Band:	Monsterworks
Album:	Universe
Style:	Death metal, Heavy metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	March 11, 2014
Guest review by:	Zap

01. Universe
02. Grandiose
03. Voyager
04. The Bridge
05. Extropy
06. Heat Death
07. Outside Time

Stoner metal, thrash metal, death metal, heavy metal, black metal; Monsterworks' Universe is basically a big stew* of almost every metal subgenre you have ever heard.

Several metal bands have successfully blended distinct genres for years. It has gone from pieces that seamlessly flow through heavy and calm passages (like Opeth and Agalloch) to chaotic music that never stays in one place for too long (think Unexpect.) For the past seventeen years, however, Monsterworks has created their own sound by combining just about everything the metal genre has to offer.

A wide range of styles sounds great on paper, but it can end very poorly if it is not handled appropriately. If you put on an album and feel like you are listening to a compilation of riffs and melodies from different genres, it doesn't offer the satisfying listening experience you would hope for, regardless of the quality of the riffs themselves. This is where Universe excels.

Monsterworks is able to go through a variety of moods and styles but you'll always know you're listening to the same band. They know how to include the perfect dose of every genre they incorporate, in a manner that never feels chaotic. For example, none of the growls and screams ever feel out of place, because the band always returns to their "main" clean stoner-like vocals at the right moment. The same is true for the heavy riffs that balance out the tremolo-picking and clean parts perfectly.

Add to all of this a very old-school production and accompany it with a philosophically themed concept about the life cycle of the universe itself and you have a solid metal album, that has potential to relate to fans of all subgenres.

Overall, Monsterworks' first** 2014 offering is one of the year's finest. With ten full-length releases and four EPs under their belt, you would expect them to have gained some notoriety by now, but it seems the band have gone out of their way to avoid popularity and just want to have a good time writing and playing music. However, since Universe is streaming over at their bandcamp page, I suggest we disrupt their plans a little!

*Don't worry, that's as far as I'll take the food metaphor this time.
**They have another album coming out in August.