Monolord - No Comfort (2019)^{Release ID: 13496}

Whilst looking to establish some firm favourites in The Fallen clan, I have found myself spending a fair old amount of time with the fourth full length album from Swedish doomsters, Monolord.  Starting from a logical reference point of Electric Wizard, band such as Monolord and Windhand have enjoyed some early spin time at the Vinny Mansion as I begin my expansion of the clan in earnest.  The explosive simplicity of No Comfort is what has struck me the most over my multiple plays of the record to date.  It is in simple terms a real motorised record that chugs along in the main, veering off occasionally to pick up some genuine atmosphere along the way.

I find it is a record that does not really get going for the first couple of tracks and only really starts to develop from the superb Larvae onwards.  It is not that the opening two tracks are bad, more that they struggle to find their feet and seem to drift a little bit for me.  The soaring riff of The Last Leaf is noticeable if not more due to it being used a little in excess.  It is not until the picked intro to Larvae that the band really start to grab my attention though, that short yet effective build being enough to set up the track really well before that start/stop rhythm takes over for the beginning of those strained, retro-style vocals.  Although it develops well, the track still retains and returns back to the main riff that looms, majestically mournful over proceedings.  This track also has the best ending on the album with that crushing riff and rhythm section rounding off what is possibly the album highlight for me.

For an album titled "No Comfort" there is an irony in jut how comfortable I find the album to sit and listen to.  It feels very straightforward and honest in delivery and this degree of accessibility breeds an immediate sense of familiarity within just a couple of listens.  Having briefly flicked through a couple of other albums in the Monolord discography this record does seem to have dialled down the heaviness a tad but I feel it makes things sound a lot more organised if I am honest (not that I am anywhere near as familiar with any other release by the band as I am with this one). This is best exemplified by the title and closing track which reverts back to the formula of the previously discussed Larvae, allowing a build that is laden with sorrow that dredges the very pit of the soul as it gets into that main riff.  More Monolord needed.  More, more, more!

This latest from Monolord, their fourth full-length, kicks off in familiar style with the opening riff of The Bastard Son. It soon becomes apparent though, that there are a few slight changes on this album. The vocals are mixed a bit higher than their usual disembodied, washed-out sound, although they still can't be accused of being "in your face". Also at about the halfway point, the opener's heavy, plodding riff gives way to a cleaner section that kind of marks time for a couple of minutes before returning to the earlier heaviness. Next track, The Last Leaf, is probably as near as a band like Monolord get to being "catchy" with it's psych-doom influence. Larvae is up next and is probably my favourite track, with a gentle opening and quirky-sounding riff that gradually gets heavier until it's gritty, filthy-sounding ending, that is the best moment on the album. This is followed by the album's two weakest tracks, Skywards and All Alone Together, but faith is restored by the title track, which is a doom(ed) monster and a great ending to the album with it's dirge-like, painfully mournful sound.

I understand that a band like Monolord probably feel the need to stretch out a bit by album four but, to be honest, I loved them just the way they were so, consequently, this is my least favoured of their albums. It is by no means a bad album and many will enjoy the expansion of their sound, I'm sure, but I still think Vaenir will stand as their tour-de-force.