MONUMENTS

In Stasis

Century Media
rating icon 9 / 10

Track listing:

01. No One Will Teach You (ft. Neema Askari)
02. Lavos
03. Cardinal Red
04. Opiate
05. Collapse
06. Arch Essence (ft. Spencer Sotelo)
07. Somnus
08. False Providence
09. Makeshift Harmony
10. The Cimmerian


With the release of "In Stasis", U.K. prog metal outfit MONUMENTS dish out a record that will certainly satiate lovers of the genre. The 10-track album is a feast for syncopation and groovy riffs, putting each musician's technical skills on full display. Rounded out by raucous unclean vocals and memorable melodic hooks, their fourth full-length remains accessible to those who may not usually listen to prog and might be put off by more experimental bands.

In collaborating with video game soundtrack composer Mick Gordon ("DOOM", "Prey", "Killer Instinct"),MONUMENTS are able to establish a cinematic and, at times, apocalyptic atmosphere that pervades the record. This influence can particularly be heard in the ominous, organ-filled ending of "Cardinal Red", and the final ethereal moments of "The Cimmerian". These songs also happen to be two of the album's most impactful, alongside the heavy-hitting single "False Providence" and "Makeshift Harmony" (which probably should have been a single, due to its cascading clean vocals and uniquely melodious guitar parts). "Arch Essence" is also notable for the fact that it features PERIPHERY's Spencer Sotelo. Some of the other songs on the record, though, can blur together a bit.

Content clearly also matters to MONUMENTS, whose songs are as lyrically prolific as they are musically. The 8-minute closing track "The Cimmerian", for instance, recalls a people in Homer's epic "The Odyssey" who live in constant darkness near the land of the dead. In that same spirit, vocalist Andy Cizek croons lines like "Shrouded in darkness, I remain/ a memory cast away/ Death is my only saving grace." About halfway through, the song quiets to an electric-acoustic/classical guitar section, before ultimately ramping back up to the record's most climactic moment, ending with the emotional declaration, "I will remember all that was ever lost."

Overall, "In Stasis" is an album that can grab a wider swath of fans than the average prog metal release. Lovers of metal, metalcore and even deathcore can all find something to like about it. While some songs stand out more than others, the record’s huge sound leaves a forceful and lasting impression.

Author: Taylor Markarian
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).