Not typically known for its sludge/doom metal scene, Gothenburg, Sweden is however a hub for many metal bands young and old. So have you heard of MONOLORD? It's a rhetorical question of course, and I'll have to say that whatever scene Gothenburg is more widely known for is simply the rule, and this band is the exception. Quite the exception at that. The buzz is coming out in abundance, and MONOLORD's January 2015 release "Vænir" is a punishing six-track gem that puts them in the ranks of some of the bigger heavyweights, including a somewhat influential band named BLACK SABBATH. Allow me to elaborate:

(Let us say that you are unfamiliar with the previously-mentioned sub-genre of metal. Sludge and doom metal are heavily favored by the pot culture because of their psychedelic distortion, droning riffs that seem to match up with the feeling of marijuana intoxication, and slow tempos that go on for considerable spans of time, I believe in the convenience of having good songs on from five, six, seven, to eighteen minutes at a time, the listener does not have to move a muscle to change the song. Don't forget the "tom" style of drumming either, because it is always fun for me to listen to and compliments the overall tempo of songs in that sub-genre.)

MONOLORD seem to have aced those features and then tuned down their guitars an extra half-step just for the sake of over-the-top awesomeness. In a direct throwback to the late sixties, the image and sound on "Vænir" are a page directly from that era, except the darkness and heaviness of each guitar note and drum roll would scare those goofy hippies and send them packing back to their communes. Hell, even the vocals would give anyone tripping on acid a lethal dose of nightmares, the way the words come out in waves and have that recessed feel as the voices come out of the speakers. Way trippy, man.

This band has all of the hallmarks of a classic doom metal band and are unapologetic for such things. If you've got about an hour to kill and don't feel like messing with your playlist, crank this album to eleven and scare the neighbors! This will surely captivate fans and is an impressive addition to anyone's Metal repertoire. Now all aboard the doom metal machine and let this long train keep rolling!