For over a decade hard rockers, Roulette have been a staple of the local music scene in the greater Asbury Park, New Jersey area.The five-piece rock outfit is like a family — growing up together, rolling together, standing together … heck, if it’s a Wednesday night, chances are you’re probably going to see them over at Main Street Bar & Grill (Neptune, New Jersey) grabbing burgers together. This is how every band should be. They are a family and a united front.
Over the years, I’ve had the unique opportunity to watch each member of the band grow as a musician and a person. Frontwoman Jess Bariletti not only continues to own the stage with her presence, but her already impressive vocal melodies and range become more intricate every time I see her. Drummer Joe Scarpino has always wowed me on the drums but he has taken his technical, musical, and foot speed abilities to another level.
Strummers, Anthony Panduri and Greg Scarpino have recently switched things up with a role reversal on bass and guitar respectively. And it works seamlessly! Lastly, shredder and backing vocalist Mike Haider has not only stepped up his game on stage, but single-handedly recorded the band’s latest album completely in house. It sounds incredible.
It goes without saying that I already highly respect my pals in Roulette and hold them in warm regard. But when they asked me to the be the first person to listen to their upcoming album, The Void. I was absolutely blown away. Not only by the sentiment, but by the stellar album itself. Thanks to the band themselves, here’s your first sneak preview at what you can expect from, The Void.
Let’s start with the opening track and the subject of the rock outfit’s latest video released earlier today, “Cataclysm.”
The song itself is next level. The ongoing evolution of Roulette is apparent as they’ve created their masterpiece. With shredding riffs, hauntingly melodic vocals, and hard hitting drums, this is the track. Any wrestler or fighter would be lucky to have this accompany a walk to the ring.
You know when you pop in a new album for the first time, and it’s make or break time with that first track? “Cataclysm” is the perfect opening track here, and the band did themselves a huge service by putting this one right out of the gate. Simply perfection.
“One Bad Day Away” is another personal favorite and has a hint of that old school punk Roulette feel we all know and love. That’s another thing I love about this album – it has everything. The synth and shredding guitar riffs stand out between verses, and Jess’s vocal harmonies in this one give me a lot of of that Veruca Salt feel. This is some of my favorite Roulette stuff here – this seasoned amalgamation of both their roots and maturity. If Cataclysm wasn’t already THE song, this would be my top pick.
As for the track with ALL of the feels, that would be “The Things that Haunt Me” The lyrics, written by Joe Scarpino are completely genuine in what I know to be a very open letter to his late mother. Lines such as, “I hope these words reach you wherever you are. I would like to thank you for bringing me this far” and “I don’t want to forget your face” get me every time. This one tells a heartfelt story, and I absolutely love the unexpected punk rock turn around in the middle of the song.
If you’re looking for a straight banger, track seven, “Second Sight” is for you. Haider’s backing vocals in this one bring a lot to the table. This is song is polished and I absolutely love all the drum fills on this one. Be prepared to head bang for four minutes straight.
I’m not gonna lie folks. “The Void” is one of the best local band albums I’ve heard in a long time and I can tell you that some of these songs were ten years in the making.
Unfortunately, the album has no release date as of yet as the band is being very strategic about their next few moves, which I respect the heck out of. In fact I’m proud of each and every one of them as not only musicians, but as humans. It’s amazing to see these five souls work as a unit … nay, a family. This is why they’ve come as far as the have and while this is by far their best yet. Stay Tuned.
