Album Review: Crypt Monarch – The Necronaut (Electric Valley Records)

Electric Valley Records presents Crypt Monarch’s debut LP, entitled The Necronaut; due out July 23rd digitally and on different variants of vinyl: Neon Green Splatter Black, Neon Pink, and Ultra LTD “Necro Edition”.

A 36-minute, 3 song monolith of séance infused riffage and fuzz-fueled grooves, this record chronicles the voyage of a dishonored king brought back from the dead to destroy its warlock’s enemies.

Dirty and rough, lumbering and oppressive, groovy and fuzzy… Crypt Monarch’s debut record is a memorable blend of doom and stoner. 3 tracks of teeth-aching fuzz and mind-altering heaviness. Each track is a gargantuan effort, where the darkness suffocates and touches of psychedelia makes it feel like you’re sinking slowly. The riffs chug along in the opening track Morning Star Through Skull but it’s the bass that really grips, deep and growling. It’s 15 minutes of excessive stoner heaviness that sounds suitably underground.

Rex Meridionalis is just as moody but with elements that come across more desperate. Most notably the echoing vocals layered throughout this doomy epic. It’s a bit of a mind-fuck as the tempo shifts creep up unexpectedly and before you know it, 10 minutes have just passed by in a blur.

Aglaophotis is the final track and keeps the focus on where it should be… the fuzzy riffs and deep, booming percussion. If your brain isn’t leaking out your ears already, it will be, come the end of this one. Crypt Monarch’s tale is expressed in a captivating way that skirts the doom/stoner line near-perfectly. Neither quite one thing or the other, what it is for sure, is a heavy and mind-numbing metal effort.

Crypt Monarch – The Necronaut Full Track Listing:

1. Morning Star Through Skull
2. Rex Meridionalis
2. Aglaophotis

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