Rosetta West’s new video for “Dora Lee (Gravity)” is nothing short of a fever dream—equal parts blues-rock banger and surreal mythological theatre. Set within the charged confines of Chicago’s Gravity Studios, the performance captures a raw, unfiltered slice of the band’s energy while layering it with visuals that are as disorienting as they are symbolic. The track itself—a stormy, hard-hitting piece of blues rock—lays the foundation for a video that brims with archetypal drama and supernatural suggestion. From the opening shot, you’re not sure where you are, but you know you’re in for something wild.
The video’s central figure, an ominous tank commander, appears caught between power and paralysis as he encounters a parade of mythic feminine deities: Ishtar, Kali, Hecate, and more. These spectral visitors are visual flourishes and seem to embody cosmic reckoning, crashing through the commander’s reality with a presence that feels both seductive and terrifying. Their appearances feel ritualistic, almost like spiritual interventions. The commander is entranced, undone. It’s as if the music itself is summoning these figures, and with each note, his grip on control dissolves.
Musically, “Dora Lee (Gravity)” is fierce and unrelenting. Joseph Demagore’s guitar work slashes through the track with grim authority, while his vocals oscillate between grit and lamentation, delivering the kind of haunted howl that has defined Rosetta West’s sound for decades. Bassist Herf Guderian and drummer Mike Weaver form a thunderous rhythm section, pushing the track forward with tension and drive. There’s no polish here, but sweat, spirit, and sonic truth. It’s the sound of a band that’s never played it safe and never cared to.
What’s most compelling about the video is how it refuses to explain itself. There’s no literal narrative—just fragments, visions, and symbols left open for interpretation. The war imagery clashes with the divine feminine. Power collapses under mysticism. The line between seduction and surrender blurs. It’s bold, cryptic, and unafraid to lean into the abstract. In a media landscape that often demands clarity and easy messages, Rosetta West delivers something far more valuable: mystery with muscle.
With “Dora Lee (Gravity),” Rosetta West continues to defy the usual categories, proving once again that their decades-long career in the underground is about evolution. This video supports the music, deepening, adding layers of myth, menace, and meaning. As the Gravity Sessions loom on the horizon, one thing is clear: Rosetta West hasn’t lost a step. If anything, they’re still dancing at the edge of the fire, inviting us to step into the flames with them.
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