Monolord : "Neverending"

Sweden's doom merchants rumble out of the gates with a bigger sound this time around. Though each album has found them progressing into a more melodic direction, "You Bastard" finds the rumble picking up into a more sinewy groove. The tenor vocals similarly drift over things as Ozzy once did without being a flagrant influence. They jam out a bit on the guitar solo, which works well. Things do not get darker until "Inside a Collider," which does have a more mournful doom feel. These guys have, in the past, skated the lines between sludge, doom, and stoner metal, and at times, you could point your finger in all three of those directions on the first three songs. It jsut feels likea more intentional step in a doomier direction here. 

"Crystal Bridge" is more melodic; it's moody with a melancholic edge, but it works for me. 'Oozing Wound' is more of a sludgy, fuzzed-out jam. The smooth, haunting flow of the vocals is what keeps it from falling solidly in the sludge direction. In fact, when they come in, things get moodier. This is excellent songwriting, some of the band's best. It's the wandering guitar solo that takes things in the jam-ward way." The Masque is the first song that has a more classic metal feel. This is also coupled with a more rock n roll chorus. More Blue Oyster Cult than Black Sabbath. 

This is also the first album where I have really heard the Sabbath influence that dominates so many stoner/ doom bands come out in these guys. More traditional doom unfolds with "Invisible". The last song finds things taking a dramatic change as Entombed bassist Jorgen Sandstrom takes over on vocals to create more of a death doom sound, which is not what you expect stepping into one of this band's albums. Though they do not go the traditional way with this, at eight and a half minutes, there are plenty of twists and turns. Overall, I like the direction they were heading on this album; the last song is a little out of character, but it retains enough of their sound. I will give it a 9.5. Dropping May 29th on Relapse Records.