One very long song – just as funeral doom was meant to be. If ever there was a sub-genre of metal that lent itself to the kind of smothering journey which can only come from a near hour-long single piece of music, this is it. Although I am struggling with the use of the term ‘funeral doom’ to describe this album, er… track. When, I ask myself, does funeral doom become such a contemplative treat that the description no longer applies? From the very cool covers, the sky-scraping keyboards and guitar solos, to the magnitude of the objective here, Monolithe is a long way from the more gothic end of the market or the seriously grim and funereal bands like Ahab and Evoken.
It does share the slow plod of doom and the crushing guitars and some pretty effective, very heavy, growling vocals. But the overall impact of the sound, the light and shade, has more in common with the more ambient or atmospheric bands multiplying with vigour out there. Eleven minutes in and I could imagine myself drifting among the clouds as I could the gravestones. It has to be said too, though, that the main theme of III sounds slightly thicker and more challenging than its predecessors (also single tracks clocking in at 50 and 52 minutes respectively). So whereas the first was more shamelessly uplifting (I’m talking in a ‘doom’ sense here…), the second was a little darker and heavier, this latest platter has more in common with its predecessor but at the same time displaying a degree more freedom – more comfortable with itself and its direction.
There are occasional breaks in the sound to help release some of the pressure but the track is pretty much a single entity – often returning to the same themes – rather than a collection of musical pieces melded together with bits of keyboard effect or mellow guitar passages. Not that breaking up the track is entirely necessary. This is a composition that requires some brain power to engage with but without actually being truly demanding or emotionally ambitious in its scope. This is much more comfortable and easy journey than might be expected. The band itself describes their sound as ‘experimental’ which I think might be pushing the definition of that word. But it also means III never suffers from that self-obsession among bands that inflict such projects on us – where the listener (i.e. me – attention span issues here) gets left behind in various flighty and tiresome twists and tedious turns.
Often interesting and most definitely diverting, Monolithe have come up with their own distinct proposition in a sub-genre of music not normally given to pushing any boundaries. The odd thing, and the time you realise when III has really made its mark, is when it’s over and you are just left with the silence for the first time in nearly an hour. It’s a bit like walking at two in the morning in a dark rain-swept street, knowing you’ve had a good time but now feeling slightly alone and not quite able to believe so much time has passed. If only you could flick a switch, retrace your steps and do it all over again.
(8/10 Reverend Darkstanley)
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