First off, another apology for lateness. Lord of the Insect Order is out now and I’ve been listening to it for week, but around Bloodstock, work, degree, and a bunch of personal stuff I’ve not had time to get a review done until now. So, sorry to the guys… but I’m doing the reviews as it’s a great album and I wanted people to know about it.
It seems the band have been on the go since around 2010, but with a big gap of 8 or 9 years until 2022 or so when more music rapidly started to appear. Lord of the Insect Order follows Hornet’s Nest which was released in March, and there’s apparently a third full album due later this year!
The most recent band photo I could find, though, was 2013! However, we don’t care how ugly or pretty they are, we’re here for the music. And it’s brutal. The band seem to have gone with the label “blackened hardcore”, but it really comes across like quality death metal, with vocals that sometimes just about stray on the edges of grindcore. However, that’s not to pigeonhole, just to give you an idea of the sound. Though you could just scroll down and listen to the whole thing…
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An interesting intro track sets the scene before the music proper starts with “Swarm Awakening”. This absolutely slams into you with deep booming vocals and down-tuned yet strident guitars. It really sets the scene for the slow, heavy and slimy. However, let it flow into “Progeny Feast” and you have something far more airy and trippy. Monolith are all about telling the story with their music and it’s not always unrelenting battery. The title track is virtually a lilting ballad in comparison, but there’s more to come.
“Holometabolism” is an atmospheric filler and shortly after there is the unrelenting crush of “Mammalian Effacement”. Just feel those double-kicks rattling your ribcage. The top of the pile for me, though, is the album closer “Unfurling of the Cosmic Caterpillar” which grabs bits and pieces from all over the album and rams them into three minutes that leave you gasping for more.
This is a great listen – heavy yet eclectic. It’s definitely a musical piece in its own right, not just a collection of songs, and needs to be listened to right through from beginning to end.
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Lord of the Insect Order is out now
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