It’s been in the past year, give it or take a few months, that I’ve found myself seemingly swamped by the likes of death/doom and all that the style has to offer nowadays, and I’m very okay with the fact that it’s still going strong. But, it should be said that while each band I’ve heard has brought something excellent to the table none of them have really tried to be incredibly different in any way other than just being good. So, bringing a few new flavors to the mix really made Monumentum Damnati stand out like few others with their upcoming effort.

When you’re death/doom has a dreary atmosphere and a solid amount of heaviness, there really isn’t anything you can do to make your material sound bad unless you’re trying to do it on purpose. But, instead of relying too much on those elements and risking making something hollow or even run-of-the-mill, it’s with “In the Tomb of a Forgotten King” that Monumentum Damnati delivers symphonic elements and even a gothic tone to their brand of death/doom that makes every one of these tracks interesting to listen to from beginning to end. It adds so much flavor and intrigue to the mix that would otherwise leave “In the Tomb of a Forgotten King” in the dust of the many other works of the style that have been coming out at a steady pace. Each song has gripping songwriting that’s always paired with tantalizing symphonies intertwined with plenty of gothic elements that all come together surprisingly well such that I’m still impressed that Monumentum Damnati was able to bring it forth to make it all actually work as one cohesive piece that doesn’t disappoint. On top of the quality that permeates every moment that we’re treated to here, there really isn’t much that Monumentum Damnati does that doesn’t hit home and they keep the momentum going all the way to the end in spectacular fashion.

Just a little bit of flair done with even a little bit of expertise can be enough to bring any work back from the brink of failure or even obscurity, and it’s here with “In the Tomb of a Forgotten King” that this band gives us a fantastic example of just how well that can be done. So much of what Monumentum Damnati does here is performed surprisingly well, and I wouldn’t put much past this band after seeing them balance a ton to make for a truly interesting listen.

“In the Tomb of a Forgotten King” releases on March 30th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “In the Tomb of a Forgotten King” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Monumentum Damnati on Facebook here.