Humble rock‘n’roll made for beerheads who still guzzle at the fountain of Black Sabbath should never be underestimated. Straight outta Pittsburgh, Monolith Wielder favour the simplistic medley of doom and blues that summons the spirit of Down, Sabbath and Saint Vitus, which is perhaps surprising consider their drummer plays for ethereal jazzy prog-rock combo Mandrake Project.
But for every yin there is a yang and this four-piece are all about good times and nasty hangovers. While predictable, their eponymous debut is chock-a-block with upbeat tempos and downtuned Sabbathian menace. Show-off solos complement the man-sized stomp that effuses this record while Gero von Dehn croons like a hobo tanked up on cheap cider throughout. It’s not quite monolithic but it is rock solid.
