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Rating: THE REVIEW
A senselessly chaotic noise. A cold, clear, bitter sound. An absolute battle between decadent melodies and noises produced by a "guitar?", not taking into account the apocalyptic, melodramatic lyrics; all strictly designed to embody a new synonym of pain, discomfort, hate: "Monolith".
The Amebix are born in Devon, an underrated English band known to a very small audience, mainly for having invented a way of being, more than a musical genre: Crust Punk. After ten years spent prophesying this genre, after meeting Jello Biafra, and after signing for Heavy Metal, the Amebix release their last official album, their swan song, and as the legend goes, the last song is always the most beautiful. "Monolith" is a straightforward and disarming message of existential pessimism, a complicated journey into the minds of these frustrated boys.
The album includes everything from a raw and no-frills post-punk to Thrash Metal alternations, "the influences of Metallica and Slayer are evident”. Each of these madmen demonstrates technical and compositional mastery and intelligence: the "baron" invokes icy bass lines, "the outbursts in Time Bomb and in The Power Remains are proof", and equally icy is Spider’s performance, "drums", leading up to Stig's surprising ability to create desolate but never pathetic melodies that don't require words: "Last Will and Testament, Fallen From Grace, Coming Home", but capable of transforming and exploding into a thousand moods from one moment to the next, turning his guitar into a relentless machine gun, irregular, bare, skeletal: "the wonderful contrast between ‘Monolith’ and 'Nobody's Driving', and the epic solo at the end of "Coming Home". All covered by the raspy voice of Rob Miller: an unthinkable mixture between the first Quorthon, Kilmister, and a very clumsy Cobain; a truly indecent thing, and at the same time, fascinatingly sick, a rusty music box.
Almost a call, "even if very remote", even more suffering and suffered, to Joy Division of "Closer" and "An Ideal For Living".
"Monolith" is an album that can neither be seen nor touched: a white flag.
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Summary by Bot
Amebix's Monolith is a chaotic yet masterful fusion of crust punk, post-punk, and thrash metal. The album's cold and bitter sound embodies existential pessimism and apocalyptic themes. The band demonstrates technical skill and intense emotion, making Monolith a powerful swan song. Memorable performances and comparisons to iconic artists underline its significance in underground punk history.
Amebix
Amebix are an English crust punk band formed in the late 1970s in Devon. They fused punk with metal and post-punk atmospheres, releasing Arise! and Monolith in the 1980s, then reforming in 2008 to issue Sonic Mass before disbanding again in 2012.04 Reviews
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