Monosphere - Amnesia - review
Monosphere - Amnesia - review
Tracklist
01. Collapse02. Anomia
03. Nadir [feat. Jei Doublerice]
04. Allusion
05. Limbic
06. Idiomorph
07. Zenith
08. Engram
09. Dissolve [feat. Mark Garrett]
A review by
musclassia March 21, 2026
I’ve been very impressed with Monosphere since I first encountered them on debut album The Puppeteer, which found unique ways to explore post-metal and progressive metal around a djent/metalcore foundation. While other acts like Hippotraktor have blended djent and post-metal, no one has done it quite like Monosphere, yet sophomore record Sentience shook up the formula further, de-emphasizing post-metal and instead expanding the use of synths and jazzy elements. Album number three Amnesia once again shows the band unwilling to rest on their laurels.
Like the previous two releases, Amnesia is a seamless concept album, flowing together like a single piece of art. There are some recurring motifs, most notably a clean vocal refrain introduced on opening song “Collapse” that reappears on later tracks such as “Idiomorph”, but each song clearly has its own identity, and the approach of the band transforms and evolves across its runtime. The opening duo of “Collapse” and “Anomia” are somewhat peas in a pod, intensely emotional metalcore efforts with crunching polyrhythmic djent riffs, ringing clean chords, and evocative multilayered clean-sung passages, with blast beats and synths offering additional flavours. The -core aspects of this album actually lean more towards deathcore in several moments, with Amnesia a darker and heavier affair than The Puppeteer.
“Nadir” features Jei Doublerice of deathcore band Despite Exile as the first of two guest vocalists on the record, but it actually offers the first meaningful turn away from -core sounds. It opens in tranquil, melancholic fashion, with steady bass grooves beneath delicate post-rock guitar textures and piano that swell and intensify. The refocusing on post-metal on this album is very much appreciated, and particularly when it’s placed in tandem with the other facets of the band’s sound, such as the maximalist djent-deathcore onslaught that follows, and how those post-rock textures are then woven back in to accompany djent breakdown grooves.
Monosphere recently supported Between The Buried And Me on their Colors tour, and have expressed themselves to be heavily influenced by the Carolina outfit; it’s not an influence I’ve previously detected, but “Limbic” opens with a complex chugging pattern that naturally takes one’s mind towards “White Walls” from Colors, as does the technical oscillating guitar riff line that comes in afterwards. The song subsequently turns back towards the emotional djent-core of the opening songs, and the melodic lead guitar line near the end is very effective, as are several others that pop up across Amnesia.
The zenith of the album’s journey arrives, appropriately enough, with “Zenith”, which combined with closing song “Dissolve” (from which it is separated by subtle interlude piece “Engram”) are comfortably the album’s longest songs. “Zenith” lays out the album’s various elements, including syncopated grooves, blasting assaults, dazzling technicality on guitar and synths, resonant post-metal passages, and evocative vocal and instrumental motifs. “Dissolve” does much the same, but goes even further; featuring Kardashev’s Mark Garrett in a scintillating vocal cameo near the end, the track bears some resemblance to Kardashev in the warm clean textures that carry through the second half of the song after a blistering, chaotic first five minutes.
Even though the djent tone and rhythmicity is probably the most prevalent feature of Amnesia, it does feel a bit odd referring to it as a djent album when it is so genre-sprawling and multifaceted; however, as someone who is always eager to see genres not be defined by the most reductive examples of them, it’s really exciting to see a band utilizing these elements in such creative and compelling ways, and I’ve enjoyed every version of themselves that Monosphere have presented across these three albums, with Amnesia quite possibly the most accomplished to date.
Written on 21.03.2026 by
Written on 21.03.2026 by
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I'll admit djent and metalcore aren't my usual cup of tea, aside from a few exceptions of course, but I seem to enjoying this album a lot. An impressive blend of progressive, djent, metalcore, and post-metal. It's exceptionally performed and superbly crafted, balancing complexity with melody, and powerful intense build-ups with gentle melancholic sections. Just top-tier material all-round really. Great review!
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Posts: 410  |
Posts: 410
Great album!
---- "Nullum unquam exstitit magnum igenium sine aliqua dementia [there was never great genius without some madness]." Best of Metal A-Z: http://metalstorm.net/users/lists.php?user_id=158339
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