"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
"Hugely accessible without having sacrificed their
crushing heaviness." -- Metal Hammer
"Monolord's records have only gotten heavier, and now
the band has taken a turn for the catchy (yet still crushing)." -- Metal
Injection
"Rust is perfect; it's as fuzzed out as any of the
genre's great records, but the mix is clean and even, allowing the drums and
vocals to cut through. Most importantly, there are songs aplenty: you'll be
humming the riffs and vocal hooks immediately." -- Metal Sucks
Gothenburg, Sweden trio Monolord announce European & UK
tour dates supporting famed Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde's Black Label
Society band in March and April. Please see all dates below.
Monolord's recently released third album, Rust received
universal praise in reviews, and landed atop multiple Album of The Year lists
for 2017 -- including the #1 Album of 2017 on the Doom Charts collective of
journalists, bloggers, radio and podcasters. Rust is available to hear &
share on YouTube and Bandcamp.
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 is available on LP, CD and download, released September
29th, 2017 via RidingEasy Records.
MONOLORD // BLACK LABEL SOCIETY TOUR 2018:
03/08 Paris, FR @ Bataclan
03/09 Toulouse,
FR @ Le Bikini
03/10 Vitoria,
ES @ Jimmy Jazz
03/11 Santiago De Compostela, ES @ Capitol
03/13 Madrid, ES @ Riviera
03/14 Barcelona,
ES @ Razzmatazz
03/16 Milan,
IT @ Alcatraz
03/17 Telfs, AT @ Rathaussaal
03/18 Prague,
CZ @ Mala Sportovni Hala
03/20 Krakow, PL @ Studio
03/21 Warsaw,
PL @ Stodola
03/23 Munich,
DE @ Backstage Werk
03/24 Frankfurt,
DE @ Batschkapp
03/25 Pratteln, CH @ Konzertfabrik 27
03/27 Cologne,
DE @ Live Music Hall
03/28 Berlin,
DE @ Huxley's Neue Welt
03/29 Hamburg,
DE @ Markthalle
03/30 Amsterdam,
NL @ Melkweg
03/31 Antwerp,
BE @ Trix
04/03 Luxembourg
City, LU @ Den Atelier
04/05 London,
UK @ Royal
Albert Hall
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
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