Monuments – In Stasis
Monuments – In Stasis
Century Media Records
Release Date: 15/04/2022
Running Time: 50:00
Review by Rory Bentley
7/10
Alright kids it’s time for my first Tech-Metal review for the website, strap in and get that bottom guitar string ready because shit’s about to get djenty!
Monuments have carved out a solid place in the modern Metal scene alongside the likes of Tesseract and Periphery without quite breaking through to those levels of success. Nonetheless they have their avid group of followers and it’s easy to see why on the basis of the first few cuts on “In Stasis”. They have the dizzying riff work one would expect, a slick incorporation of electronics and some impressive soaring vocals contrasted with the obligatory shouty bits. It’s all performed with stellar musicianship and a big shiny production job and generally ticks all the boxes of the genre but therein lies the problem for me.
As someone with a pretty casual relationship with this genre, I tend to look for something that deviates a little from the beaten path to hook me in. I love the way that Tesseract have streamlined their progressive sound to something more direct and punchy without shedding the polyrhythms and complexity of their older work, but perhaps this balancing act is beyond most band’s capabilities or desires. Which is probably why I’m presented here with an album that loses a little of its impact largely due to a gruelling 50 minute runtime
Don’t get me wrong there is a lot to enjoy on here, Periphery frontman Spencer Sotelo lends his commanding voice to album highlight ‘Arch Essence’ to great effect in a song that shows a songwriting finesse that isn’t always present throughout the album. Elsewhere ‘Somnus’ provides a groovy off-kilter riff that is as catchy as it is abrasive, as it underpins rhythmic screams that have an almost hip hop feel to them. Add these tracks alongside ‘False Providence’ and its satisfying bass slapping and stirring symphonic outro and it’s clear to see that the band do possess a proficiency for balancing chaos with composition, I just wish it was more present throughout the runtime.
My main gripe with the flow of the album is that the first half of it stays in the same lane for too long, offering up ideas I’ve heard too many times before. While the likes of ‘No One Will Teach You’ and ‘Lavos’ are technically impressive in their proclivity to send the kitchen sink soaring through the air while switching on a dime to high-register saccharine vocals, I found myself worn down a lot earlier than I’d like. Some songs like ‘Cardinal Red’ veer too far into riff soup territory to really find their feet and the transition between abrasive chaos and conventional pop hooks is jarring in a way that doesn’t compliment either end of the spectrum. The fact that I’ve heard a lot of these ideas executed before by the band’s peers and to greater success means I’m sometimes caught between disoriented bemusement and ambivalent familiarity. It’s crazy but it’s a crazy that I’ve seen before.
Thankfully by the time the slick vocal runs on ‘Makeshift Harmony’ and the more disciplined songwriting of The Cimmerian’ close things out and the band venture further up the fretboard, I have a much more positive view of the album as a whole. In fact I believe that with a little resequencing and more judicious editing there is a really solid album in here.
As it stands this was an overall enjoyable listen that showed flashes of more widespread appeal but perhaps fails to deviate from the genre’s formula enough to truly satisfy anyone but the Djent faithful. I’m interested to see if they can break beyond these boundaries next time because there’s plenty of evidence on ‘In Stasis’ that they have the tools.
‘Makeshift Harmony’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. No One Will Teach You
02. Lavos
03. Cardinal Red
04. Opiate
05. Collapse
06. Arch Essence
07. Somnus
08. False Providence
09. Makeshift Harmony
10. The Cimmerian
LINE-UP:
John Browne – guitars
Adam Swan – bass
Mike Malyan – drums, samples
Andy Cizek
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
