Goth rock outfit
Rosetta Stone started in 1988 when vocalist/guitarist
Porl King and bassist Karl North yearned to escape the traditional Brit-pop scene happening in their native Liverpool. A year later, the duo met
the Mission's
Wayne Hussey, who offered to produce
Rosetta Stone's first album. Shortly thereafter,
Hussey pulled out of production duties and 1990's self-titled album was released without him. Several singles were put out through the '90s, and
Rosetta Stone issued their first full-length,
Adrenaline, in 1993.
Foundation Stones and the
Epitome EP also followed that same year. It was during this time that
Rosetta Stone lead the naturally overlooked goth rock/darkwave movement into other musical outlets. Bands such as
Nine Inch Nails and
the Cult were getting brief national exposure. Drawing from musical influences such as
Sisters of Mercy,
Bauhaus, and
the Cure,
Rosetta Stone was delving into their own sonic seascape of brooding vocals and synth-inspired sounds. The band returned with
Tyranny of Inaction in 1995,
Hiding in Waiting in 1996, and
Chemical Emissions in 1998, establishing themselves as one of Cleopatra's household names and carrying the gothic torch into the mainstream rock & roll circuit. The band broke up with the release of 2000's covers album
Unerotica, but resurfaced late in the 2010s with a pair of LPs, Seems Like Forever and
Cryptology. ~ MacKenzie Wilson