Review Summary: A death metal album with meaningful experimentation, this kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole ride; fans of the genre need to listen to Triumvirate.
There is one word that will succinctly describe what I was feeling as I listened to this album: Relief. Now, I know that's a strange emotion to be feeling while listening to a death metal album, but if you feel the same way about the genre that I do, you'll understand; this is a breath of fresh air that will clear the mediocrity-clogged sinuses of any death metal connoisseur.
I have been listening to death metal for a good couple years now, and, of course, while it was new, I was not hard to please. (Ironically, it was All Shall Perish's "Hate, Malice, Revenge" that turned me onto it.) Anything with dark-sounding, tremolo-picked melody, blast beats, or C-standard chug-chug riffing was enough to tickle my fancy, but the more I listened and discovered, the more jaded I gradually became. Up until a few days ago, the over-saturation of the death metal genre with painfully typical acts (not to mention band names) was starting to make me lose all faith in that type of music.
But enough of my ranting; The Monolith Deathcult have contributed significantly (in a qualitative sense rather than a quantitative one) to the death metal world; they didn't just play- they created. While it may be argued that incorporating elements from other genres isn't true creation, I think The Monolith Deathcult could even confound that stance. They didn't simply take something established and just tack on some elements of another establishment; they made death metal, and the countless other genres they pulled from, sound like they were meant to be melded; like it was simply ridiculous that they were separate at all.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this record was how much the musicians held back technically without detracting from the impact of the music; in fact, if the guitarists had displayed that shredding virtuosity typical of the metal genre, or if the drummer had been all over the place, relying on blast beats to drive the sound home, they would have drawn attention away from the most charming aspect of Triumvirate: the experimentation, succeeding over and over again, with danceable beats, synthesizers, and various symphonic influences that set this album apart from the rest of the pack.
Now, I know that synths, choirs, and other such "epic" elements are hardly new to metal music; Cradle of Filth (a band I am quite fond of, by the way) are a fairly exemplary testament to that. But it's really not the same at all. They use them the way they are meant to be used in death metal: to drive the song forward, to make it more beautifully percussive, and, most importantly, I think, to surprise, and even engross the listener. When you hear a programmed beat, or a synth line on Triumvirate, you don't think, "Hey, where on earth did that come from?" It still surprises you, but it fits so well, you can't help but notice how harmonious it is. I have never listened to a record that had so many moments where I simply had to sit back and say, "That was cool."
My personal favorite songs from the album were "Wrath of the Ba'ath," and "Kindertodeslied." Yes, those are two of the shorter songs on the album, but they had the most of the groove I found to be my favorite part of the work; along with the bottom-heavy, even rhythm-focused, production. All the songs, of course, effectively convey the overall impression of Triumvirate. Even when you're not noticing any overt deviations from the norm, there's just something there; something unusual, that you can never quite put your finger on. However, in my opinion, it does lose a little bit of steam toward the end of the record, but not much; sounding a bit more normal, but still displaying the brilliance of the band.
As for the lyrics and singing, I've never been much concerned with lyrics I couldn't clearly understand unless they have a wonderful cadence to them; Triumvirate has a few rather hookish, driving vocal moments, but not really enough to make me want to learn them by heart. However, whatever they're saying, it sounds VERY important.
As of the day I write this review, I have not yet listened to any of The Monolith Deathcult's other works, however, needless to say, I will be making a point of doing so. And, to sum it up, I am very impressed.
