MUSIC FOR YOUR EARS Discover the REVIEW of Snake 25 By Rosetta West

Rosetta West’s Snake 25 is more than a song — it’s a revelation, a reckoning, and a
ritual. At six sprawling minutes, this latest release from the Illinois-based blues rock
collective distils everything that makes them one of the most compelling underground
acts operating today: bold musicianship, esoteric lyricism, and an unshakable sense of
artistic purpose.
From its ominous, slowly unravelling introduction, Snake 25 immerses the listener in a
cavernous world of shadow and symbolism. The opening minutes feel less like a
prelude and more like a summoning, as though the band is calling forth something
ancient through droning tones and minimalist percussion. It’s a deliberate, atmospheric
build — brooding and hypnotic — that sets the stage for the hard rock thunderstorm to
come.
When the transition hits, it hits like a tectonic shift. The guitars snarl with molten edge,
the rhythm section roars to life, and Joseph Demagore’s vocals emerge like a prophet in
the wilderness — wounded, wild, and unrelenting. His voice isn’t just singing; it’s
conjuring. Demagore delivers each line with a rasped intensity, somewhere between
chant and cry, giving weight to the Gnostic-infused lyrics that wrestle with knowledge,
transformation, and inner duality.
The spiritual depth of Snake 25 is one of its defining features. Rather than relying on
vague allusions or superficial mysticism, the band dives headfirst into the arcane. The
lyrics feel etched rather than written — dense with metaphor, yet strikingly direct in
their emotional impact. Themes of shedding skins, confronting hidden truths, and
ascending from illusion pulse throughout the track, not as abstract concepts but as
urgent emotional truths.
Jason X’s bass playing is particularly notable here — gritty, sinuous, and deeply
textural. His synth work adds layers of eerie ambience that echo the song’s
metaphysical preoccupations. As co-producer and sound engineer, his hand is evident in
the track’s impeccable structure and sonic clarity. Despite its heavy layering, Snake 25
never feels cluttered. Every sonic element has space to breathe and burn.
Drummer Nathan Q. Scratch — forever enigmatic and unseen — provides a rhythmic
spine that oscillates between trance-like pulse and explosive power. His percussion
anchors the track’s shapeshifting energy, grounding it when needed and then propelling
it into chaos when the moment calls.
What sets Snake 25 apart from other modern rock efforts is its refusal to play it safe.
Structurally, the song is daring — eschewing pop conventions in favour of dynamic
evolution. Sonically, it’s unpredictable — sometimes soft and ceremonial, other times
volcanic. The blend of bluesy grit, psychedelic haze, and world-folk textures forms a
unique aural landscape that feels both ancient and forward-thinking.

Rosetta West have long carved their path outside the mainstream, and Snake 25 is a
powerful reaffirmation of that ethos. It’s not crafted for radio or algorithmic approval —
it’s a spell woven for those willing to listen deeply. The band’s dedication to
authenticity, combined with their technical skill and narrative ambition, places them in a
lineage of visionary rock acts who understand that music can be more than
entertainment — it can be transformation.
For long-time followers of the band, Snake 25 is a culmination of their ongoing sonic
and thematic evolution. For newcomers, it’s a potent initiation — an invitation to step
into the band’s mythic world and lose yourself in the labyrinth. Either way, the track
stands as a monument to what independent, passionate, and boundary-pushing music
can still achieve in an oversaturated landscape.
In a time when much of rock feels like it’s running on fumes, Rosetta West delivers a
gust of wild, spiritual fire with Snake 25. It’s not just worth hearing — it’s worth
experiencing, over and over again, each listen peeling back a new layer of the snake’s
mysterious coil.

Review made by Lucy Cicioni