Monkeypriest – The Psalm (2011) [Feretro] // Grade: B+

Where do I begin with Monkeypriest? The last I heard from them was their first EP entitled Defending The Tree and I was not into it at all. The main reason I like doom metal, well good doom metal, is the power that’s inherent in the genre. I want fierce drums, heavy riffs and some damn strong vocals. Maybe my disdain for Defending The Tree was accentuated after hearing their newest release The Psalm. After sitting through this heavy-as-fuck rain of power, Defending The Tree seems like it may have just been a bit of musical foreplay.

“Hanuman’s Dance” becons to the gods. The elder ones who created the Earth. This precession of percussions and muddy riffage opens up the book that is The Psalm. It’s all instrumental, with simple drum rolls and head-dropping breaks. “The Word Of The Priest” begins with a war drum. Slow and steady riffs overlay and finally the doom and gloom sets in. Quickly the pace picks up and we’re introduced to Monkeypriest#1 and Monkeypriest#2′s vocals. How killer is that? They’ve reduced themselves to numbers. This track is Sabbath worship if I’ve ever heard it but the vocals and production are fucking killer.

With quite a few tracks hovering around the 7-minute mark, it allows for them to pack a lot in each cut. “The Psalm” begins like the others with a slow and heavy intro before opening into a doom ceremony. Here come the chugging beats and breaks. At this point, Monkeypriest is dabbling in hardcore of the 90′s but even slower. The Monkeypriest’s vocals are back and meaner than ever. Here’s where the track gets trippy. What exactly are they playing? Thrash? Hardcore? Doom? I have no fucking idea but I love it all. Towards the end, they go off the Neurosis end of the pool and some blast beats enter. What the fuck is this shit?

Back to the spacey, Nordic-influenced area of doom metal. “Involution” slows things down after the barrage of blast beats and this gives the listener a time to relax a bit. But just as expected, the riffs and symbols clash, giving The Psalm an almost predictable formula, which is my only critique with the album. It’s very formulaic and predictable not in the sound, or mixes of sounds but in the execution (slow intro : experimentation – heavy lyrics: picked-up pace : end). Now I know that’s a picky critique but it’s a valid point. What threw me a much-needed curveball was “Feast Of The Fools”. It’s a Cerebral Fix cover. Welcome dark lord! Welcome the sinister vocals and pure fucking evil sound!

With two tracks to go, “Capharnaum” follows the same suit as other tracks. It’s still a fucking killer tune. To pick up where “Involution” left off is the 10-minute juggernaut, “Our Kingdom”. I think this track and its predecessor are my favorites on the album. In the end, Spanish doom-metallers Monkeypriest deliver a highly-addictive album with The Psalm. It’s worth the rotation and I’d buy their album if I were a vinyl junkie. Their production screams the need for vinyl. Pick this one up for sure.

- Prolly