Release date: September 20, 2019
Label: Relapse Records
Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Monolord is the band I’ve listened to the most in the last year…by a long shot. Playing a fuzzy brand of doom that channels Black Sabbath, the band releases their Relapse Records debut this week. It’s fun to see a band you love progress from album to album. Monolord has never been and will never be “sophisticated” in their approach to song-writing but No Comfort adds some new wrinkles. Though power chords are abundant and massive, the guitar work is clearly more sophisticated than on previous efforts. Furthermore, No Comfort brings a kind of nuanced gloom and emotional affect that is moving. The Bastard Son opens the album with a sound that’s chunky-as-hell . The track is low and slow in the style of Master of Reality. The second track, The Last Leaf, might be my favorite on the album. The lyrics are apocalyptic and the riffs club you over the head. The whole band’s sound is clearly bigger and darker. Monolord has created a global following by creating masterful marches and Larvae is no exception as the band plods through a doomed and melancholy dirge. Skyward should be a crowd favorite, exhibiting big rock riffs that we all live for and bob our heads to regardless of setting. Alone Together Forever Divided furthers the sense of longing that permeates the record. The track begins with quiet, atmospheric guitar that moves toward a burst of sonic weight in the second half. Finally, the title track provides a resounding conclusion to an album that should not be overlooked.
Play: 1, 2 & 4
FCC: Clean
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