MONOLIYTH is a band from (for me) the other side of the world. They hail from Mornington, Victoria in Australia. They originally formed in 1998, only to be disbanded in 2011. During that time, they released one EP "Cosmic Citizens"(1998) and one studio album in 2007, "Imminent Demise". In 2016 they decided to get back together and reform their Brutal Death Metal band. Now, another nine years have passed and finally these Aussies have decided that it is time to torture the world once more with a studio album, which they anti-christened "He Who Kills". And if one thing is sure, these guys are not taking prisoners or hostages. They are on the path of obliterating everything along their path.

"He Who Kills" is Brutal Death Metal, but still houses a lot of those small moments of subtlety, even if they sometimes only last a second. And I am glad they have done that, as it gives the Death Metal attack on the senses a little more depth, a tiny amount of emotion that isn't rage, anger or violence. As for the tempo of the songs that MONOLIYTH writes, I am positively surprised that they aren't constantly going faster than the speed of light, but that they are able to vary their speed and intensity accordingly when the song asks for it. but as they depict themselves as Brutal Death Metal band there is no escaping the fact that at times the drummer sounds even more manic then the Muppets drummer Animal.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again; I am not a Death Metal fan at heart. I like good sounding music in this genre, and enjoy listening to bands who have got it right. And even though MONOLIYTH are not exactly a new band, and it has been some eighteen years since their latest album, I feel disappointed. I would have thought that after such a long time they would have been able to come up with songs that tell a story, have something to say, instead of just being Heavy and Brutal. "He Who Kills" is not bad at all, but I just was hoping for more sustenance. Thankfully the production of the album is providing you with a good sound, and maybe I was expecting too much, but I feel that only the die hard fans of Brutal Death Metal will be enthralled with this release. The rest will have to have a listen and make up their own mind.