Huh...Monolith? That's hardly an original bandname, is it now? I mean, I personally know of 10 US bands with that name (two of which, a Sludge act from Philadelphia and a Thrash Metal act from Perris in California, at least being active), and 9 others from different parts of the world (of which a Progressive Melodic Death Metal/ Metalcore act from Toronto and a Melodic Death Metal act from Germany are still active, and both with several releases to their name). Besides, did you know it was also the original name of Dutch Brutal Death Metal act The Monilith Cult? Ah well, this German trio from Bremen can now join the ranks of the acts going still by that name, right?
Well, actually, this vintage Psychedelic Doom Metal trio has already been around since 2010, and still has its founding members (bassist/ singer Raf Brummerloh, guitarist Ron Osenbrück, and drummer/ backing singer Andre Dittmann) well in place. During the first years of their existence, this power trio spent its time mainly in the rehearsal room, but then last year they played a couple of shows (supporting Kadavar, among others) after having released their self-titled 4-track demo in July. Later in the Summer, the trio went back into the studio to record what was to be their debut full-length. In order to create a raw live-like '70s style atmosphere and sound, the band recorded every song (the 4 off the demo, plus 3 new ones) live, except for the vocals and a couple of guitar overdubs which were added afterward.
The result is an old-school Doom Rock at its best, one in which the influences of Black Sabbath certainly cannot be ignored, but in which also can be heard reminiscences of other, early '70s bands in the genre which fared an even more psychedelic path. The charismatic vocals are that more pleasing, because the lead singer, although endowed with a nice high pitch, steers away from trying to be an Ozzy copycat. For an earful of the band's music, surf to (www.) facebook.com/Monolith.doomrock where, in the “Music” section, you'll be re-directed to the band's demo. In the “Timeline” section, you can also find video of a live rendition of the track “Acid Rain” (which is nót on that demo, but ís featured on the album). The band also has a page on Myspace and possibly there's more to enjoy there (but that's really something I was unable to check, due to my usage of a network PC for all my researches).
Anyway, anyone into vintage Psychedelic Doom Rock/ Metal should enjoy this...to the fullest! Personally, I love it when bands come along with vintage sounds, and especially then when they actually add something to the genre in stead of copycatting riffs we've all heard hundreds of times before! Yeah, this band certainly has earnt itself a reason of existence! Darn...this is the kind of music one could listen to all day without getting bored even a second...can I therefor help it, that I feel the need to nominate Dystopia into my “Best Albums Of 2014”-lists?