Monarch | ‘Omens’

Monarch’s live set in Dublin last December was a mesmerising trawl through the depths of low end, drone laden heaviness.

While their records had been enjoyable if a little hard on the attention span from time to time, it was a pleasant surprise that they produced such a compelling performance.

Like others in their ilk, it was the first time their work really made sense to me, at least partially because of the almost physical weight their sound had due to the volume involved in playing live.

And so their latest spawn, this new ‘Omens’ album (the first to feature Yob/Dark Castle member Rob on drums) arrives and I have perhaps attached to it much more anticipation than with their previous releases.The live set peaked my interest, and the question is if they can find the same balance of force and ambience on this record.

The answer is simply yes, they can. Thanks to a spacious production (this was recorded in Japan, where perfection reigns supreme in terms of production), this is the best Monarch have sounded thus far in their career.

Possessing as they do one of the most malevolent guitar tones around, to hear that captured with such clarity and depth  immediately puts the listener  almost right there in the guitar cab. When your music is based almost exclusively around low tuned guitars producing  sustained, hanging chords then getting the production right is already half the battle.

‘Omens’ comprises two of the usual long Monarch doom workouts, and on shorter ambient piece which serves as a bridge between them. They certainly haven’t done a whole heap to reinvent their basic sound, but what they have done on this album that perhaps will mark it as their best work, is refined and tightened it up. This new record has a strange sense of spaciousness at times while keeping things nice and claustrophobic for the most part.

As is often the case with lengthy drone doom releases, this is best taken as one piece divided into (in this case) three movements – the notion of a song as a standalone entity is sacrificed for a greater whole. But, having said that, the closing song/section “Black Becomes the Sun” is the standout as for much of it there’s a real sense of melancholy at play, whereas usually Monarch are an emotionless void.

The choral vocals that flow throughout the first part of it work beautifully as the band consider each chord before bludgeoning with the next. It all falls back into the black abyss towards the end, but it’s a scenic route to hell so to speak.

I wasn’t sure how much more mileage Monarch  would be able to get out of their slow, monotonous riffage on this record, but the end result, owing to the beefier production, further vocal experimentation and more tangible atmosphere here is undoubtedly their finest hour.

With the passing of Corrupted this last year, this band are now probably top of the class for this kind of black hole misery. Best enjoyed in the dark.

4 / 5 - Jamie Grimes ::: 18/02/12

Monarch-Omens. from Sabbat Noir on Vimeo.