"Universally beloved... Swedish doom royalty." --
Noisey
"A truly modern sound: recognizably doom, but with
glistening production values and adventurous songcraft." -- Consequence of
Sound
"The Platonic Form of doom...perfection...
faultless." -- Echoes & Dust
"Monolord's records have only gotten heavier, and now
the band has taken a turn for the catchy (yet still crushing)." -- Metal
Injection
Gothenburg,
Sweden trio
Monolord share a new track from their highly anticipated third album
Rust today via Revolver Magazine. The track "Dear
Lucifer" is available to hear and share HERE. (Direct link via YouTube and
Bandcamp.)
The band previously released the title track, which also
features John Gamino (Mondo Drag) on keyboards and Trevor Church (Beastmaker)
playing a guitar solo at the end of the tune. Hear and share "Rust"
via YouTube. And, album opener "Where Death Meets the Sea" dropped
last month HERE.
Monolord is a rare breed: A band both encompassing and
transcending genre; a vortex of heavy rock density that consumes all others.
Their thunderous, tuneful heft has built a rabid international fanbase in short
order since their 2014 debut. But Rust, the band's third full length, truly
exemplifies why some refer to them as the Nirvana of doom.
Monolord's enveloping, syrupy sludge is a vibe, it's a state
of mind. Not riffs for riffs sake, but a collective buzzing, rattling and
rumbling that's more total environment than collection of songs. Together,
guitarist/vocalist Thomas Jäger, drummer Esben Willems and bassist Mika Häkki
create a massive, dynamic sound with ultra-low frequencies serving as its
fourth member.
"We've always been inspired by great band musicians -
as opposed to technical solo peacocks," Willems says. "Because that
force of a band really playing together as one single unit is incomparable. At
its best, it's just unstoppable." And, Monolord is truly unstoppable, on
record and on stage. "A heavy groove that contains both bombastic overkill
and a lot of dynamics is what we always aim for in Monolord; in playing, in
song writing and arranging, in recording," Willems says.
Album opener "Where Death Meets the Sea" perfectly
exemplifies their mastery of dynamics and hooks with a driving, infectious
buzzsaw riff that lesser bands would ride off into the sunset, but Monolord
uses subtly to spur the song's skull rattling rhythmic core ever onward. Jäger's
watery vocals glide over ominously building verses that erupt with the song's
insistent refrain. Being such a tight rhythmic unit, it sounds almost like an
early ZZ Top record played at half speed. "Dear Lucifer" squeals and
hums with slow deliberation as Willems summons Dale Crover pummel with chasm
like low-tuned toms and syncopated cymbal crashes. The album's title track is
also its centerpiece, opening with a dramatic, shimmering Hammond organ intro as Jäger sings, "you
are the reason that I lied/ You are the reason that I cried/ Please don't wait
until tomorrow/ There's only pain, hate, grief and sorrow." Suddenly, the
band kicks in with a bellowing line downtuned to B that nosedives down the
guitar neck as the drums hammer down for the kill. Elsewhere, tastefully
understated guitar harmonies elevate the behemoth churn of "Wormland"
and apocalyptic album closer "At Niceae" simmers in a slow build of
rumbling guitars and rolling drum triplets.
Monolord formed in 2013, quickly recording their 2xLP debut
Empress Rising, which RidingEasy Records released in April 1st, 2014. The
second album, Vænir, followed April 28th, 2015. The 2-song Lord of Suffering /
Die in Haze EP was issued in late 2016 amid the band's relentless touring
schedule in order to tide fans over until the next full length. Vænir landed on
countless Album of the Year lists in 2015, and Rust is poised to open an
entirely new range of possibilities for Monolord.
Rust will be available on LP, CD and download on September
29th, 2017 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasy and
Bandcamp.
Artist: Monolord
Album: Rust
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: September 29th, 2017
01. Where Death Meets The Sea
02. Dear Lucifer
03. Rust
04. Wormland
05.Forgotten Lands
06. At Niceae
On The Web:
Comments