Here’s a band who have carved out a niche for themselves in the world of death metal. Now it’s time for album number nine for the trio from the Netherlands.

Theatrical is a word I could use to describe The Monolith Deathcult’s music. It’s certainly true of the opening title song. Extravagant and dramatic, it’s like a kaleidoscopic death metal journey. Dark, ghoulish symphonic sounds add to the merriment, as do the odd voiceover and electronic sound effects. Screams of horror and cyber sounds mingle with the symphonic-electro-death ambiance of “Commanders Encircled with Foes”. Fluid it is not, as the band take off in all directions and adopt all manner of styles with flamboyant rock guitar solos, electronic and symphonic parts all making an appearance in the death metal progression. It’s an exhilarating journey, wherever it’s taking us. It’s interesting for sure. The Monolith Deathcult get described as “avant-garde”, which can mean a multitude of things, but one thing is does mean is that there are no boundaries. So each song is an explosive adventure. “Kindertodeslied” is a dark techno black symphony. The rhythm behind it is reminiscent of Rammstein. The Monolith Deathcult share Rammstein’s capacity for creating grotesque imagery. Throw in a bit of Wumpscut and you get an idea of “Kindertodeslied”. It’s manic, it’s techno, it’s completely bananas but it’s expertly done. The scene is grotesque and grisly. I just have to laugh at the over-the-top presentation. Speaking of over-the-top, “The Nightmare Corpse – the City of R’lyeh” blows our mind with symphonic extravagance creating pomp amid the metal and electronic maelstrom, all accompanied by narrated lyrics.

For me, “Gogmagog – the Bryansk Forest Re-visited” represents everything that is good about this band. The song is flowing symphonic blackened death with colour, character and theatre. It is of course very dark but total fun. The bells chime as the deep-voiced presenter laughs. I don’t what they put in the water in the Netherlands but something must produce this excess of extreme imagination in bands like The Monolith Deathcult and Carach Angren. Dark sludgy thunder rumbles as “Matadorrrrr” gets going. The drummer sounds to be attempting to break out of this sludgy march. The vocal style is pure death metal while extreme instrumental histrionics add the colour and the weight. It’s evidence if needed that this is not just a band with a wild imagination, but that their music is intelligent as well as being technically diverse and tight. On “Matadorrrrr” pounds relentlessly to the end. Dark electronic music meets pumping death metal and symphonic pomp once more on “Three-Headed Death Machine”, creating another industrial-style romp, but just as you think this and risk being comfortable, in come a guitar solo, indistinct voices and someone shouting to add to the mayhem and chaos. “I Spew Thee Out of My Mouth MMXXIII” closes the album. As ever the turbulent world of The Monolith Deathcult comes to the fore. It’s another technical masterpiece, mixing all the death, black and symphonic elements supremely.

Every piece of horror is a delight. You could easily argue that it’s chaos but that’s the place they’ve created, not the music which is expertly managed in all its elements. “The Demon Who Makes Trophies of Men” is magnificent. Enjoy the ride. I most certainly did.

(9.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

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https://monolith-deathcult.bandcamp.com/album/the-demon-who-makes-trophies-of-men