MUSIC REVIEW: MONSTRO - 'MONSTRO'

A Pure Rock Debut that References the Classics & Establishes Unique Force

By: Andrew Shaw

September 8, 2011

(Vagrant Records) MonstrO, the self-titled debut album from the pure rock quartet, takes a lot of definition because, whilst it's a straight-forward rock offering honorably observing the unspoken rules of genre, it's also a work of unadulterated originality and volume. From a band formed back in 2009 by former Bloodsimple members -- bassist Kyle Sanders and drummer Bevan Davies, with recruited Juan Montoya on guitars and Charlie Suarez bringing in vocals -- the sound is one of men who have been together for much longer than they have. A finer testimony to the chemistry of the band and their ability to get the job done is that this debut was recorded in only 14 days.

Name-checking influences Metallica, Jane's Addiction, Led Zepplin, and Black Sabbath, the band express just whose bloodlines they're interested in tracing and the kind of music they intended to capture so that it “reminded them of their heroes without blatant imitation.” The sound of MonstrO the band is one of hybrid influences, so whilst there is truth and emulation, there is also a unique approach of musicians that are so tight, they can cut loose.

With William Duvall of Alice in Chains in the production booth, you can guess at which directions your ears are to be pulled in. Duvall's ability to add salty crunch in a discordant guitar, or to enhance textures of something at full volume, is the kind of work only achieved by a man who has lived, breathed, and ingested rock for a long time. This isn't just the work of a musician-turned-producer who is careful with personal and shared expressions. Duvall's approach is masterful. Without being over-fussy, attention is paid to details as parts of the larger whole. Each individual song holds a variety of textures, and there's a strong continuity within contrasting sounds, so the entire collection is charged by a unifying bunch of alternating currents. What happens is a naturally clever establishment of the MonstrO sound. The band has lucked out with a sympathetic producer with such an excellent resume and confident brand of humility that knows how to condense so much action into a relatively small space.

All but one of the ten tracks are presented with minimal but highly suggestive, one-word titles. There is a tendency toward Greek archetypes: “Olympia,” “Helios,” “Apollo.” You could make a strong argument for naming tracks that conjure the classics, but there is also a leaning toward modern pop culture with “Stallone” -- a track that wails like a beautiful frenzy of fists and determination. “Fall through the ropes and it's over,” repeats Suarez as guitars counter and dance about the ring. There is weight, grace, and excellent footwork here. Lyrical narrative may rely a little more on audience association, but each new twist of phrase lands a connecting punch. Accuracy is measured by the magic between drums and bass. If Rocky isn't a heroic cultural archetype as strong and defining as the Greek counterparts, who is? This isn't just about the fight; this is as much about getting up, brushing yourself off, and recovering the win.

Opening track “Fantasma” explodes from the traps. This isn't so much blistering as deep burn. A driven tempo tears through and separates meat from the bone. Sonically, something unusual happens, as if all the furniture in a house has been stacked on top of itself, but with the smallest items at the bottom of the pile. It seems as if everything MonstrO needs to expel has been poured out in a mad assault of promised potency. This is the first song on a debut album, and the intention is to land as much weight as possible within only two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. They pull it off.

“Anchors Up!” -- the second track -- tells of tumultuous seas. Lyrically, the crew is braced for hell, and progress thrashes anyone within earshot. The driven pulse grows in depth and rolls even harder, with even more weight. Dynamics from the running order may suggest a progression of moods in the recording studio, or how the band imagines a live set-list shaping up. Shifting emphasis whilst alternating the responsibilities of different instruments lends to a feeling of constant assault. This isn't an explicit element to the dynamism; it's subtle, it hangs in the undercurrent, more or less, and it's good gear. You will want to hear this stuff live in one of those venues where your breath drips back on you from the ceiling above.

A moment of sustained reflection comes in “Elizabeth” -- a spaced-out, airier passage that's sort of psychedelic but also very straight-forward. Here Charlie Suarez has time to open his voice beyond volume and into a deeper expression of character, rather than the simple characteristics that sometimes trap the rock singer. Any weakness in the vocalist's album performance would be stripped naked in a track like this. This is a vulnerable moment, not in terms of sentimentality, but in terms of being parred down to the essential. Again, like elsewhere on the album, Suarez knows balance and the tipping point of the track. He takes words to all the right places to make them his own.

MonstrO is one of those albums that's almost but not quite a crossover, since its heart is too pure to compromise. However, it will attract newcomers to genre, there will be fans from other schools who, listening with open ears, will allow themselves to be drawn in. There is quality that recognizes quality, and there is style that expresses something beyond fashion.

What MonstrO have here is a bit of a beast which may well need a bigger harness than they first imagined.

Standout Tracks: “Stallone,” “Anchors Up!"

For Fans Of: Blood Simple, Danzig, Colormusic, Alice in Chains