marklee

Melodic Death Metal from Tobolsk, Russia.
Official Myspace page.

So the Monolith is out!

Well, what can I say except that it's one of the most amazing Melodic Death Metal I've ever heard? Perhaps, they are so amazing because they are not taken up by just one genre. Their music gets its influences from Progressive and Thrash Metal as well. Especially on this album, where one could say it's more Prog-ish than MDM-ish. They focus their music on, well, music; amazing riffs and guitar solos driven to perfection. Oh, and don't forget about the higher musical education the band members have (at least I think they do; if they don't -- it should be given to them right away).

The music on this album is so rich and beautiful that the band decided not to do almost any vocals on it (and I'm so grateful for that). Well, for the exception of couple tracks where the vocals could very hardly be called so -- highly distorted, as well as that they are short.

“Apparition”, “Exhumed” and “The Unlearning Dissent” are my top favorite tracks on this album, if you ask me. How they manage classic metal and rock solos to sound so interesting, so fresh and new, is beyond my understanding. There you also have some prog rock-ish keyboards alongside heavy metal riffs. If it wasn't for my poor English knowledge, I would describe From Exile's new album with such words, which even Oxford started to forget.

Now, if your girlfriend (or gay boyfriend) is so caught up by her precious Britney Spears and you wanted to teach her some metal but was afraid she would have got a heart attack — this album is a perfect solution. Not for the heart attack, but for the getting to know and hopefully love metal easily. Without having to listen to any harsh growl/guttural vocals your average Death Metal has (or those cheesy/high-pitched tenor vocals average Power Metal has).

I'm not saying the album is easy and soft. It's decently heavy, perfectly metal-ish (with double-bass drumming, of course) and amazingly progressive for our time. It's just so very well written and played that almost anyone can start to understand and appreciate metal. Maybe even your grandma if she, at least, was into some previous-century's rock back in her days.

The debut album “Crushing Reality” has also had an amazing music and songwriting, but awful vocals can spoil even a masterpiece. And you can actually hear some familiar bits, or distant reminders if you like, of melodies from it on “Monolith” (“The Unlearning Dissent”, for example). The next thing From Exile should do is to release “Crushing Reality's” score and let people enjoy that otherwise so-close-to-perfect creation.



Genre: Progressive Death Metal / Melodic Death Metal
Release Year: 2009
Country: USA

Tracklist:

1. Arrival 04:51
2. Impure Visionary 03:57
3. Apparition 03:32
4. Exhumed 03:32
5. Veritas 02:12
6. The Unlearning Dissent 02:20
7. Monolith 07:12 (listen at Last.fm)
8. In The Faded Silence 04:13

Monolith stream



You can (and definitely should) buy this album. It's available in Lossless and various other formats at FromExile.com.

Скачать бесплатно можно самизнаетегде (в том числе и в Lossless).

A very unique and unusual album by Gods of Doom Metal and Fathers of Funeral Doom.



Genre: Doom Metal
Release Year: 2006
Country: Norway

Tracklist:

1. The Barren Skin
2. From These Wounds
3. The Architecture of Loss
4. Red Moon
5. Vagrant God
6. Pendulum
7. Saturn
8. Breathing Through You

© CD cover by Mark Lee.

One of the most amazing Technical/Melodic Death Metal albums ever. I'm just assuming it's not the most amazing one, because you can never know what else is out there. But the most amazing of all those I've listened to. A masterpiece even.

Too bad, the subsequent albums are so-so. Fingers crossed for the upcoming one. Hope it will be something like "Celebration".



Genre: Technical/Melodic Death Metal
Release Year: 2004
Country: USA

Tracklist:

1. The Face of My Innocence
2. Maddening Disdain
3. Seven Whispers Fell Silent
4. Return
5. Worship Depraved
6. Carnal Ways to Recreate the Heart
7. Dust and Guilt
8. Elegant and Perverse
9. The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters
10. Looking to Nothing
11. Wholly Night