Monolithe - Interlude Second EP

Monoliths are very mysterious yet developed machines (invented by Arthur C. Clarke), which were created by an alien race far more advanced than humans. In fact, as can be seen at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Clarke shows us that monoliths are actually largely responsible for the development of the human race itself, giving one of our prehistoric forms the ability to use tools. These monoliths have been the recurrent theme and vehicle of French funeral doom band Monolithe to explore or speculate upon the origins of humanity through metal. It’s quite deep subject matter for a metal band, and Monolithe have always been a band who took their music very seriously. They planned out the entire course of the band’s history before they were even properly formed, that being five full-length albums titled I - V and two EPs. Now, eleven years later, I and II have been released as well as the two interlude EPs, and the long-awaited III – an album of great expectations - is to be released later on in 2012.

Monolith’s first two albums received a lot of credit in the underground, but I have to admit that they never really blew my mind although I did find their music enjoyable. Interlude Premiere was an interesting variation as well, but Interlude Second really has a distinctly different atmosphere, and in my opinion a more mature one. This is still funeral doom, but it is much less conventional than the band’s earlier efforts. It truthfully reminds me more of Blut Aus Nord than it does Skepticism – after all it’s no secret that Vindsval has had his hands deep in the Monolithe pot lately, providing vocals and clearly some other influences as well. Apart from being Monolithe’s darkest and most foreboding venture, it also has a much more industrialized side, especially in the percussion. The drums click away at calculating yet unpredictable rhythms, and the guitars drift horrifically through dissonances that are all smacking of post-The Work Which Transforms God Blut Aus Nord. The vocals have been seriously evilled up to boot. It’s is a bit more minimalist than before and it almost has the feeling of being an improvised jam (a very cold, doomed one), but it’s still a genuine convergence of the two entities, retaining some of the romanticism of the previous records.

Interlude Second also differs to its predecessors in that it has two tracks instead of only one: The first is twenty-five minutes with the second running eleven. They are both droning, but the second one has more keyboards and experimentalism. The quality of the music is definitely high, but I am a big fan of all of Vindsval’s work. However, the mini-album is, as you might assume, an interlude, and it feels very much like a taste of something to come, not yet reaching the final depths of this idea. And thus many metalheads (myself included) now patiently await the release of III, which if you judge by this record is something to be pretty excited about.

In short: Crushing abysmal blackened doom. A band that will probably shoot even further into the forefront of the funeral scene this year.

Standout tracks: Both form one

Score: 8.0