Tag: Monolord Rust LP

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Monolord Return with a Subtly Psychedelic-Tinged New Single

Over the past 15-18 months, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord have added themselves to a growing list of JOVM mainstay artists, and as you may recall, the Swedish doom metal band will be releasing their third, full-length album Rust through RidingEasy Records on September 29, 2017. As the band’s Esben Willems explains of the band’s sound, “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.”

Album title track and first official single “Rust,” featured guest spots from Mondo Drag‘s John Gamino on keys and Beastmaker’s Trevor Church, who contributes an incredible guitar solo towards the end of the song — with the single further cementing the trio’s reputation for crafting slow-burning, sludgy, doom metal; but upon repeated listens, the single revealed a band that has subtly expanded upon their sound and songwriting. “Where Death Meets the Sea,” Rust’s second single continued in a similar vein as its predecessor but with an oceanic heft, as sludgy power chords and thundering drumming were placed within a slow burning yet expansive song structure. 

“Dear Lucifer,” Rust’s third and latest single while continuing along the veins of its two preceding singles, in the sense that the track is a slow-burning, sludgy dirge but if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that the song possesses a subtle nuance, as it reveals some incredibly dexterous guitar work and psychedelic-tinged guitar solo — all while evoking hot blasts of sulfur, before its hazy, feedback and distorted filled coda. And although the song may reveal a psych rock influence, it still retains a sense of impending doom. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Monolord Returns with a Sludgy Yet Subtle Expansion of Their Sound

The Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord has become a JOVM mainstay over the past 15-16 months, and as you’d likely recall the trio, comprised of Thomas Jäger, Esben Willems, and Mika Häkki can trace their origins back to 2013, when its founding members Jäger and Willems, started the band as a side project that gave them the opportunity to play much heavier and darker material away from their primary gig as members of boogie rock outfit Marulk. Jäger and Willems then recruited Häkki, best known for stints in The Don Darlings and Rotten Sound to complete the band’s lineup and to flesh out their sound. And while the trio was writing and recording their critically applauded debut Empress Riding, they discovered they had a special creative chemistry that necessitated making the project a full-time gig; but interestingly enough, the project also marks the first time that Jäger has taken vocal duties.

2015’s sophomore effort Vænir resulted in the band receiving a growing national and international project, and they built upon that buzz with the “Lord of Suffering”/”Die in a Haze” 10 inch single, which they released last year and as you may recall, “Die in a Haze,” featured sludgy, dirge-like power chords paired with thunderous drumming within an enveloping mix, while Lord of Suffering” managed to nod at space rock and psych rock — in fashion that reminded me of  Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan.”
The “Nirvana of doom” as their fans have referred to them will be releasing their third full-length album Rust through RidingEasy Records on September 29, 2017 and as the band’s Esben Willems says in press notes, “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.” The album’s first single and title track “Rust,” which featured guest spots from Mondo Drag‘s John Gamino on keys and Beastmaker’s Trevor Church, who contributes an incredible guitar solo towards the end of the song further cemented the Swedish’s trio reputation for crafting slow-burning, sludgy and forceful metal but upon repeated listens, the song reveals that the band has been subtly expanding upon their overall sound and songwriting as it possesses an expansive vibe with an oceanic heft. “Where Death Meets the Sea,” Rust’s second and latest single continues in a similar vein as its predecessor as its possesses an oceanic heft, which is unsurprising considering the song’s title, complete with sludgy power chords and thundering drumming but it reveals impressive guitar work within an slow-burning yet expansive song structure. And at the end of the day, Rust’s first two singles will remind listeners that the band is one of the world’s best doom metal bands. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Monolord Returns with a Doom-Laden New Track that Reveals a Subtle Expansion of Their Sound

If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past 12-15 months or so, you may have come across a couple of posts featuring the Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord. Comprised of Thomas Jäger, Esben Willems, and Mika Häkki, the band can trace their origins back to 2013 when its founding members, Jäger and Willems, started the band as a side project that gave them the opportunity to play much heavier and darker material away from their primary gig as members of boogie rock outfit Marulk. Häkki, who may be best known for stints in  The Don Darlings and Rotten Sound was recruited to flesh out the band’s sound and complete their lineup — and as the story goes, while the tiro was writing and recording their critically applauded debut Empress Riding, they discovered that they had a special creative chemistry that necessitated making the project more of a full-time gig. But along with that, the project also marks the first time that  Jäger has taken vocal duties. 

Building upon the buzz of their debut, the Swedish doom metal trio released 2015’s critically applauded sophomore effort, Vænir, which resulted in the band seeing a growing national and international profile. Now you may recall that last year Monolord released the “Lord of Suffering”/”Die in a Haze” 10 inch single — and “Die in a Haze,” was a sludgy and murky song in which sludgy, dirge-like power chords were paired with thunderous drumming, which created a rather enveloping mix. Jäger’s vocals floated over the mix with an ethereal quality, and as a result the song struck me as nodding a bit at shoegazer rock. The 10 inch single’s A side, “Lord of Suffering” managed to nod at space rock and psych rock — in fashion that reminded me of  Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan,” as Jäger’s voice is fed through a bit of vocoder and distortion, while the arrangement possessed a subtle cosmic glow.
The “Nirvana of doom” as their fans have referred to them will be releasing their third full-length album Rust through RidingEasy Records on September 29, 2017 and as the band’s Esben Willems explains in press notes, “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.” Naturally, album title track and first single “Rust,” which features guest spots from Mondo Drag’s John Gamino on keys and Beastmaker’s Trevor Church, who contributes a guitar solo towards the end, will further cement the Swedish trio’s growing reputation for crafting slow-burning, sludgy and forceful metal that manages to atmospheric, while possessing a tight, almost motorik-like groove and some incredible guitar pyrotechnics; but pay close attention, as the song reveals a band subtly expanding upon their songwriting and sound, as the song has an expansive, yet oceanic heft to it.