The Assassin - Murder? Crime of passion? As always, ROME's titles ought to be taken with a pinch of salt. ROME's new 'Chanson Noir' is speaking of man's enslavement in a world of constant transformation. The traditions of (french) Chanson and (american) Folk are becoming more and more influential in their current work. Chansonniers like LÉO FERRÉ, JACQUES BREL and singer/songwriter heroes like CAVE, CASH and COHEN are obvious influences. The previous album "Flowers From Exile" already gave a first impression of what they themselves call 'Chanson Noir' - the darker side of singer/songwriter tradition: post-industrial-folk with bits and pieces of Electronic Pop, complex arrangements of breathtaking melodies, mesmerizing ballads of lyrical beauty, underlining ROME's ethos of never faltering or remaining uninvolved. The EP/Single features four songs among which the exclusive and intimate track "One Flesh". The creative input of new member Nikos Mavridis (on violin and other stringed instruments) has become more and more apparent, most obviously in the reinvented, "stringed" versions of two classic ROME tracks Der Erscheinungen Flucht and Der Brandtaucher from the highly successful album Masse Mensch Material. ROME are reinventing themselves with each release, without ever losing track of their roots. Still, the sheer anger and ultimate despair of the early, warlike days has somewhat evaporated to make room for more complex and classical arrangements and ever more thought-provoking lyrics. ROME: unmasked, honest and authentic!