MONOGONO — Amuk (review)

MONOGONO — Amuk album cover Album · 2007 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Amuk" is the debut full-length studio album by Portugese technical/progressive metal act Monogono. The album was released through Mother Should Know Records in March 2007. Monogono formed in 2002 in Setúbal and released the "Genesis" demo in 2005, before being signed for the release of "Amok".

Stylistically the material on "Amuk" is a brutal, technical, and bordering chaotic sounding metal style. The album features elements of mathcore, technical death metal, and progressive sludge (and the odd jazz/fusion influenced section here and there). All delivered in the most intense and caustic fashion you can imagine. Think of early Mastodon but much more crazy, brutal, and technical.

Don´t be fooled by the 2:00 minutes long instrumental piano intro, because right from the first second of "Remolding Steel", your ears are exposed to busy technical drumming, complex fast-paced guitars riffs, dissonance, creative song structures loaded with tempo changes, and a raw shouting/screaming vocalist, who sounds a little like a really pissed Max Cavalera (and the occassional melancholic monotone clean vocals). This is definitely not for the faint at heart, although the band do incorporate more atmospheric parts on the album too. Those work as short breathers...and believe me you´ll need them.

Monogono are incredibly well playing and especially drummer Gonçalo Santos deserves a mention for this performance on the album. Playing complex music like this and managing to make it groove and swing is no easy feat. The powerful, organic sounding production values also help enhance the listening experience, as it´s also detailed enough for you to be able to hear what all instruments are playing at all times.

"Amuk" is not exactly an album which invites you in, but rather the type of release which threatens to rip you face off if you get too close. Listeners interested in near chaotic sounding, extremely technical, and very brutal and aggressive metal, should find this album a treat. To those with a low threshold for stress...enter at your own risk. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Rot Stink Rip Death Metal
TOMBSTONER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Human Rosin Melodic Metalcore
HATE BREEDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Through The Hell Hardcore Punk
ENEMY 906
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lightmatter: Rebirth Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Eye Of Horus (Lightmatter EP Pt. 2) Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 4 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 4 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 4 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 5 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed