By:
Ernesto Aguilar
Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 22/09/ 2017
Label: Profound Lore Records
Monarch
orchestrates layers upon layers of sound that roil gently like a dirty bayou.
Bresson's vocals – from plaintive wisps to growls and beyond – make Monarch
unlike anything else you hear in doom or drone. Such innovation is why the
outfit has cultivated a devoted following throughout their extensive career. Never
Forever" gives you a side of Monarch that is rarely seen, and is
indicative of a fearless performance. Drone is seldom this accessible, or
distinguished.
“Never Forever” CD//DD//LP track listing
1.
Of Night, With Knives
2.
Song To The Void
3.
Cadaverine
4.
Diamant Noir
5.
Lilith
The Review:
“Sabbracadaver”,
the 2014 release by Monarch, was widely
hailed for its original sound and vision. This moodiest of doom bands comprised
songs that were dissonant yet transcendent. Vocalist Emilie Bresson's bold and
rangy performance was among the release's celestial surprises.
Its
work of three years back is hardly a flash in the pan, however. The lavish
praise Monarch has received from many for their
seven previous full lengths, four EPs and other recordings is much deserved. The
French ensemble's brand of drone doom is enterprising in a subgenre that can
feel like a musician is not trying that hard. In contrast, Monarch
orchestrates layers upon layers of sound that roil gently like a dirty bayou.
Bresson's vocals – from plaintive wisps to growls and beyond – make Monarch unlike anything else you hear in doom or drone.
Such innovation is why the outfit has cultivated a devoted following throughout
their extensive career.
"Never
Forever" gives you a side of Monarch
that is rarely seen, and is indicative of a fearless performance. Their
five-song opus ticks in at around an hour, featuring songs that strike to the
very essence of drone while skirting a melodic, albeit despondent, tempo. Drone
is seldom this accessible, or distinguished.
"Of
Night, With Knives" plunges you into "Never Forever" as a 15-minute
journey to the depths. Its two minutes of slow build hurls you into exactly
what makes Monarch so great – dread-soaked guitars,
downtempo witness-to-the-execution bass and the shrieks, whispers and growls of
Breeson commanding it all at once. The beauty of the cut is its many
dimensions. A third or fourth listen and you will notice more than the layered
background vocals behind the shouts, but also the syncopation of the drums
alongside the ups and downs. You catch a variety of other complexities in "Cadaverine," which begins
with clinking bottles ala the 1979 film The Warriors and beautiful singing,
only to swoop in with a black cloak of sound. Similar to previous selections,
this nearly 18-minute centerpiece melds ethereal vocals and an arrangement that
harkens images of a funeral, only to unfold into interloping snarls and shuddersome
bass. The conflicting energies in the song seem to circle about five minutes
in. The sheer heaviness of the encounter makes it feel like a life-and-death
experience. Although it would be cruel to mention the apparent victor, it is
doom, so you can likely guess.
Beyond
this creativity, what makes "Never
Forever" such a superlative recording is Beeson's dissimilar
microphone attack. The death growl comes as easily as the empyreal coo, as the
spoken declaration flows as the gut-wrenching clamor. This convergence is in
wicked display on the album's standout track, "Diamant Noir," and the closing, "Lilith." As well, the music itself is devastatingly good.
It too is diverse as drone doom can be, with chords feeling as musical as some
of the greats. By the time you make it through all 20 minutes of the concluding
cut, Monarch's status will only grow richer.
"Never
Forever" is available to preorder/buy here
Band
info: facebook
