UMUR "Black Swan Annihilation" is the 13th full-length studio album by New Zealand based metal act Monsterworks. The album was released through Eat Lead and Die in June 2016. It´s the successor to "The Existential Codex" from 2015. Monsterworks were formed in 1996 and have been quite prolific in their output rate since then.

The music on "Black Swan Annihilation" is a combination of many musical styles and it´s actually a bit hard to describe. The instrumental part of the music features quite a few 70s heavy rock/metal elements, stoner rock/metal elements, progressive rock elements, and some thrash and death metal elements too (the material is generally greatly dynamic). The vocals on the album vary between growling vocals and clean male vocals. Both vocal styles are delivered with conviction and skill. The eclectic nature of the material makes "Black Swan Annihilation" a relatively challenging listen, although it´s not inaccessible in any way. The tracks just take a while to settle, and the listener´s ears/brain may also need some time to accept the combination of musical styles.

The album is relatively well produced although I could have wished for a little more bottom. The bass is not always audible in the mix. The musicianship is strong and Monsterworks are obviously a band who are out to challenge themselves and their audience, which always deserve praise. Personally "Black Swan Annihilation" leaves me a bit biased as I greatly respect the album as an adventurous experiment, but the material on the 7 track, 38:12 minutes long album, don´t really stick. It´s enjoyable while it plays though and I´m kept on my toes throughout the playing time, but the album could generally have prospered from a few more recognisable hooks and memorable moments. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

J-Man The prominence of religious lyrical content in metal music is truly staggering - the amount of Christian metal bands is enough to warrant an entire genre tag, black metal is notorious for including Satanic lyrics, and most metal bands have at least dabbled in the topic of religion (from a positive and negative perspective). But rather than spend their time worshipping Satan, praising God, or openly criticizing organized religion, Monsterworks takes a more unique lyrical approach with The God Album. On this album they discuss the socio-political side effects of holding beliefs in the supernatural (particularly through religion), and also intend on making the listener question the source of what they believe. Topics like this are ones that I can't get enough of - and I applaud Monsterworks for bringing such terrific ideas to music. The God Album is pretty damn good musically as well; Monsterworks has been around for a while now (this is their seventh full-length album), so they have honed their craft over time. Though far from flawless, this is an intriguing modern thrash album that fans of the genre should look into.

Monsterworks plays a style of modern thrash/groove metal on this album. Think somewhere between Metallica, Alice In Chains, and Meshuggah. The vocals add an interesting extra dimension to the music - the mix of growls, screams, and clean vocals give the album a unique modern edge. My favorite song here is probably the very Metallica-influenced "Origin", but most of the songs are memorable in some sort. I'm not a big fan of "Everything You Believe Is A Lie", but it's still a solid track. The musicianship and production are both of high-quality and very professional as well.

The God Album isn't the most groundbreaking album you'll hear this year, but it's a damn fine modern thrash album worthy of 3.5 stars. The musicianship is great, the production is powerful, the compositions are (usually) memorable, and the lyrics are extremely thought-provoking. The controversial lyrical topics hear may turn some listeners away from The God Album, but that's probably the best part of the album. Monsterworks has done a great job with this album - fans of modern thrash/groove metal should take notice!

The Block Everything you believe is…a lie!

“This work is not about God. It is a criticism of the socio-political system which is a consequence of having belief in a supernatural being, namely: religion… If this set of songs achieves anything the hope is that it will make the listener question the source of whatever belief they have in order to feel comfortable with what they include and, most importantly, not to be afraid of that conclusion.”

Reading that, most people would expect a very heavy and dark, depressing feel to this album, but in all reality it is relatively light sounding. While it does have its heavier moments, there are some very excellent songs on “The God Album” that are softer, namely “(Hymn of) Fire”, in parts, and well that’s it. The one thing that this album lacks is some originality. Granted, it is very creative, but most of the songs sound the same and lack difference. But other than that, this album is very solid and enjoyable in parts. The guitars, played by Jon are very good, especially in the rhythmic sections, and on the occasional solo. His guitar skills also nicely compliment his vocals nicely like on the track “The Enemy of My Enemy”. One problem I have on this one, though, is that the vocals seem to be a bit rushed and hurried. Also, while on the topic of vocals, I would like to point out that his growls are much better than his screams. Showing off a bit of talent, Jon also travels into the clean vocal range, something you don’t hear everyday in thrash metal. These vocals are probably my favorite of all his since they fit down right in with the guitar and bass.

The drummer, James, on this album is also very worthy of mention for his consistency throughout the whole album. Of the songs on the album the one that showcases his skill the most would probably be “False Miracle” because, after a very good, but short slow acoustic section he quickly switches up the tempo and it turns it into a good death/ thrash song. There are some low points on this album that almost turned me completely off of it, though. Namely the first track, “Everything You Believe is a Lie”, which is very clichéd and completely unoriginal in the beginning. The opening line is song kind of acapella and states, most surprisingly, “Everything you believe is… a lie!” Thankfully the rest of the album makes up for this one bad part, and it turns into a very enjoyable album.

The production on “The God Album” is standard, but good and compliments the album nicely.

Overall, minus a few mishaps, this is a very good album by thrash veterans Monsterworks. Though only 30 some minutes it gets the point across and delivers a nice sound for listeners. One thing I will say is that the messages on this album might offend some people, but most will be able to pass by them. For a good release, Monsterworks gets 3 stars for their newest album.