Monument
Rob from Stampede Press recently dropped us a line about the upcoming debut EP from British Heavy Metal unit, Monument. Released on the 6th of August, Rock The Night comprises of 5 tracks, each fuelled by guitars, catchy hooks and powerful vocals. As if to solidify these guys as a force to be reckoned with, the EP also features a guest appearance from none other than Richie Faulkner, guitarist in Judas Priest. Couple this with the members having previously been in bands such as White Wizzard, Biomechanical and The More I See, and what we’ve got here is a debut EP which promises to pack one hell of a punch!
Title track Rock The Night (featuring Richie Faulkner) gets things going and immediately sets the scene for the rest of the EP, hammering onwards with guitars, pounding drums and a vocal line which is going to make Mr Halford nervous about the future of his guitarist! This is proper heavy metal done well, the guitars leading the way whilst the vocals bounce around on top of them, crafting a sense of darkness as well as pure power throughout the track. The stand out moment of this track has to be the guitar solo – it goes on and on, improving with each stage and forming into something which is going to have the air guitarist in you creeping out and throwing some shapes whether you’re ready or not – an awesome element of a cracking opening track! Carry On continues the theme of the album, once again launching us into a melee of rolling drums, thrashing guitar lines and roving bass rhythms. The vocals once again elevate the track to a new level, forming a sound which is going to appeal to fans of older metal as well as newer fans. This is the sort of track you can imagine being belted out on a festival stage, the sort of thing which is going to get people chanting along, singing, moving and generally feeding off of the band in front of them.
Midnight Queen marks a particular high point on the EP in my eyes, almost showcasing just how able a band they are and forming something which you know you’re going to come back to time and time again. Standing out as my personal favourite track from the EP, there’s something about the slowed down yet rolling beat, the bouncing guitar lines and the Sabbath-esque vocal line which gets things moving. It would be unfair to draw comparison here, but there seems to be so many different elements feeding into this track that it becomes a mash up of different influences, resulting in a sound which is going to hook you in and get you singing along from the word go. The same can be said for Fatal Attack which follows on, another track which is going to make you think of bands from years gone by yet confirm that Monument seem to have stumbled upon the recipe to make it sound updated and fresh. Hammering drums back up the flowing guitar line whilst the vocals rove between singing and almost spitting when it comes time to chant ‘fatal attack’ – this is sing along territory right here. The dual guitar lines which rove around on top of the bass line add another dimension to things here, harking back to the likes of Maiden and Priest whilst still managing to keep the sound their own, it’s a clever mix and they’ve managed it with aplomb.
Closing the EP with Red Sky it almost feels as if we’ve come full circle, the closing track finishing things on an upbeat yet carefully crafted note. The initial guitar line which gets things going on this track doesn’t give a lot away about the track, yet once again pulls you in so that when the vocals kick in, you’re left helpless to do anything other than listen and enjoy. Another track which is full of catchy hooks and powerful guitar and bass combos, this final track may well close the EP but it seems to mark a new chapter in music, a chapter where real heavy metal is brought back to the forefront of peoples attention with Monument leading the charge.
Any band that can get the Judas Priest guitarist to guest on their debut EP has to be worth checking out, but all too often can end up sounding gimmicky or too much like their heroes. That’s not happened here, and the result is an EP from Monument which is going to sit you back and remind you why you started listening to metal, remind you what good music sounds like and show you that there are bands out there that are still doing it well! Do I recommend you check out this EP – simply yes, but I also recommend you get out there, see them live and catch them whilst you can, these guys are going places.
To find out more about Monument, check out their Facebook page HERE and the video for Fatal Attack below.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Title track Rock The Night (featuring Richie Faulkner) gets things going and immediately sets the scene for the rest of the EP, hammering onwards with guitars, pounding drums and a vocal line which is going to make Mr Halford nervous about the future of his guitarist! This is proper heavy metal done well, the guitars leading the way whilst the vocals bounce around on top of them, crafting a sense of darkness as well as pure power throughout the track. The stand out moment of this track has to be the guitar solo – it goes on and on, improving with each stage and forming into something which is going to have the air guitarist in you creeping out and throwing some shapes whether you’re ready or not – an awesome element of a cracking opening track! Carry On continues the theme of the album, once again launching us into a melee of rolling drums, thrashing guitar lines and roving bass rhythms. The vocals once again elevate the track to a new level, forming a sound which is going to appeal to fans of older metal as well as newer fans. This is the sort of track you can imagine being belted out on a festival stage, the sort of thing which is going to get people chanting along, singing, moving and generally feeding off of the band in front of them.
Midnight Queen marks a particular high point on the EP in my eyes, almost showcasing just how able a band they are and forming something which you know you’re going to come back to time and time again. Standing out as my personal favourite track from the EP, there’s something about the slowed down yet rolling beat, the bouncing guitar lines and the Sabbath-esque vocal line which gets things moving. It would be unfair to draw comparison here, but there seems to be so many different elements feeding into this track that it becomes a mash up of different influences, resulting in a sound which is going to hook you in and get you singing along from the word go. The same can be said for Fatal Attack which follows on, another track which is going to make you think of bands from years gone by yet confirm that Monument seem to have stumbled upon the recipe to make it sound updated and fresh. Hammering drums back up the flowing guitar line whilst the vocals rove between singing and almost spitting when it comes time to chant ‘fatal attack’ – this is sing along territory right here. The dual guitar lines which rove around on top of the bass line add another dimension to things here, harking back to the likes of Maiden and Priest whilst still managing to keep the sound their own, it’s a clever mix and they’ve managed it with aplomb.
Closing the EP with Red Sky it almost feels as if we’ve come full circle, the closing track finishing things on an upbeat yet carefully crafted note. The initial guitar line which gets things going on this track doesn’t give a lot away about the track, yet once again pulls you in so that when the vocals kick in, you’re left helpless to do anything other than listen and enjoy. Another track which is full of catchy hooks and powerful guitar and bass combos, this final track may well close the EP but it seems to mark a new chapter in music, a chapter where real heavy metal is brought back to the forefront of peoples attention with Monument leading the charge.
Any band that can get the Judas Priest guitarist to guest on their debut EP has to be worth checking out, but all too often can end up sounding gimmicky or too much like their heroes. That’s not happened here, and the result is an EP from Monument which is going to sit you back and remind you why you started listening to metal, remind you what good music sounds like and show you that there are bands out there that are still doing it well! Do I recommend you check out this EP – simply yes, but I also recommend you get out there, see them live and catch them whilst you can, these guys are going places.
To find out more about Monument, check out their Facebook page HERE and the video for Fatal Attack below.
Words: Dave Nicholls