The Monolith Deathcult’s formula is one that would miserably fail in the wrong hands. A sonic carpet bomb of death metal with cinematic samples, waves of electronic pulses, orchestral sweeps and industrial structures… and even a sense of humour. On paper, that is either going to have you salivating over your old Psalm 69-era Ministry, Frontline Assembly, or Fear Factory CDs or, just as likely, sound like a terrible cheese fest that would have some running for the darkened caves of the underground faster than you can say ‘Have I shown you my Peruvian grindcore tape collection lately?’ Luckily the recipe is in safe hands – indeed, at times, something marginally short of genius lifts the whole Deathcult (or TMDC as they are referred to by those in the know) drama to exalted heights. There are moments, more than just fleeting, that listening to TMDC transports me back to my 15 year-old bedroom, blasting out the latest discovery sure in the knowledge that someone in the world would catch an earful and come running to ask me what that amazing sound was. It’s in part the sheer, reinvigorating creative delight that seems to ooze from every millisecond in an age when music too often fits into a Venn diagram of formulas and bands seem to shy away from the creative splurge. A bit like TMDC been left alone in the studio for the first time and decided to ignore all the producer’s and sound engineer’s rules about sounding over the top for fear of losing cred.

Cards on the table, while I overdosed on the stunning Triumvirate and Tetragrammaton (which I reviewed here back in 2013 and interviewed the band on the back of it) – it’s been a while since I climbed on board the Deathcult nuke. So, I missed parts one and two of this latest multi-year opus. Having listened to this I’m kind of fascinated to hear how the three parts fit together musically. There is quite a variation of intensity on V3 – from pretty f—king intense to why-has-the-top-of-my-cranium-just-exploded intense. Mid-tempo-steady Ministry to paint stripping speeds with in-yer-face rhythmic melodies of a variety you’re unlikely ever to find in most melodic death metal. This is more sample-inspired, culture clash, street death metal that’s more Suicidal Tendencies meets SYL than Cannibal Corpse or Suffocation. Earworm sound-clip repetition juxtaposes powerful, guttural vocals while rolling percussion bounces off immense riffs that would all provide the perfect background to the latest version of zombie and giant eye-ball shoot ‘em up Doom. It’s all beautifully cinematic and shockingly clever to the point that it’s hard to imagine how TMDC could be any better at being TMDC.

Minus the return of the shock-jock voiceover, I’d be even happier. The only thing nagging in my mind is that, looking back, the older albums just felt a little more experimental whereas the stripped-down formula here has fewer outright bombshell surprises. I seem to remember things taking various drum and bass and techno turns as well as some tribal moments and spiralling, colossal orchestral intros. That said, it was all a bit more serious back then. It’s all become, dare I say, a little bit more tongue in cheek since Tetragrammaton. That’s not to take away the awesomeness of these bombastic soundscapes. TMDC’s sheer genius is still locked in tracks like Blood Libels and Gone Sour, Doomed even if it feels like the band could benefit from an enforced breather in the dugout. Could we have something a little more incendiary and experimental again next time please?

The final track – a 13 minute opus of glorious atmospherics and eerie guitars – is a welcome addition showcasing the band’s deeper side with a melancholy dirge whose final moments are only interrupted by the aforementioned voiceover that does rather take the edge off what might have been an nicely offbeat end to the album. Still, it’s all great face-melting fun and it’s hard not to take seriously just how good TMDC is. For that, I’ll even forgive them the ‘zany’ voiceover. The Monolith Deathcult isn’t really a band. It’s more like a sonic hand-grenade. Time to pull the pin.

(8/10 Reverend Darkstanley)

https://www.facebook.com/monolithdeathcult

https://monolith-deathcult.bandcamp.com/album/v3-vernedering