Gothenburg might be famous for its renowned death metal scene, but few might have heard of doom metal bands hailing from the said town of At the Gates and In Flames. Say no more, because the doom outfit Monolord return with their new EP It’s All the Same (Relapse Records), shining a light once more on the Gothenburg doom scene!

 

Monolord themselves have been around since 2013, maintaining the same lineup since their inception. The release of this EP was actually done as a surprise; which makes it even better. It consists of two fairly long tracks with heavy droning resonances, namely “Glaive (It’s all the Same)” and “The Only Road”. The first, opening track is the one that sounds rather melancholic and solemn, meanwhile the second track is the vehemently fuzzed-out one. But overall, this EP gives out the nuance of thunderous, rhythmic sonic experience that would certainly bring its listeners into a trip to the riff-filled land (haha, props if you get the reference!).

 

As the guitar tones keep shifting and the tempos switching, the instrumental sounds are of course accompanied by haunting, ghost-like vocals of Thomas Jäger in these two epic hymns with massive intensity. They also managed to incorporate retro-esque vibes in this EP, while also keeping the imagery of fuzzed-out modern harmonious doom intact.

 

To me, Monolord is kind of comparable to their Swedish stoner-doom counterparts Besvärjelsen and Skraeckoedlan, or even the German four-piece Colour Haze. I really enjoyed the sonic experience I had with It’s All the Same, even from the first listen. 2015’s Vænir was really captivating to me, and that made me dig more of Monolord’s works. I was really excited when I heard that they were releasing a surprise EP which is this one. Somehow, this EP brings out the inner stoner-doom-sludge-enthusiast high school self in me.

Buy the EP here:

https://monolord.bandcamp.com/album/its-all-the-same

 

8 / 10

RALKA SKJERSETH