Some bands take you into a different world of their own with their music that you often forget that you're even physically present. While it's mostly Doom bands that come under this category, some bands of other genres too try to create the atmospheric elements and fuck with your mind. Juggling multiple genres, enters Prog veterans MONSTERWORKS from New Zealand with their 12^th full-length album.

After completely listening to the full album the first time, 2 things come to the forefront, one: I haven't listened to anything like this as this is too progressive for my old school senses, and two: the fact that the boys mix and juggle between multiple genres, sometimes pleasing you in phases, some more than the other, it's hard to just write their music off. What MONSTERWORKS does here is, bring the old school Sludge and Doom and sprinkle it on modern day Thrash with occasional atmospheric phases. The album starts with a faster catchy stoner styled track in "Higgs Field" with nasty thick Death Metal-ish screaming vocals by Jono Blade, which are very impressive as it works greatly with the rest of the music. "Ripple Effect" is the band's self-confessed PANTERA tribute song and actually sounds good, as the boys add their brand of atmospheric touch to the song. "Engine" is an epic 8 min song, as it starts with a melodic acoustic strumming before turning into sludgy riff filled juicy insane journey and ending with another round of soothing guitar strumming. "Temple of Distortion" is a difficult song to digest as the band kind of mixed atmospheric sound to the heavier stuff and it doesn't really sound as good as the band intended it to. "Tapping the Void" is arguably the best song on offer here, as the axe men tap the shit out their guitars and also bringing the heavy sludgy riffs in phases, before oscillating between atmospheric parts and the heavy nastier sound, all laden with unadulterated trippy lyrics. The album ends with an insane ride aptly titled "The Ride" and surprisingly there are some clean screaming vocals amidst the atmospheric juicy ride, as the band fills the song with all the goodness brought so far.

The album offers a lot more than what can be digested in a single listen. The trippy lyrics, nasty vocals, atmospheric parts all add more meat to this 8^th concept album by these London based New Zealanders. While there are few mediocre parts, but "The Existential Codex" simply has to be a treat for the Prog fans across the globe. I won't be surprised if seasoned fans of the genre have already checked this album out as this gem was released few months back in February 26^th. Well, if you still haven't, you should, as the band is even offering this album for free on their bandcamp; need any more reasons to check these guys out?<