For all that the metal spectrum and related sounds have been hailed for over the years, there are still a few sounds out there that can often feel as though they aren’t getting the representation or credit that they deserve. Hardcore is effortlessly one of them as it definitely has metallic qualities, but it really does feel like it’s kind of put to the side by the metal underground at large despite the two crossing over in multiple instances to tremendous effect. It’s in such obscurity that we’re still able to bear witness to creations that can become really dark and twisted if approached with the right mindset. As the first part of an alleged trilogy of works to come out this year, Monolith starts down that path in earnest to results that are already titanic.

On its own, hardcore is nothing to be underestimated should it be crafted by hands that know it well. As such, when it’s combined with a flavor pulled right from the heart of the extreme metal underground and concocted with hands that know what they’re doing, I’ve yet to come across such a work that doesn’t warrant immediate further investigation. From the very onset, Monolith makes it clear with “Hornets Nest” that the title is very literal with there not being so much as a shred of a chance for survival if you’re entering the eviscerating record unprepared. This is music of an apocalypse the likes of which many seek to bring to the table with incredibly few able to come even close to such a vision as Monolith appears to do it without so much as breaking a sweat with every one of these nine tracks showing us how it’s done. Shoved into a runtime of less than twenty-three minutes, “Hornets Nest” uses every possible moment to throttle you, get under your skin, and burst outward with such a ferocious display of blood and raw power that one cannot help but be held in place by the sheer immensity of the work. This is a magnificently dark and homicidal experience that leaves nothing to chance with Monolith’s singular goal of bringing the listener face-to-face with the deepest depravities of what humanity has to offer easily met at every turn.

There are legions of albums across the underground that are not meant for the weak of heart, and this is undoubtedly one of them. What Monolith puts forth here cannot be considered as anything less than utterly primal and raw to the greatest extent with the very prospect of two follow-ups in the same spirit truly chilling. Wherever the future takes Monolith, it’s with all that’s been put forth in “Hornets Nest” that their power shouldn’t be questioned in the slightest.

“Hornets Nest” releases on March 22nd!

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