Well, this is rather impressive. Monsters is only the first full-length release from Russian post-black metal band L’Homme Absurde but it definitely sounds more impressive and together than a lot of releases by bands that have been established for years! Originally a one-man project, L’Homme Absurde soon morphed into a full band and put out a self-titled demo before recording this, their debut album.
It’s almost difficult to succinctly sum up exactly how stunning Monsters really is, as the eight tracks it features really tick all the right boxes and are exceptionally strong – there’s no real ‘highlight’ of the album as the songs are all good in their own way and flow well from one to the next. It’s impressive, to say the least.
Everything about the musical delivery just works. The vocals fit well to the music, giving a succinct and punchy snarl atop of the instrumentation, and there’s a good balance between heaviness and melody – sixth track Strayed is an especially good example like this, with a softer, gentler approach in the middle of the song juxtaposing well against the more in-your-face delivery in the other parts.
If you like your post-black metal, then I can guarantee you’ll love this – but in all honesty, if you’re simply a fan of well-written and presented music, then Monsters is an album you can’t afford to miss.
10/10
Gave it a listen not too long ago. An impressive release.