EP REVIEW: It’s All The Same – Monolord

Swedish doom heavyweights MONOLORD have been throwing their fuzz-drenched riffs around for the last decade. The band’s notable motto is “No Espresso, No Show” (a reference to their love of coffee), and since 2021 they’ve been quiet, so it’s probably safe to assume there wasn’t enough coffee. Now they return with It’s All The Same, a crushing two-track EP which is filled with  premium, rich, fuzzy riffs just like a fine Colombian coffee blend. 

Coffee aside, It’s All The Same moves on from the band’s last album Your Time To Shine by somehow becoming more fuzz-drenched and eerily ghostly. Across the two tracks is a heavily  eerie and melancholic vibe, Thomas Jäger’s (guitar, vocals) signature ethereal vocals float gracefully over a cacophony of thunderous riffing. Alongside dynamics that erratically shift or even out, It’s All The Same shows why MONOLORD are held in high regard and remain an incredibly intriguing musical entity. 

The booming opening salvos of Glaive (It’s All The Same) damn near crack your skull with their tumultuous bass distortion. The song itself has a waltzing feel to it, which certainly goes against the run of play when it comes to doom but MONOLORD are masters at pushing the boundaries and this groove gives the song a strangely mystical quality, more so when it transitions between sections. The Only Road meanwhile is a heavy, fuzz-drenched monolith, intense and loaded with melancholy which sees MONOLORD go heavier than they’ve gone for a while.

Despite being only two songs, there is plenty in It’s All The Same to keep you entertained. Layers of exquisite riffs and melancholic doom that would be a perfect soundtrack to a walk through the streets at dusk looking up at the stars whilst contemplating the complexity of life. MONOLORD have triumphantly returned with two skull-splittingiy heavy tracks that leave you wanting more. 

Rating: 9/10

It’s All The Same is set for release on September 8th via Relapse Records.

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