This is what Deafheaven would've sounded like with raw production, less happy post-rock, and more crust and d-beats.
Black
Monolith made their debut on the scene in 2011 with a short 3-track demo. This short debut showcased a band combining
gritty black metal and hardcore punk sounds—it was raw, it was noisy, and above
all, it was a fun, albeit short,
appetizer of what the band was capable.
Fast forward three years, and we see Black Monolith continue to evolve
this blackened punk style on their debut LP, Passengers.
Like the
demo, Passengers also features a raw d-beat-infused black metal sound, but this
time around places significantly more influence on the black metal side of the
band, featuring many blast-beat-and-tremolo-riff sections, in addition to the
group’s original d-beats-and-punky-riffs style.
This increased focus on black metal allows the band to greatly expand
their sound over the course of the record’s 40-minute runtime, while still
allowing plenty of room for the group to remain true to their more hardcore-inspired
beginnings.
In terms of
expanding their sound, Passengers
also sees the band not only experiment with a more straightforward brand of black
metal, but also sees them emulate the currently popular post-black metal sound as well.
Given that guitarist and band founder Gary Bettencourt was previously a
touring guitarist for popular post-black metal band Deafheaven, this new shift
in style doesn’t seem like such a surprise.
Now instead of simply expanding as a raw black/hardcore act, the group make heavy use of ambient/melodic guitar lines, giving the music a very “post-black metal” feel and adding significant atmosphere and texture throughout the whole of the album. While one might assume this new (obviously Deafheaven-inspired) shift in songwriting might water down the band’s trademark gritty black metal/hardcore sound, the inclusion of additional guitar lines works to enhance the band’s sound, adding a point of melodic contrast to the otherwise heavy, aggressive music.
After a
short noisy introductory track, the album wastes no time with opener Void, featuring immediate blast beats
and melodic-yet-heavy tremolo riffing before diving into more of a d-beat stomp
in the latter half. The rest of the
album seems to follow along a similar sort of duality—whether beginning with
blasts or d-beats, each style eventually succumbs to the allure of the other,
helping to make sure that neither wears out its welcome at any given time, as
well as keeping the music dynamic and fresh throughout.
The two
shortest tracks, Dead Hand and Victims & Hangmen, both open with
strong punk sections before flowing into more melodic territories. Oddly enough, each of these tracks are
followed by the longer, rather opposite pieces, Adhere and Gold Watch. The former draws the most similarity to the
previously mentioned Deafheaven, opening with a single lonely tremolo riff
before exploding in a barrage of blasting drums and melodic riffs, later
combining them with more up-beat punk drumming.
The piece harkens back to the album’s opener, featuring a no-frills raw
black metal approach before finding its way into a melodic, and then droning outro.
Album closer
Eris shows the most experimentation
on the album, featuring minutes of droning, reverb-filled guitars until
eventually switching to a rather uplifting post-rock section as its final outro
before fading off into silence. As strange
as it might sound for an album like this to end on such a positive note, the
stomping, droning build-up provides the perfect contrast for such out-of-place,
almost Hammock-esque positivity.
Passengers
is an exceptional debut record from a young project with only one prior release
to its name. Throughout its six main
tracks, the band flawlessly combines dirty hardcore, black metal, and post-rock. While some of the pieces of the band’s new sound
may be clearly borrowed, their execution and arrangement allow Black Monolith
to truly stand out as one of the more interesting and inventive of the post-black
metal bands of today.
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