Band:	Monolord
Album:	No Comfort
Style:	Doom metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	September 20, 2019
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. The Bastard Son
02. The Last Leaf
03. Larvae
04. Skywards
05. Alone Together
06. No Comfort

No Comfort is, unsurprisingly, not all that comforting.

Not every band has a defining characteristic that sets them apart from the hordes of impersonators and competitors in the metal scene, but with Monolord you can pinpoint exactly which band you're listening to simply based on the opening riff of the album's first song. Their unique style of fuzzy dissonance and weighted melodies recreates the melancholic atmosphere of early Black Sabbath without crossing completely into the territory of unabashed worship, yet the building blocks of their signature style have all but reached a monumental conclusion based in a thick abrasive groove and chunky hypnotic rhythmic approach that pave way for a sensational experience traversing plains of genuine sensitivity and regret not too dissimilar from their parental counterparts.

While similarities can certainly be drawn between them and their obvious influences of yore, No Comfort is still its own undertaking and brings with it a certain je ne sais quoi -- if only for its overall burdensome mood, augmented by Thomas Jäger's painfully rueful clean vocals casting shades of self-loathing over everything. Though markedly improved in skill, his style can seem almost baleful due to his repetitive harrowing delivery, even though it's well-suited to the band's more somber sound. Initially the vibe is somewhat warm and relaxing, but that almost immediately dissolves into the woeful waters traversed from "The Bastard Son" straight through to the end of the title track.

This album may be more polished and inviting on the surface as a result of its evidently improved production quality, but that doesn't mean Monolord have forgotten what about their band attracts an audience, and they do everything possible to make up for any feelings of joy or happiness the listener might be experiencing. It's not nearly as blatantly self-destructive as funeral doom, but that's what gives it its poignancy. This is a far more relatable kind of sadness as opposed to the over-the-top suicidal depressive tendencies present in extreme doom and similar metal sub-variants, and that's almost entirely owed to the grounded mix highlighting the snail-paced chugging riffs.

No Comfort isn't the most crushing, catchy, or even well-written Monolord album to date. It's watered down compared to previous releases and it lacks their unrelenting tone, but it comes across as the most driven, sought-after sound the band has achieved to date, which is saying a lot considering Empress Rising hits all those nails on the head and then some. However, with its funereal passages, groovy melodies, and reverb-heavy clean vocals, this is an excellent crossover stoner doom album worth adding to your collection as a fan of either genre.