ALBUM REVIEW: In Stasis – Monuments

After well over a decade of existence MONUMENTS has a reputation for being unputdownable. They have a unrelenting heaviness in their progressive style, but with their leanings towards melody and perhaps more accessible clean vocals and hooks, they are one of the strongest modern progressive bands going. With another line-up change in the way of vocals from Andy Cizek and returning drummer Mike Malyan, the stage was all set for the triumphant fourth record In Stasis.

In Stasis is everything MONUMENTS fans have enjoyed about their previous body of work, but it’s clear that there’s been a shift in the overall method to making this record. The way that the songs pull in certain directions has such a proficiency to it, that nothing feels forced. While their previous material has huge prowess and immense musicality, it’s clear that this isn’t an instrumental record that has a song shoehorned over it. Instead, the way the vocals and instrumentals gel together feels very fluid and fun.

Having been teased with the likes of Lavos last year, the collaboration with Mick Gordon appears to have been a subtle and energizing one. Throughout the record, the positive influence seems sprinkled, allowing the band to explore different sounds and styles, giving them permission to mess around and have fun. In Stasis feels like MONUMENTS have come to a peak of what they can be. Rather than taking a stomp forward, no looking back approach, they deftly manage to weave the best of their past into what became their future sound.

There are some absolutely phenomenal moments on this record, like the mesmerising Cardinal Red, where Andy Cizek’s vocals take on a completely unreal level, changing and morphing into such varied ranges. Likewise, Opiate has an unusual amount of what might be described as ‘down time’, wherein the music has enough time to simmer before unleashing itself again. So too does The Cimmerian, where the dynamic and rhythmic changes are aplenty, and all which feel like they serve the song.

Thinking on how MOUNMENTS have shifted their collaborative mindset to a slightly more fluid way of pulling the songs together, there’s a clear unity within the band that feels like everyone was not only having fun, but taking the experience of writing the record as an energising, healing experience for the band through both personal experiences, and through the rough few years we’ve all endured globally. It’s a record that feels heavy, but in a cathartic way that is willing to play and be creative.

There are so many moments that feel like MOUMENTS are really allowed to breathe on this record; that everything flows in one movement, rather than ever feeling like a colossal instrumental with a song somewhere in it. While MONUMENTS have proven themselves as top of their class in progressive metal for years, In Stasis feels like a brand new chapter wherein both the old and the new can coincide within their ranks to great a band greater than the sum of its parts.

Rating: 9/10

In Stasis is set for release on April 15th via Century Media Records. 

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