Great music can be a gateway to other dimensions. Through sensual stimulation it employs its irresistibility to enlist you in a quest to discover unexplored worlds and gaze through rips in cyclone swarming skies until you're bathing in the golden rays of emotional enlightenment. It is no simple feat, but when you find a metal-laced battalion that has the potential to take you there, then you're definitely in for an adventure to a foreign land that is CREMATORY's "Monument".

The opening track "Misunderstood" (also the lead single) is a prime example of how you should start a record. The grandeur and underlining poignancy of the song introduces a thematic consistency that is prevalent throughout the album. The thickly distorted guitars lay a solid, driving, anthemic foundation for the songs, whilst it is the majestic keyboard work of Katrin Jüllich blesses each track with an angelic aura that makes this record stand out. The piping melodies that soar above the heavy stomp of industrial rhythm of such songs as "Die So Soon", "Nothing" and "Everything" give "Monument" a truly illuminating quality of mechanised ethereality.

"Monument" also manages to harbour a very potent, thoroughbred ferocity that arises from the depths of the record through tracks like "Eiskalt", "My Love Within" and "Die Ietzte Schlacht" which exhume a delectably malicious tone of digital necromancy, making them sound like something that Richard B. Riddick would listen to before a workout. The brutal force of these songs, coupled with Gerhard "Felix" Stass' commanding growling, spread this record across the spectrum and allow it to retain the heaviness of a good Metal record without sacrificing its appeal.

Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of "Monument" is its songwriting. The songs are impeccably structured, beautifully lyrical and the commitment of the band to their compositions is indisputable. The production too is of the highest quality, although it does have a particular suffocating tendency that makes the record sound a bit complacent at certain instances, preventing the music from reaching the most height and breadth possible.

Overall, this is a stunning record. It is contagious in its passion and has the ability to uplift and dominate at the same time. On "Monument" CREMATORY draw the listener into an epic journey full of monolithic melodies and legions of marching riffs, creating an alternate reality of fantastical essence and genuine enterprise.Overall: 9