Pyramid Mass – Monolith
Release Date: 20th January 2023
Label: Ossien Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Post Death, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal.
FFO: Cult of Luna, DVNE.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Members of the U.S. band Doubtfire decided to forge a more avant-garde offering as Pyramid Mass with their 2023 offering, Monolith, a 7 track LP that seeks to blend elements of death metal, hardcore, and progressive music. Overall, Monolith is satisfactory in blending genres, but ends up being holistically better than just an amalgam of styles, turning into something that is, ultimately, excellent to listen to. Further, the album art is spectacular in concept and composition. I hope that Pyramid Mass was thinking ahead when they selected it, as this appears to be an album that we will talk about in years to come.
I was immediately treated with a heaping helping of what sounds to me like a darker, slower version of Cult of Luna, which was excellent to my ears. There is a drafty, hollow sound to the overall tone, having big reverb and boomy-sounding guitars. The bass is often overdriven and chunky, but also switches to a cleaner sound for intense accents on most tracks (check out Track 1, Offerings). While we’re not necessarily trying to be copycats, it’s perfectly fine to take a style that is made unique by others and continue down their path, something that Pyramid Mass has achieved in Monolith.
The guitar section goes between the old-school, gritty U.S-inspired OSDM effect and transitions into a high-pitched, howling post-metal sound that just “kisses” into the melodic. By no means is this a melodic DM album, but the guitar work brings expressiveness and melodic accents which are generally extremely dynamic (see comment about being similar to Cult of Luna, who has mastered this dynamic).
While definitely not a “core” album, there are some absolutely filthy breakdown moments that accent the album in a positive way. There is a fabulous half-time pinch harmonic breakdown and reprise on Wars, which made me scrunch my face up with delight. The track Mutiny also features the same type of elements, something that ought to bridge the gap between people who enjoy breakdowns, and might even convert some of the purists into enjoying some absolute dynamic nastiness on a few, choice moments of Monolith.
I honestly was genuinely impressed with the overall album. I could see myself listening to it over and over, something I don’t think I’m alone in. If you’re a fan of good, sludgy death metal, progressive sludge (if there is such a thing), and bands like Cult of Luna, and DVNE, you’ll probably find this to be a damn good album. Mastered by James Plotkin, who’s worked with Sunn O))), it’s clear that heaviness, angst, and absolute dynamic chaos was the goal from the get-go. Pyramid Mass delivers that in spades. I believe this is going to be an album that I compare other offerings to.
(4.5 / 5)
