Review Summary: Monolord created an album that feels focused and polished, while still unorthodox in the way their styles are presented
With the intent of finetuning their trademark super heavy, riff-centric, hyper fuzz and massive doom metal sound, Monolord recruited Sylvia Massy, known for her production duties on both Tool’s and System of a Down’s early material.
The result? Well, this may as well be one of their best records to date. Throughout the years, the band has attempted to diversify and refine their sound. Vænir and specially Empress Rising are masterclasses on making drawn out doom metal songs engaging and entertaining, worthy enough to justify the long track lengths. Their foundation was centered on lead singer and guitarist Thomas Jäger creative riffs and instantly recognizable vocal delivery. Starting with Rust, the band attempted to include more atmosphere sacrificing a bit of what made them interesting in the first place. While I personally enjoy that album, it definitely set a trend for the band to tone down the aggression in favor of more melody and progressive rock sensibilities, while extending song lengths.
Enter Neverending; where both No Comfort and Your Time To Shine sat in a comfortable fusion of their more melodious elements and the heavier aspects of their sound, their latest release separates both identities to offer, arguably, a more captivating and instant listening experience.
Some corners had to be cut, as this is probably a more accessible release, but its main draw is that the album sequencing feels like hard-hitting waves and muddy waters. Sylvia Massy effectively produced a Monolord record that feels unpredictable. “Iodine”, according to the band, was inspired by 70’s rock songs like “Free Bird”, “Hotel California” and “No Quarter” and, while it sounds far heavier than the examples cited, perfectly sets you up for “You Bastard” (released as the main single for the album), which kicks you right in the gut with their trademark riffage, though this time far more polished than on their earlier records.
Just when you think you have the overall style figured out, the band opts to put the slow burn “Inside A Collider” (which could easily fit anywhere on Rust or No Comfort) early in the track list. Once the 8 minutes run dry, the album smacks the listener yet again with the abrasive “Crystal Bridge” (one of my personal favorites of the album). The song does retreat a little bit musically with a similar guitar lick to the one found in “Inside A Collider”, followed by a more serene bridge. Next is the groovy “Oozing Wound”, which features a prominent distorted bass riff similar to what you may find in a Tool song, complimenting well the melodic guitar progressions.
Towards the end of the album the band branches out even further. “The Masque” is a more conventional metal song, and while the lyrics deal with a search of hope and light in a lost world, it sounds uncharacteristically optimistic for the band. In my personal opinion, their 70’s influence sound far more present here. The behemoth title track, on the other hand, closes the record with one of their heaviest songs yet, featuring unclean vocals courtesy of Jörgen Sandström (Entombed), culminating with acoustic guitars and Jäger soft croons.
Ultimately, Monolord created an album that feels focused and polished, while still unorthodox in the way their styles are presented. Even so, the flow is perfect and even though it could have benefited with a bit more grit in the production (it does sound just a bit muffled compared to previous releases), it succeeds in presenting a far more engaging experience that never drags in its 43 minutes runtime.
