metal band Nile. It was released on July 17, 2007 through Nuclear Blast, in both standard and digipak formats. It is the band's first album released on Nuclear Blast, since signing with them in May 2006. It is also the band's only album since Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka not to feature notes explaining the context of the lyrics. 1,000 limited edition copies of the album were released in a pyramid-shaped box containing the disc, several images, a certificate of ownership and a scroll containing the lyrics and liner notes from the album. The cover art of this album depicts a statue of the god of fertility "Min", being erected by Egyptian slaves. The title means "Erected Phallus" in ancient Greek.

<i>Wake/Lift</i> 2007 studio album by Rosetta

Wake/Lift is the second full-length album by post-metal band Rosetta. The album was released on October 2, 2007 through Translation Loss Records on CD, with a limited-edition double LP prepared for late 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunts (band)</span>

Haunts was a British rock band based in north London. Described as 'Noirists', their musical style combined elements of punk, new wave, dance, prog rock, indie and Britpop. The band referred to themselves simply as 'new wave'. Haunts' line-up consisted of Banks, Alex Woodcock, Gareth Grover and Mitch Mitchener. Haunts disbanded in 2009.

<i>A Determinism of Morality</i> 2010 studio album by Rosetta

A Determinism of Morality is the third full-length album by post-metal band Rosetta. The album was released on May 25, 2010 through Translation Loss Records on CD. "Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin" is translated as "I Do Not Know Its End". The names for the songs "Release", "Revolve" and "Renew" are taken from the lyrics of "Monument", a song from the band's 2007 album Wake/Lift.

<i>Junius / Rosetta</i> 2011 EP by Junius and Rosetta

Junius / Rosetta is a split EP by American art rock band Junius and American post metal band Rosetta. After several years of planning, the title was made available on September 27, 2011 through Translation Loss in CD format and on November 22, 2011 through The Mylene Sheath in vinyl format. However, the vinyl release was limited, and only 1,000 copies have been pressed for distribution. Junius / Rosetta includes two original tracks by both bands and a download card to obtain additional content online, including two cover songs originally by Soundgarden and Hum.

<i>Thousands of Evils</i> 2013 EP by Vildhjarta

Thousands of Evils is an EP by Swedish progressive metal band Vildhjarta. It was released digitally in Europe on 30 September 2013, and worldwide in digital form and on a limited 1,000 copy 12" vinyl press on 29 October 2013. The EP was made available on Spotify on 3 October 2013. The band released a "forte" version of the EP, as limited gatefold marbled LP (vinyl), limited CD, and digitally on 28 January 2022. It is the last release to feature drummer David Lindkvist, bassist Johan Nyberg, and co-lead vocalist Daniel Ädel.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Elmore, Chris (2005-10-26). "Interview: Rosetta". Indieworkshop.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. Jahdi, Robin (24 June 2015). "The 40 best post-metal records ever made". Fact . Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. "Rosetta - The Galilean Satellites". Crucial Blast. Archived from the original on 2007-04-06. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  4. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Galilean Satellites". Allmusic . Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  5. The album's liner notes contained the URL of a "secret" section of the band's website which allowed fans who purchased a copy of the album access to the acoustic "Au Pays Natal", lyrics, and photos.
  6. Official discography Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine