IMONOLITH are a five-piece modern metal group from Vancouver, British Columbia. Formed in early 2018, the group released solo track "Hollow" a year later. In 2020, IMONOLITH went on to reveal three further standalone singles "Instinct", "Dig" and "Becoming the Enemy". All four tracks were featured on the band's debut release "State of Being" in 2020. "Angevil" was released the following year, which marks the first initial promotion of IMONOLITH's second studio album "Progressions". "The Reign (Remix)", "Army of Me" and "The Lesson" were additional promotional tracks for their second album, which was released on May 20^th, 2022, independently.

The first track is "Angevil". It immediately grabs my attention with a powerful metal style riff taking the reins. As soon as Jon Howard's vocals kick in, I was hooked. I honestly never wanted the song to end! Next up is "Army of Me", which almost has an industrial RAMMSTEIN style feel from the offset, in terms of the instrumentals. The chorus is very infectious, sounding like a future track by THREE DAYS GRACE. Jon Howard's vocals even sound a bit like MATT WALST in the main chorus. This is most definitely one of my favourite tracks of the album - unbeatable! "The Lesson" begins with a distorted intro, before a soft rock riff paves the way for what's to come. Without another second, an infectious metal riff pounds into my eardrums. The chorus is as infectious as the last - a real belter on the album! "The Reign" is next. The vocals sound exactly like MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's CHRIS MOTIONLESS from the get-go! I really admire how Jon Howard can add such variety to his voice, adapting to different vocal styles. This track honestly sounds just like a MOTIONLESS IN WHITE B-side!

"Progressions" starts off on a much slower note, with a gentle guitar riff setting the tone. As the song develops, it evolves into a lovely acoustic style ballad reminiscent of what LINKIN PARK would create, with even Howard's vocals sounding like the late CHESTER BENNINGTON at times. It's a change from other songs on this album, but a welcome one at that. "We're in This Together" is another solid track, which contains almost nu-metal influences, reminiscent of KORN. "Words in Silence" is the shortest song on the release, but it is still as impactful and hard-hitting as the rest. This is where the musical talent of this band truly shines! As the album moves into "Instinct", I can tell this is a demo release - however, with a bit of polishing it could be fantastic! "Breathe" is next, which another KORN influenced track. The exploding drums are just such a prominent feature of this song, which take it to new heights! An untouched demo version of "The Reign" is the final track on the release. I feel like the more polished version heard earlier on in "Progressions" is a tiny bit better on the ears, however there is so denying that it is a great song!

"Progressions" is a phenomenal album, overall! Sure, there are songs which are better than others, but that can be said with pretty much any body of work. Considering it is only their second album release, IMONOLITH have such a unique sound. You would honestly never think that they are so early on in their career, as this compilation sounds so polished and slick, marking their own individual space in the genre. I would highly recommend this album to any metal fan - you are sure to enjoy it just as much as I did!