Monolith
Against the Wall of Forever
Funeral Noise Records
2015
To save you from all the trouble I’ll say that this ain’t any of the numerous Monolith bands that you can find here and there. This is a brand new band which was formed in 2013 in the US by the guitarist Doug Walker (The Hookers, Nixon) and the vocalist Aaron Howell (MF Ruckus, White Fudge). Assuredly, they could have chosen a more “original” name for their band but that’s another story.
Hence, what’s Monolith all about? They are a bunch of rockers who like their music hot, heavy and powerful. “Against the Wall of Forever” as an amalgam of heavy rock, heavy metal, hard rock, southern metal, hard & heavy, punk-rock, heavy-thrash, groove metal, doom metal and NWOBHM. Various influences can be found on both the late 70s and the 80s era. The band likes playing heavily and that’s more than obvious throughout the album. I would call “Against the Wall of Forever” as a heavy rockin’ metal orgy! The production is somewhat “retro” in the way that it ain’t heavy and over-polished as the majority of today’s productions. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me this album hasn’t been mastered too. It does have a “raw” and in-your-face sound overall.
The NWOBHM elements are forming the base of the band’s songwriting part. There are some fine ideas here and there but “originality” lacks in such releases as always. Another thing that I think they should take care is their personal style. It’s OK to have various and different influences but it is mandatory for every band to find its individual sound and have a more cohesive songwriting. I do think that time and some live shows can work for the band’s own benefit in order to filter all their influences and come up with something more personal and consistent…
Hence, what’s Monolith all about? They are a bunch of rockers who like their music hot, heavy and powerful. “Against the Wall of Forever” as an amalgam of heavy rock, heavy metal, hard rock, southern metal, hard & heavy, punk-rock, heavy-thrash, groove metal, doom metal and NWOBHM. Various influences can be found on both the late 70s and the 80s era. The band likes playing heavily and that’s more than obvious throughout the album. I would call “Against the Wall of Forever” as a heavy rockin’ metal orgy! The production is somewhat “retro” in the way that it ain’t heavy and over-polished as the majority of today’s productions. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me this album hasn’t been mastered too. It does have a “raw” and in-your-face sound overall.
The NWOBHM elements are forming the base of the band’s songwriting part. There are some fine ideas here and there but “originality” lacks in such releases as always. Another thing that I think they should take care is their personal style. It’s OK to have various and different influences but it is mandatory for every band to find its individual sound and have a more cohesive songwriting. I do think that time and some live shows can work for the band’s own benefit in order to filter all their influences and come up with something more personal and consistent…