EP REVIEW: The Monolith Sessions – Tuskar

Eleven months after the release of Milton Keynes’ TUSKAR’s EP The Tide, Beneath, The Wall, fans would likely have been hoping for the release of something new. While 2019 brings no news of any further music, live EP Monolith Sessions does promise one new track alongside two singles (The Tide, Beneath) from their 2018 studio release.

For early listeners of the band this may seem repetitive so shortly after the release of The Tide…, but this live session present an opportunity to hear the two piece at their best – raw, loud and reaching depths of noise beyond their previous studio recordings.

Those who have had the pleasure watching the duo in the flesh will immediately recognise the intensity and ferocity so clearly on display in this recording, while any fans yet to experience a TUSKAR gig are welcomed to enjoy the sonic assault from the comfort of their sofa, bed or bus seat by producer Steve Sears (GALLOWS, ROLO TOMASSI) who superbly captures the sludge band’s live sound at Monolithic Studios in North London.

New song Into The Sea provides a less interesting blend to its companions – a more straightforward thrashing five minutes that shouts aggression from the outset with a second half of neck aching riffs, but lacking the hefty doom of The Tide or the grasping, drawing vocals of Beneath. Unlikely to disappoint, it is widely bookended by previously releases stronger tracks.

TUSKAR‘s chemistry and joint influences (CONAN, SLEEP, BEHEMOTH) are notable throughout The Monolith Sessions, from the doom-laden instrumental of The Tide through to the rumbling breathless crescendo of Beneath, and the thematic efforts of the duo continue to cement them as one of the key sludge bands to watch for 2020.

Rating: 7/10 

The Monolith Sessions is out now via Riff Rock Records.

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