REVIEW: MEROE - SUITE 524

How much have you accomplished in the last year? Really think about it for a minute. I don’t mean to piss all over your parade, but Meroe, the metallic rock band out of Munich, Germany, has released two full-length albums of original material within the past twelve months. Their fourth album, Suite 524, is a skillful trek through hard-edged rock of the 1980s, when the only thing bigger than a guitarist’s hair was the number of albums sold.

The band was founded by vocalist Oliver Monroe, a deeply talented singer who could convincingly front a variety of tribute bands with the impressive versatility of his voice. Depending on the song he can invoke Dave Mustaine, Rob Halford, Axl Rose or Vince Neil, but remains a singular talent who has his own smooth croon. Musically, Meroe shares similarities with the bands that gratuitously used umlauts (Queensrÿche, Mötley Crüe), while showing an ability to write concise anthems with huge choruses and killer guitar work. Overall, Suite 524 is a throwback to a simpler time when the decibel level and tone of the guitars was all that was needed to project intimidation. No need for sinister hooded cloaks or spitting blood, the music was loud and heavy and a force to be reckoned with. At their core, Meroe are true to that spirit of early heavy metal while being more than adept at writing musical hooks and commanding song structure.

The album really takes off with “Crazy” and “Wink Of An Eye” back to back; they both shred with barely contained energy, feeling likes bluesy Van Halen or ZZ Top on speed. “Crazy” also features ferocious bass work by Tom Schill, whose interplay with guitarist Alex Kah dazzles and bangs heads. Other highlights include the muscular album opener “I Am” and “Blood Red Sky,” an earnest political war song that closes Suite 524 with a virtuoso guitar performance and Tom Wagner’s double-bass drum pummel. There are several “monster ballads” on this album, but none with more projected emotion than “My Heart Is Bleeding,” the sort of song written to inspire gals in the front row to re-apply their lipstick and throw their bras on stage. There are a few distracting moments (the abrupt conclusion to “I Am,” the vocals so high in the mix in the gentler songs, dwarfing the impact of the guitars), but Meroe have impressively crafted a hard rock album with hooks and heart in less than a year’s time. This is a band with serious skill and determination, mining mainstream heavy metal and hard rock of the 80s for its best traits and cutting the excess fat away. I don’t always believe in pre-determined destiny, but maybe their second track does ring true: These guys were all “Born To Rock.”

Suite 524 is now available on iTunes, check them out now. Also follow all their news on this and future releases at their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Meroe4U

REVIEW: BEHOLD! THE MONOLITH - DEFENDER, REDEEMIST

Behold! The Monolith’s self-titled debut boasts one of my favorite album covers: A strangely cuddly axe-wielding warrior creature, equal thirds silverback Gorilla/Sasquatch/Wookie, triumphantly rides an armored red-eyed war-stag, roaring his intent to shampoo his fur with the blood of his enemies. I have no idea what that creature is, but it means business and it’s totally bad ass. Behold! The Monolith’s music is similarly difficult to identify, but why even bother when it leaves such a fun, playful, and dynamic impression? 

Defender, Redeemist may not have a cuddly barbarian on the cover, but it does feature a knight-steered space griffin and possesses a sense of adventure that evades most doom-centric bands. Sure, there are long passages that grunt forward like a zombified snail, but there are also flashes of thrash, dusty southern rock licks, and splashes of blackened sound that texture the album start to finish. “Halv King” pummels with a Motorhead-by-way-of-prehistoric hardcore sneer and album highlight “We Are the Worm” finds the mysterious middle-ground between High on Fire and ZZ Top and dances in that neutral territory with half of an opponent’s bleached skull fastened as a jock strap. After some way-groovy, spaced-out ambience “Redeemist” launches into a doom jam that just starts to overstay its welcome when the trio stomps into new territory with bluesy swagger, their beards most definitely swinging to the tasty metal licks before some haunting clean finger-picking and fuzzed out vocals lead you down yet another twisted, hidden path. It’s an ambitious, tenacious song that captures Behold! The Monolith’s essence in one burly, schizophrenic track.

The album ends without the same success, with three straight tracks that seem to linger without momentum. “Cast On The Black​/​Lamentor​/​Guided By The Southern Cross” follows the same basic structure as “Redeemist” but adds three minutes of running time that feel unwarranted. Despite a fantastic, melancholy riff and accompanying solo to end the track the song soon fades into silence and I’m left searching unsuccessfully for what happened in the first ten minutes. “Bull Colossi” also lurches forward without much passion, capping off a truly promising album with three straight songs I’m unwilling to dedicate nearly half an hour to again. Kevin McDade’s vocals suggest his throat has been shredded from a lifetime of eating porcupine quills and wolverine teeth. They are tough, raw, and the exact ballsy tone to complement their sound, from sludgy romps to trigger-happy bursts of speed. I am usually a bass freak who would sneak to a sound board and crank it past deafening, but the bass here  absolutely dwarfs the guitar until the six-string chimes in with a clean tone.

Despite my less-than-lukewarm take on Defender, Redeemist’s second half I still think it’s worth a listen, especially for fans of slow-born doom that feel like the world needs more song titles like “The Battle for Balls Deep.” At its heart this is feisty, loud rock music that chews on a good riff  longer than its last bite of chaw, just with a serious volume addiction and a vocalist that could make an entire field of caribou suffer heart arrest from a single roar. This Los Angeles band is worth your attention, let me make that clear. You may listen to the last three songs and admire the solid foundation of doom and feel there’s enough experimentation to keep your interest, I just felt a drop in energy, which to me is a cardinal sin when the track has a killer name like “Witch Hunt Supreme.” Nothing energizes me like the slaughter of innocent women over religiously-motivated false pretenses, and that’s probably why I started this blog to begin with.

The band has impressively sold out all CDs but stream their music here:  http://beholdthemonolith.bandcamp.com/

And check out their website:  http://www.beholdthemonolith.com