Review: Monolord ‘Neverending’
At this point, it’s not hyperbole to say that Sweden’s Monolord are among the most revered bands not only in doom metal, but in the whole of underground heavy music.
The Gothenburg trio – guitarist/vocalist Thomas V Jäger, bassist Mika Häkki, and drummer Esben Willems – have, over the course of the last thirteen years, carved out a singular, earth-shaking rumble. Expertly balanced with choice notes and ghostly melodies, it is a sound that is often imitated yet never replicated.
After a five-year hiatus that saw all three musicians release solo albums exploring their diverse musical tastes, Monolord return with Neverending. We last heard from the band on 2021’s Your Time to Shine, which found itself neatly perched at the very top of this reviewer’s year-end list. They did release the It’s All the Same EP in 2023, which highlighted their ongoing evolution and in the context of their overall discography, this trajectory has been linear, seemingly beginning with Cosmic Silence off their second LP, Vaenir, back in 2015. Since then, they have continued to push and expand the boundaries of what is considered ‘doom metal.’
Here, on their sixth album, and their third for iconic underground label Relapse Records, Monolord enlisted the services of legendary producer Sylvia Massy. Known for her work spanning the likes of Tool and Johnny Cash, she helped guide the trio’s sonic evolution, which once more finds them expanding their sound without losing one iota of the heft and wallop that has defined them since their beginning.
Neverending slowly awakens with some distant, lightly strummed clean chords that build toward their signature, planet-crushing sound on opener Iodine. As always, Häkki’s bass tone is utterly monstrous and grooving. Coupled with Willems‘ deft pounding and keen timing, it instantly reminds us why this rhythm section has a legitimate claim as one of the very best in the realm of heavy music, doom or otherwise.
Jäger, like few in music, walks his own specific tightrope of devastating riffs, tasteful shred, and ghostly, melodic vocals. Massy’s influence is felt immediately, though; the instrumentation, pulverizing as ever, is crisper while still maintaining its heft and distortion. The same can be said for his vocals. While still ethereal and far off, his acute sense of melody and eerie tone permeate the rumble just as clearly.
Lead single You Bastard features a totally crushing, fuzzed-out riff anchored by this otherworldly rhythm section. The vocals are delivered throughout both the chorus and the bridge, offering undoubtedly one of the most melodic and catchy performances of Jäger‘s career. While being a choice, streamlined introduction for the uninitiated, it also features a wicked, groovy midsection with plenty of signature, fuzzed-out rumble, pounding swing, and watery, psychedelic, ‘70s inspired shred.
Inside A Collider sees the trio drifting into the epic, sorrowful doom-march that featured prominently throughout Your Time To Shine, before flowing like molten lava into the colossal yet celestial Crystal Bridge. Displaying both a sense of surge and heft alongside their spacier, melancholic leanings, this track deftly encompasses everything into one massive sonic statement.
plenty of signature, fuzzed-out rumble, pounding swing, and watery, psychedelic, ‘70s inspired shred…
The immense, devastating march of fuzz, riffage, and trippiness proffered on Oozing Wound instantly makes this one of their most pulverizing yet grooving songs. To put it mildly, the three musicians lock the fuck into an immense, nodding psyche-groove that sees watery vocals float wraith-like over the glacially moving boom of the doom. Additionally, Häkki – coming off like some cosmic doom version of Cliff Burton – gives his pedalboard a workout of wizard-like proportions to awesome effect.
Hitting the home stretch, we find another excellent example of their ongoing progression with the massive, three-and-a-half-minute blast of heavy, soaring rock and roll that is The Masque. This song is huge, from the incredible, earworm vocals to the killer riffage, and, of course, this rhythm section, which I simply cannot give enough flowers to. If there was ever a song in their stellar discography to feed to the masses, this would be it, and I mean that in the highest of compliments.
The penultimate track, Invisible, sees the trio sail effortlessly back into the sorrowful doom march that they simply own. Jäger routinely knows which notes to reach for and bend to get a certain amount of feeling, one that is seemingly capable of conjuring any number of emotions for the listener which has certainly been my own personal experience with the band.
Closer It’s Neverending features vocals from former Entombed bassist Jörgen Sandström, delivering some wicked, atomizing, doomed-out, ‘70s proto-metal riffing with a dose of death metal vibes. These elements circle into spaced-out, Jäger-sung passages with corresponding shred and back again, serving as the perfect conclusion that this titanic album demands.
There was talk in the press about the influence of ‘70s rock on the album. While these may seem like left-field influences for one of the most pulverizing doom bands in the world, anyone who has been following Monolord’s trajectory knows the band has made no secret of their love for mellower music, which is also on vivid display on any of their solo albums.
Neverending simply feels like the next step in their ongoing evolution, distilling everything they have done thus far into a more streamlined album that does not lose any of its heaviness, psychedelic melancholy, or cathartic impact. It’s awesome having Monolord back in all their glory and as time goes by, Neverending will most certainly be mentioned as one of the band’s very best albums, and it will undoubtedly be high among my favorites of the year.
Label: Relapse Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
