Death is one of the few certainties in life, and we’re all touched by its dark hand in many ways, be that losing friends and family or facing the scythe ourselves. Wrapped into all of that is the emotional response, the sadness and depression that result from losing a loved one or when dealing with our own demise. It’s hardly uplifting times.
UK doom crushers Blind Monarch head straight into that soberingly morbid territory on their great second record “The Dead Replenish the Earth,” a four-track, 43-minute beast that digs hard into tragedy and the aftermath of the death of a loved one. The band—vocalist Tom Blyth, guitarist Adam Blyth, bassist Paul Hubbard, drummer Sam Elsom—doesn’t shy away from confronting and acknowledging these feelings and the horrible pit of sorrow and grief that comes with parting ways forever with someone you hold dear. The gutting sadness, the storm of depression, and the seemingly never-ending agony that results from that, or from knowing your own fate is near, create a helpless trip through hell that feels like it’ll never end. For some, it never does.
“Other Faces” dawns amid wild howls as doom drops, the playing carving into mountains. Growls engorge as the playing splatters, the force feeling like a battering ram, demonic melodies ripping through chest cavities. The corrosion calms as the noise simmers, and then a gargantuan force weighs down, buzzing and pulverizing, burying itself into the earth. “Diminishing” starts quietly, plodding into the dark, the growls curdling as a slow fury begins to boil. The playing then chugs and smashes, guitars quivering as the gears choke in mud, eerie darkness stretching its massive wings. The pace rips open as growls lurch, a scorching pressure gets heavier, and the massacre sinks its teeth dangerously deep.
The title track starts with retching vocals, slowly twisting your gears, ugly hell flooding and thrashing with a deliberate pace. Moodiness thickens as a haze glimmers, growls crushing with savage force, glacially destroying everything with the misfortune of being in the band’s path. Closer “All Shall Pass Away” begins as a clean, chilling display, but it’s not too long before mangling blades are drawing blood, gory howls adding to the body count. The playing drubs hard, crushing with calculated force, the oncoming heat baking with ill intent. Things take a mournful turn even as melodies sweep, punching away and chipping teeth, clean guitars melting as the force bows out into eternity.
“The Dead Replenish the Earth” is a massive, devastating listen, and that’s only when taking the music into account. Digging into the themes of death, loss, and depression adds a world of weight to what’s already impossibly heavy, and these are very human experiences and emotions we all face. It’s not meant to be comfortable, and it’s better that it’s not, because facing sobering reality scars can make us stronger as a result.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/blindmonarchband
To buy the album, go here: https://www.drycoughrecords.com/products
Or here: https://vaultofheaven.bandcamp.com/
Or here: https://www.minorlabel.de/label/obscur.htm
For more on the label, go here: https://www.drycoughrecords.com/
Meat Mead Metal 