Monolithe has the honor (or disgrace, depending on how you look at it) of having two 5.0/5.0 albums in my book: Monolithe II and Monolithe III. Both are masterclasses in Funeral Doom. However, those days of ultra Doom are long gone, and now Monolithe has evolved to such an alienating degree that it feels almost unrecognizable. Yet, it’s still the band in Doom Metal that makes my blood flow the most, reminding me how infinitely insignificant our existence is in the vastness of the cosmos. You might not love every risky step it takes, but I find it refreshing that, despite working within such a focused framework, Monolithe always manages to surprise me. Will Black Hole District be the same?
I’m going to call this album Atmospheric Death Doom. In some ways, it’s not a shocker, since Monolithe has been hinting at this direction for years now, so I’m not really surprised. What I do find interesting, though, is how much Blade Runner influence is present here. From the opening moments of “They Wake Up at Dusk”, I can feel the deep inspiration of “Tears in the Rain”. There’s a recurring theme in Black Hole District: oblivion. Yes, there are some common post-apocalyptic tropes in the album (the moon crashing into Earth is really Zelda, just saying!), but I want to focus on the dread of being forgotten. We think a lot about death in Metal, but we rarely understand it in all its depth. In one way, everything will eventually return to nothing, and all memories will be lost in time like… tears in rain. Oh wow! I’ve gotten so dark today!
Now, onto the music. This is cosmological Death/Doom, so expect plenty of tempo changes, contemplative moments at every turn, and a guitar tone that is so unmistakably Monolithe—you hear it, and you know it’s that cold yet massive punch that engulfs you like a collapsing star. There are still plenty of sections that make you feel like this is an instrumental album, but don’t be fooled—Black Hole District plays with all sorts of vocals and narrative passages, and they weirdly fit, for once. I do have a few comments, though.
I’m an old Monolithe fan, and while I’m always open to whatever the band throws at me, I still long for the inaccessible, the horrifying darkness of the spaces it used to portray. There are incredibly strong tracks like “Sentience Amidst the Lights” and “Those Moments Lost in Time” (which is just gorgeous!), but there are also a handful of interludes that I’m not sure we needed. It’s strange—I loved all the active, anti-Funeral Doom parts, but the actual slow-burners pulled me out of the mood. Proof that we humans are unreliable at best.
I’ll keep following Monolithe. Not many bands have this level of commitment to their craft, while simultaneously daring to evolve their sound with every new release. For those of you who love tech-noir aesthetics, or those who didn’t even know this was what you were always looking for, then I’d say you’ve jumped into the black hole! Monolithe is a band with eras, and those always spark the best (and healthiest) discussions in our community, right? (sarcasm on…).
Label: Hammerheart Records
Release date: 15 November, 2024
Website: https://www.facebook.com/monolithedoom
Country: France
Score: The moon crushing all you ever loved, or 3.7/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 