With ‘Circle of Doubt,’ Rosetta West proves solidifies their status as underground visionaries. In sync with ancient rites, released, the single puts listeners into a headspace exhausted but resolute. A cyclical, heavy riff conjures up soul crushing fatigue on existential battles and spectral solos soar upward like desperate prayers for transcendence; all anchored by Joseph Demagore’s guitar work. Co crafted by Demagore and multi instrumentalist Jason X the arrangement is both intimate and expansive and reclusive drummer Nathan Q. Scratch propels the gloom laden groove.
The music video to the song, however, captures the themes of the song very well. Cinematography in stark black and white floats the band and a menacing top hat wearing figure among crumbling gravestones and twisted ouroboros symbols. But this isn’t some gothic posturing, it’s a very deliberate metaphor for the ‘circle’ of mental entrapment. Archival footage in between shots of weathered stone, of Demagore’s fretboard and the lyrics’ raw vulnerability allude to the band’s long, uncompromising history in the dark. The rawness and grainy texture of the video itself reflects Rosetta West’s analog ethos — in preference for palpable atmosphere over polish.
Yet “Circle of Doubt” isn’t devoid of light, it’s unflinching in its darkness. It’s hard won resilience as Demagore’s weathered vocals and soaring guitar breaks that build into real anthemic territory. In other words, the recurring motif of circular light (haloing the figures) visually hints at fractured hope within the despair. The cemetery setting dominates, but mist drenched woods and prismatic distortions layer the allegory.
As burnout specialists, Rosetta West is true to their mystic roots. “Circle of Doubt” is evidence of their own unique mix of blues intensity, psychedelic depth and folk spirituality. But the video takes it up another level: a monochrome dreamscape approached viscerally, with every loop making you fall further down into the band’s world. This is elemental soul stirring rock at its most elemental for those weary of mainstream gloss. Essential for Fans of early Black Keys, Tinariwen’s desert blues, or anyone craving music that stares into the abyss—and finds a riff.
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