Monolithe - II

I find that I enjoy doom metal, especially funeral doom whenever the pensive mood strikes me, or whenever I have a long stretch of time to just relax and enjoy music. This morning I had the pleasure of working on a long assignment, and the perfect accompaniment was Monolithe!

I first heard about Monolithe from a friend, who played the first album on his radio show. It grabbed me as no other funeral doom did; the music was was epic, cohesive, and melodic. Unfortunately, I was only able to listen for a short while, but the name Monolithe stuck in my mind. I was impressed enough to track down both Monolithe albums. However alike these two releases are in length, structure, and mood, I find that I prefer the second release over the first and always crave to hear that one first.

Supposedly a side project of Sylvain and Marc from French doomsters Anthemon, and also featuring Nicolas from gothic metallers the Old Dead Tree, Monolithe have already become a well-respected band among doom metal circles. Dealing with the origin of mankind is no easy task, but this is what Monolithe attempts to accomplish in their full-length releases.

II is an epic 50 minutes and 25 seconds of languid, fluid, and mutating funeral doom. The atmosphere is amazing, we often hear long sustained keyboard lines floating behind the distorted guitars and low gutteral growls. The piece starts with some ambient noise from which a guitar line fades in, and we are treated to background strains of accordion as the piece progresses. The tempo holds constant as various lines of guitar moves to and fro often repeating, but occasionally something new. The piece ends just as mysteriously as it begins, slowly fading way into the void.

This release is metal at its other extreme: slow and long. Definitely recommended for fans of pensive funeral doom. Personally, I find it very relaxing yet stimulating at the same time; it wonderful to have on the background when doing something creative!

Nocte Obducta - Stille

This is an excellent EP from German black metallers Nocte Obducta. A different direction than their previous material, the music is dark and melodic, often switching between clean guitar tones and aggressive distortion. Most of the songs are modestly paced dreamy and soothing, something you can meditate to. Vocals range from low soft whispering growls to black metal shrieks, to choral-like chanting.

The second track "Tochter Des Mondes" opens up with a clean, lamenting Pink Floyd-esque guitar line that soon distorts into the main theme of the song. The next track, "Der Regen" is more of a straight forward metal song with low death metal growls.

I am honestly impressed with the variety of music offered on this short EP. Stand out tracks are "Die Schwane Im Moor," "Tochter Des Mondes," and "Vorbei." Overall this release is a cut above the standard black metal fare. I haven't heard Nocte Obducta's subsequent releases, but if this is any indication of their new direction, I'll be picking them up immediately!

Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells

Let me start off by saying that Drudkh is an NSBM band; therefore boycotters of such music need to read no further. I do not, in any shape or form, support such ideology, but I do believe that good music should at least be recognized. So... here we are.

Blood In Our Wells is the Ukrainian band's fourth album, and I can easily say it's my second favorite release behind Autumn Aurora. The first thing that came to mind when I heard it was its similarity to the first album Forgotten Legends and the latest one. However, unlike The Swan Road, the production here is clear enough for everything to be heard, but still retains the usual Burzum-esque black metal feel.

The songs are long and catchy, with a folky-pagan element to them. But do not think this is another "folk metal" band like Storm, or Otyg. Drudkh is still very much heavy metal influenced. We hear emotional guitar riffs that carry the epic feeling of paganism and nature. There are some excellent guitar solos scattered across the disk, and my favorite one falls about 40 seconds into the song "When The Flame Turns To Ashes". I don't think I've ever heard such a wankery solo from another black metal band!

I'll go out on a limb here and say that the moments of total-rock-out-metal, intertwined with calm, mellow acoustic parts are reminiscent of bands such as Opeth. The only difference here is that Drudkh's vocals are 100% deep harsh rasps. Despite having tracks of 10 minutes in length or more, "Blood in Our Wells" never gets boring. In fact, it whets my appetite for more Drudkh. I've been playing this album since it was released two weeks ago, and haven't gotten tired of it yet. This is black metal you can headbang to!