Thursday 8 September 2016

Monolith Wielder - S/T (Album Review)


Release date: October 17th 2016. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD

Monolith Wielder – S/T – Tracklisting

1. Illumination
2. Best Intentions
3. Angels Hide
4. Monolith Wielder
5. Lift Your Eyes
6. No Hope, No Fear
7. Chains
8. Into Madness
9. King Under Fire
10. Electric Hessian

Band Members:

Gero von Dehn - Vocals/Guitar.
Justin Gizzi - Guitar.
Ray Ward - Bass.
Ben Zerbe - Drums.

Review:

Monolith Wielder’s self-titled album and their first for Argonauta Records sees the band create a sound that’s firmly rooted in nineties Grunge though matched with modern day Doom/Stoner Metal sounds.

Opening track – Illumination – opens with fast-paced heavy riffs and a great vocal performance from lead singer – Gero. This album sees Monolith Wielder play a heavier kind of distorted Grunge based Stoner Riffs with the emphasis firmly on volume and experimentation.

Second track – Best Intentions – opts for a more Doom driven sound with psychedelic led guitars and drums laying down the structure for the band to move forward with. It has a slower tempo than the opening track but this allows the band to focus more on heavy melodies and atmospherics. The lyrics are bleaker compared to the opening track. Best Intentions is one of the standout tracks on the album.

Third track – Angels Hide – carries on the Doom/Gloom based vibe but it’s held together by a vintage Grunge sound that works superbly with the modern Stoner Metal riffs. The song reminds me of early era Soundgarden especially with the delivery of the vocals though it’s the music that holds your attention once again.

Fourth track – Monolith Wielder. Hold up. The band is called Monolith Wielder, The album is called Monolith Wielder and they have a song on the album called Monolith Wielder. Woah. Confusing. Right, OK, back to our normal programming. This song is where Monolith Wielder decide to unleash the full power of their Doom based sound as it’s perhaps the heaviest song on the album. It has a more distorted sound compared to other songs on the album. The vocals and lyrics have a distinctive classic eighties doom metal/NWOBHM feel.

The rest of the album sees Monolith Wielder play a doomier sound compared to the opening tracks but there are still plenty of great Stoner Riffs spliced throughout the album vying for your attention. Other great songs to check out are: Lift Your Eyes, No Hope No Fear, Chains and Journey.

Monolith Wielder have created an album that not only promises huge ideas and riffs but delivers them with genuine conviction that will leave you wanting more. Monolith Wielder have released a stunning and powerful sounding album that may rank as one of the best debut albums of the year.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Barbara at NeeCee Agency and Gero At Argonauta Records for the promo. Monolith Wielder S/T album will be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records  from 17th October 2016.

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