Masse Mensch Material

Released in 2008, Masse Mensch Material is the third full-length album from Luxembourgish project Rome and is widely considered a high-water mark for the neofolk and martial industrial genres. Following the more stripped-back and melancholic Confessions D’Un Voleur D’Ames, this record reintroduced a sense of rhythmic urgency and 'Leichtigkeit' (lightness) without sacrificing the project's signature gloom. Jerome Reuter utilizes a sophisticated palette of acoustic instrumentation, orchestral arrangements, and carefully curated samples to explore themes of the individual versus the collective, often drawing on 20th-century European history and literature. The album is notable for its bilingual aesthetic, featuring German titles and samples while maintaining English vocals. Critical reception praised the album for its high production values and Reuter's ability to evolve the neofolk sound into something more cinematic and accessible without losing its subversive edge.