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Monks of Mellonwah

Turn the People

Written by: BV on 07/03/2014 21:47:08

Okay, let me start off by admitting to this: I have not been a stable follower of Monks of Mellonwah’s various exploits since their inception in 2009. As a matter of fact, I only started getting into the “Ghost Stories” EP a few months back. Nonetheless, the disturbingly cool artwork for their debut album “Turn the People” had me fascinated to the point where I almost felt obligated to give it a shot – so I did.

Much to my surprise, “Turn the People” opens with a few familiar tunes from “Ghost Stories” – namely; “Ghost Stories – Intro”, “Ghost Stories” and “Vanity” which essentially put me in a familiar state of mind at these very important opening minutes of their debut full length. Ironically, the familiar grace of these tracks will also stand out as highlights of the album, as they are incredibly focused and feel genuinely worked through. However, as the album progresses through and beyond the surprisingly catchy, yet not entirely convincing, indie-rock track “Tear Your Hate Apart” I perpetually get the feeling that something is missing. - Something vital that leaves “Tear Your Hate Apart” to be the peak of the album.

With “Downfall”, the album ironically begins to approach a decline in quality. Or is it really a decline in quality? - Hard to tell, since the album has a massive load of individual sounds that come off as distinctly cool. What seems off is the mixing and mastering of these otherwise cool sounds. The cool guitar riff instantly stands out as a qualitative factor of “Downfall” but the strange mix leaves the vocals standing completely off and alone – even when faced with the backing vocals which provide an otherwise awesome, spacious feeling to the track. Given a proper sounding mixing, it might not have felt entirely off but the track is, nonetheless, increasingly tough to get through due to those consistently annoying factors.

It’s sad really, as Monks of Mellonwah otherwise seem to nail that grandiose, almost orchestral rock sound reminiscent of Muse – coupled with the slightly stadium-oriented Red Hot Chili Peppers moments and the eclectic experimentalism of John Frusciante’s solo-work. I hate to admit it, but it would seem to me that Monks of Mellonwah still lack the surplus of energy that it takes to make 45 minutes of material sound great and truly stand out. They’ve got it down on their EP’s and they are in fact extraordinarily skilled musicians – but they just aren’t interesting enough to really carry their own weight throughout a 45 minute album just yet, it would seem.

Download: Tear Your Hate Apart, Ghost Stories
For the fans of: Muse, John Frusciante, These Reigning Days
Listen: Facebook

Release date 07.03.2014
Gatcome Music