Deamonolith - The Monolithic Cult Of Death
Disclaimer: there are 2 versions of this album apparently; 1 is on CD and is broken into 6 tracks and then there is the bandcamp version (the one being reviewed) where it is a single track. Considering this is a 35 minute epic, it falls right in line with the impressive concept work attempt of Edge Of Sanity and Insomnium…
Deamonolith just formed in 2022, but this five piece from Poland are already making a strong impression with their debut “The Monolithic Cult Of Death”- which is no way related to The Monolith Deathcult, who are also known for going a rather Progressive Death Metal route. Deamonolith draw on a lot of inspiration for their music- one can hear bits of Septicflesh, Behemoth, and then suddenly Slayer/ Kerry King and plenty of blackened classical moments from the likes of mid era Dodheimsgard minus the Industrial touches. Those who are not used to digesting a 35 minute track are probably better off seeking the CD version, but when absorbing this album as a whole, it flows excellently with little breaking gaps and is just loaded with twists and turns that are fun to enjoy, be it the opening piano and atmospheric touches before the sweeping Melodeath riffs come in from Sunrise and Major before the thunderous Morbid Angel styled grunts come forth from vocalist Kobuch. The music is chuggy also and ferocious, turning from 2000s progressive to late 90s brutality and meaty head banging moments. Then the winds shift and crooning cleans will come in before shifting back, offering up some more progressive touches, but unlike some bands that tend to make their progressive bits sometimes a bit too obvious, Deamonolith like to keep it somewhat subtle and making sure it never breaks the flow of the core Death Metal elements.
The Septicflesh elements can definitely be heard more around 9 minutes in (or about track 3 for those who are listening to the CD). The haunting cleans along with the morose riffs that still hold some uplifiting technicality might be void of the lush symphonics, but there is even some saxophone thrown into the mix among the pounding of drums from Desecrate. Even the rumble of bass from Lucas is there, but it hard hear among the harsher tracks. The softer bits do appear again though around 21 minutes in though as the band brings back piano and more classical guitar elements amongst thunder samples as a bit of a quiet interlude. This is probably the only real random ‘break’ of the album before a jarring solo comes crashing in and the Thrash elements take over and it feels like we’re hearing more from Kerry King or Death Angel. (For those who are hearing the CD version this would be around track 5 which is monster epic itself at about a 12 minute chunk of the 35). Half heavy, half a melodic solo driven piece backed by sax, it really shows the strength of the members in their songwriting and shows they don’t need to be a full force Death Metal act to have talent. There is more depth here than one might expect.
While some might feel the use of sax is a bit overused, it flows more organically than randomly, along with the symphonic/ acoustic breaks of the record. The production is pretty crisp and the focus lies in most of the instrumentation, though the vocals sound aggressive enough but not Slam aggressive that they gurgle and are hard to understand. The harsh vocals have enough discernibility and yet also that enjoyable tone that they sound evil enough to contrast the mournful cleans. Sometimes the cleans do get buried especially when the spoken word parts come in later, but overall there is a lot of enjoy here for Thrash, Prog, and Death Metal fans alike, which should earn a wide audience for “The Monolithic Cult Of Death.” While it is a bit of a unique touch for Godz ov War who are known for the more straightforward heavier stuff, fans of the label will appreciate something a little different and certainly worth the time (and money) spent to get 35 minutes of epic Prog Death Metal.
4 / 5 STARS