The sheer variety of doom metal has always been a factor that has kept me coming back time after time, year after year. It’s the perfect embodiment of why metal is such a magnificent creation to begin with, and it’s only with the modern state of the style that we’re able to really see the full spectrum of doom in its entirety. From the fuzzy and mid-paced to the most soul-consuming of funeral doom, there truly is something for everybody with any kind of itch. There is no shortage of bands that dare to take that to its limits with whatever material that they dish out, but it’s not often enough that we see a frenetic and dynamic creation of the sound that manages to work the different approaches into quality performances. Yet, that didn’t stop Bog Monkey from doing just that.

Out of the gate, it doesn’t take a scientist to tell that Bog Monkey’s particular brand of doom metal is one that definitely strays into the more frivolous ends of what the sound is capable of thematically, and while that all is still done quite well throughout the whole of “Hollow”, it is the raw sense of musicianship and high capacity to bring it all together that gets me going more than anything else about the record. An intense creation that certainly defies much of what many would associate with the world of doom, the grooves, the attitude, and the talent of “Hollow” is not to be denied as Bog Monkey not only proves itself to be a daunting force right from the beginning, but a flavorfully dynamic one that is just as fun as it is organic. This is doom metal that refuses to sit in one place, obtain moss over time, and become a staggering creation. Rather, Bog Monkey goes out of their way to allow their music to take the form of much what you see on the cover: an odd sight by all accounts but one that is more than capable of lively movements while simultaneously proving to be capable of what one would normally expect from the genre. Between nearly 9-minute closer to the energetic riffs that dance across the tracklist, “Hollow” is a bold effort that has more than enough for us to dive into, marvel at every given morsel, and lose ourselves in every riff that Bog Monkey throws your way at a break-neck pace.

Heaviness comes in several different forms nowadays, that much is obvious. What isn’t obvious is how we’re able to constantly it all brought together in such a capacity that not only leaves us bewildered but viciously entertained should we simply be lucky enough to find the right material from the right bands. By all intents and purposes, Bog Monkey has proven itself to be more than the right act with the future of this particular bog looking magnificent, indeed.

LISTEN to “Hollow” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Bog Monkey on Facebook here.