By: Preston Davis
Monolord is a three piece Stoner/Doom Metal band from Sweden consisting of Mika Hakki on bass, Esben Willems on drums, and Thomas V. Jager on guitar and vocals. Their debut album Empress Rising was nothing short of a raw effort that livened doom metal fans spirits with its crunching guitar riffs and distorted, thunderous rhythm section. And their sophomore album Vaenir continues to give fans hope.
Vaenir exhibits infallible production and a fatter, more pungent guitar tone and of course the rhythm section is as truculent as ever. The album embarks on its raw musical quest with the track “Cursing the One,” punishing the listeners ears with a massive opening five chord riff. The riff seemingly guides the song as it effortlessly plods along for eight minutes.
The track “Nuclear Death” turns the sensuous ¾ time signature into a waltz of doom and destruction, trudging without clemency. This track is instrumentally strong, and features some of Jager’s best vocal work. Jager seems to divert from the default abrasive vocal delivery, and settles for a more diffident tone. His facile vocal delivery can sometimes drift into the background and somewhat clash with the thunderous instrumentals, creating a sort of confusing effect.
Many fans are in assent that the dearth of an intense vocal attack is the only weakness of the band, causing the band to get lower reviews on their albums. But getting back to this album, one of the stronger tracks overall is “Died a Million Times” which slugs along for a cool 10 minutes without breaking a sweat. This track includes some of the most earth shaking guitar work Jager has to offer on the album.
The most impressive track on the album has to be the 16 minute title track “Vaenir.” This shows off the band’s ability to tirelessly create an epic that never runs dry on power. This album deserves a B+ just for its musicianship alone. The only factor that brought it down was Jagers’ interesting choice of vocals. But fans of doom will be satisfied and hungry for more.
Monolord is the future of doom metal, and that’s the unfeigned truth. Dig it.
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