Behold! The Monolith – Defender, Redeemist

Behold! The Monolith – Defender, Redeemist
Self released – 2012
Metal, Sludge, Doom
Rated: ****

Last Wednesday our bass player entered the rehearsal space with the proclamation that one of the top albums of 2012 had just been released. Less stoner, sludge and doom as their self titled 2009 album and much more metal and speed, he proclaimed with great relish. And he was right on the money. Behold! The Monolith has provided us with a king hell of a metal album that mostly uses sludge and doom for the dark atmosphere, traditional passages, accents and even uses a bit of trash for structuring and speed. Defender, Redeemist is the ominous title given to this gnashing and crippling power trip. And as power trios go; these guys belong to the heaviest of the heavy. And their relentless grunting and growling drags you with them on their plain of cumbrous rock. It begs for a long and hardy trek through their wasteland soundscape to fully appreciate their brute force. Behold, Behold! The Monolith, for these guys have brought to life a genuine rock colossus!

Homepage