After waiting patiently for several hours, my opportunity to gain entrance to the room finally arrived. Those hours had been spent shuffling forward a couple of steps at a time every few minutes in a seemingly endless queue. I begrudgingly accepted that the hundreds of people in front of me, each of whom had made their own pilgrimage to this revered place, deserved to receive their reward ahead of me. It was only fair. They had arrived before me. Of course, the joke was on them. I knew with complete certainty that they would all be leaving disappointed. There was no way around the fact that I was right…about everything…and therefore they must all be wrong.
What was exceedingly interesting to me was the palpable tension running like a live current through the mass of people assembled around me. In all seriousness, the overriding emotion was thick enough you could have cut it with a knife. I’m not sure if the societal laws governing libraries and classrooms in session applied to this place of answers, but very few noises broke up the silent procession. The sound of shuffling feet would rarely be broken by a cough here, or an impatient toe tap there. Often when I made eye contact with others in line they would take a moment to analyze my expression, and proceed to become visibly aggravated that I did not seem to share their worries and trepidations. I suppose my smug disposition expressed itself plainly upon my face. It came as quite a surprise when one of my line mates actually vocally challenged my state of mind.
“Hey man, what are you so happy about?”
“Hmm…sorry, you caught me off guard. What was that?”
“I asked why you look so happy?”
“Ah, I see. Well I wouldn’t describe the way I feel as happy, but I would certainly say that I am content.”
“Happy. Content. Whatever! Look around you man. You are the only person that I can see whose not visibly fretting over what they will be told when they get to the room. Why?”
“Oh that’s easy. I already know the answer to my question.”
“You already know your answer? How? Have you come here before to ask the same question?”
“No, not at all. Look…I don’t want to offend you or anything, but I’m not here for the same reason that brought you and all of these other people. I’m not here to ask any specific question really. I’m just here to obtain confirmation about something I already know.”
“You’re sure about that? That whole confirmation thing?”
“Absolutely!”
“Dude, you’re full of it! Keep up the attitude man, because I can’t wait to see your face when the room’s answer causes your world to come crashing down around you!”
“Now that’s not very nice.” The man just laughed at me and turned away.
I hoped that guy was not under the impression that he could affect my mental state through a brief conversation. If that was his goal he was grossly mistaken. Yep, my confidence remained unshaken and I went right on grinning like an idiot. I was comfortable enough to let myself zone out for a while, and when I returned to reality it was my turn to enter the room. Great! I had other things I needed to do today. The white, featureless door opened and let me into a white, featureless room. I walked in and the door shut behind me. With the door closed, it seemed to me as if I had been swallowed into a great white void. Nothing caught my eye as I cast my gaze in all directions. Not knowing proper procedure, I began to speak.
“Hi there. My name is Penfold, and I…”
“SILENCE! EVERYTHING YOU BELIEVE IS A LIE.”
My world imploded.
This, my fellow waveriders, brings us to today’s music discussion. Let’s talk about a little band called Monsterworks. This band originally hails from New Zealand, but the four assembled musicians currently call London home. I’ll be totally honest with you all. I had never heard of this band until I was assigned the task of reviewing their latest album. Upon doing a little research, I was shocked to discover how prolific they have been. Unleashing their debut album in 1998, Monsterworks has gone on to release one EP and seven more full length albums up to this point. And it’s my understanding that they already have one new album in the can, and another ready to record! Wow! Now, allow me to explain why the prospect of all these tunes excites me so.
According to their facebook page Monsterworks play ‘progressive thrash supermetal’. While I do agree with that statement, I believe that it only tells a part of the overall story. Yes, there are definite progressive and thrash elements strewn throughout this music. But the band doesn’t stop there. Oh no! Take a listen to some of their work and you’ll hear elements of classic rock, black metal, death metal, and even folk music popping up here, there, and everywhere. Perhaps all of that other stuff is intended to fall under the ‘supermetal’ banner? It does make sense. After much listening, I’ve been unable to locate a weakness in the band’s musical armor. No kryptonite here! So let’s focus the microscope and investigate further.
The name of the musical thrill ride that has me so excited is The God Album. It is a concept album dealing with the failings of organized religion. If that concept bothers you, well…perhaps this isn’t the album for you. That being said, you’ll be missing out on some terribly interesting, and invigorating music. Honestly while I hear the lyrics and understand the meaning behind them, the instrumentation is what I really focus in on during every listen. For me the vocals are there to convey attitude, aggression, and passion that complements the raging torrent of rock this band generates. What I’m trying to get across is that the music is intriguing enough to take the listener’s attention away from the lyrics if need be. So what about the songs?
“Everything You Believe Is A Lie” is the epic opening salvo. It screams epic from the word go! First of all you’ve got the two guitarists conjuring up some potent magic, with the rhythm guitar laying the distorted foundation and the lead guitar plaintively wailing away, pulling on the heartstrings with sweeping, beautiful lines. Secondly the band switches back and forth from classic rock inspired, harmonious passages to thrashy, whiplash inducing segments at the drop of a dime. This song singlehandedly sold me on the rest of the album. It’s a good thing the rest of it is so incredibly solid. There are unrelenting sonic assaults like “Let It Go”, and “Monomythic”. There are the slow building juggernauts of “God” and album closer “(Hymn Of) Fire”. There are the wonderful acoustic, folksy numbers “Reprieve” and the first third of “False Miracle” that ease the listeners into the next bludgeoning rocker (such as the other two thirds of “False Miracle”). Bottom line, this is a fantastic album from start to finish. It flows exceptionally well and it never loses steam. Once you begin listening to The God Album, you won’t want to stop. You’ve been warned.
-- Penfold
Buy here: God Album
Buy here mp3: The God Album
