“We’re not going to hold back from you discovering your new favorite band. Behold! Monolord.” Decibel Magazine
“Remember that time you drove your battered old VW out into the woods, took an unfeasible amount of peyote and listened to nothing but Sleep, Ufomammut and YOB for four days straight? No? Well, this is going to trigger one hell of a flashback.” Terrorizer
“No shit guitar solos, no questionable vocals, just relentlessly heavy riffs generated by this newly formed monolithic Swedish trio. Love their name, sound and heavyweight approach.” The Bug
Initially formed as a side project in 2013 out of the ashes of Swedish bands Marulk and Rotten Sound – comprising of guitar player and vocalist Thomas Jäger, drummer Esben Willems and bassist Mika Häkki – Monolord emerged as one of 2014’s heaviest, loudest and best-loved breakout bands.
So for those left dumbfounded by the heady mix of mania and tinnitus that came free with the Gothenburg trio’s impressive debut album, the suggestion that this year could see an improvement of any kind might seem impossible to believe. Empress Rising was not just lauded over; many believed it raised the bar for the genre with its doom-metal powered by psychedelic grooves, immense heaviness and cosmic cohesion marking it out instantly for cult classic status. Voted number one doom release of 2014 by CVLT Nation it also featured in countless end of year lists (Metal Sucks, New Noise Magazine, Heavy Planet and Vinyl Factory to name a few); “This is a record no doom devotee can afford to miss, laying out a veritable smorgasbord of great riffs and electrifying moments. Remember the name.” (Rock-A-Rolla)
This April however Monolord return to unleash Vænir. Named after the biggest lake in Sweden, the overall effect of this eagerly awaited album can only be described as vast. Colossal in fact, with the only true metric of certainty being at forty-eight minutes long, across six epic tracks (including the recently released single ‘Cursing The One’) Vænir has the power to level everything it its path.
Vænir by Monolord will be released on 28th April 2015 via RidingEasy Records. For fans looking to experience the sheer power of the band live, Monolord take to the road this February across Europe with fellow Swedes and RidingEasy label mates Salem’s Pot. (See dates below.)
Tour Dates:
Feb 18th – KB18 (Copenhagen, Denmark) Feb 19th – Kufa Löseke (Hildesheim, Germany) Feb 20th – Merleyn (Nijmegen, Netherlands) Feb 21st – Vera (Groningen, Netherlands) Feb 22nd – Het Bos (Antwerpen, Belgium) Feb 24th – The Library (Leeds, UK) Feb 25th – The Black Heart (London, UK) Feb 26th – Glazart (Paris, France) Feb 27th – Heretic Club (Bordeaux, France) Feb 28th – Sala Sonora (Erandio, Spain) Mar 1st – Wurlitzer Ballroom (Madrid, Spain) Mar 2nd – RockSound (Barcelona, Spain) Mar 3rd – The Black Sheep (Montpellier, France) Mar 5th – Arena (Vienna, Austria) Mar 6th – P.M.K. (Innsbruck, Austria) Mar 7th – TBA (Munich, Germany) Mar 8th – Alma (Leipzig, Germany) Mar 21st – Kulturhuset Bastionen (Uddevalla, Sweden) Apr 9th – Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) Apr 10th – Crystal (Berlin, Germany) Jul 10th – Lo-Fi (Milan, Italy) Jul 11th – Stick And Stone Fest (Nikolsdorf, Austria) Aug 14th – Leper Hardcore Fest (Leper, Belgium)
Bandcamp – monolord.bandcamp.com
Facebook – facebook.com/monolordsweden
Twitter – twitter.com/MonolordSweden
Instagram – Instagram.com/monolordofficial