Photo credit: Josefine Larsson
Monolord, “the towering doom trio that’s torn its way through the international heavy-music circuit over the last several years” (Bandcamp), return with their enthusiastically-awaited fifth album, Your Time To Shine, on Oct. 29 via Relapse Records.
A preview of the 5-song, 39-minute collection, which was recorded by drummer Esben Willems in his newly founded recording space, Studio Beserk, arrives today via the soaring, fist-raising album opener, “The Weary”. “’The Weary’ is us telling a story to future generations that we are sorry but we fucked it all up,” explains guitar player Thomas Jäger.
Never ones to shy away from sharp social commentary, whether it’s about the global climate crisis, the destructive nature of religion, or the isolation endured during the pandemic, Willems says of the new collection: “To me, it’s an honest representation of how I feel about the current state of humanity.”
Musically, the album sees the Swedish trio cultivating the elements that take their monstrous, heavy riffing to new heights with a darker edge. A five-track journey that spans across crushing doom rock to more spacey, groove laden opuses, Your Time to Shine is Monolord at their most unfiltered and focused.
Your Time To Shine tracklist:
- The Weary
- To Each Their Own
- I’ll Be Damned
- Your Time To Shine
- The Siren Of Yersinia
Your Time To Shine pre-orders are available now (physical & digital). The album is available in the following formats: standard vinyl (Kelly green), CD, cassette, and digitally, as well as a smörgåsbord of limited-edition vinyl variants:
Deluxe versions (available exclusively via Relapse.com):
· Deluxe mail order version (white, brown and olive green merge with splatter including a specially designed stand up church cutout display piece, and a high-quality Zippo lighter with screen print. 100 available)
· Deluxe mail order version (100 available – highlighter yellow/orange krush/highlighter yellow three color striped with splatter including a specially designed stand up church cutout display piece, and a high-quality Zippo lighter with screen print. 100 available)
· Deluxe mail order version (butterfly with splatter – 200 available)
Relapse.com exclusives:
· Grey inside clear with rainbow splatter – 300 available
· Yellow and mustard merge – 500 available
· Milky clear with brown, mustard and orange splatter – 500 available
Monolord.com exclusive:
· Olive green – 100 available
Retail exclusives:
· Mustard yellow – 200 available via Rough Trade UK
· Milky clear – 200 available, Swedish indie record store exclusive
· Grey – 300 available, UK indie record store exclusive
· Brown – 300 available, German indie record store exclusive
· Neon Orange – 500 available, North American indie record store exclusive
Monolord has simultaneously announced a U.S. tour, with the coast-to-coast run kicking off on March 3. The dates (listed below) are on-sale today at 10 am pacific/1 pm eastern with all performances supported by Firebreather. A European trek is slated for this November with Blackwater Holylight opening those dates.
Monolord tour dates:
November 6 Mexico City, MX Hipnosis Festival
November 18 Oberhausen, DE Kulttempel
November 19 Utrecht, NL dB’S SOLD OUT
November 20 Nijmegen, NL Doornroosje
November 22 Bristol, UK Exchange
November 24 London, UK The Underworld
November 25 Manchester, UK Soup
November 26 Dunkerque, FR 4 Ecluses
November 27 Paris, FR Petit Bain
November 28 Toulouse, FR Rex
November 30 Madrid, SP Caracol
December 1 Barcelona, SP Bóveda
December 2 Annecy, FR Le Brise Glace
December 3 Aarau, CH KIFF
December 4 Vienna, AT Arena
December 5 Dresden, DE Chemiefabrik
December 6 Berlin, DE Zukunft am Ostkreuz
December 7 Hamburg, DE Bahnhof St. Pauli
December 8 Copenhagen, DK Spillestedet Stengade
December 9 Gothenburg, SE Pustervik
December 10 Stockholm, SE Debaser
December 11 Malmö, SE Babel
December 12 Oslo, NO Youngs
March 3 Berkeley, CA Cornerstone
March 4 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
March 5 Portland, OR Dante’s
March 6 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
March 8 Salt Lake City, UT Metro
March 9 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
March 11 Chicago, IL Reggies
March 12 Detroit, MI Sanctuary
March 13 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
March 15 Boston, MA Sonia
March 16 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
March 17 Philadelphia, PA Underground
March 18 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop
March 19 Indianapolis, IN Black Circle
March 20 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone
March 21 New Orleans, LA Gasa Gasa
March 22 Austin, TX Mohawk
March 23 Denton, TX Thin Line Fest
March 25 Phoenix, AZ Rebel Lounge
March 26 San Diego, CA Brick by Brick
March 27 Los Angeles, CA Teragram
Firebreather opens on all North American dates, Blackwater Holylight opens on all European dates.
Formed in Gothenburg in 2013, Monolord quickly burst onto the scene releasing three critically-acclaimed full-lengths in a four year span (Empress Rising, Vænir and Rust) on RidingEasy Records all while touring relentlessly around the globe. The band made their Relapse Records debut, unveiling the transcendent No Comfort in late 2019. Monolord is a rare breed: A band both encompassing and transcending genre; a vortex of heavy rock density that consumes all others. The band’s enveloping, syrupy sludge is a state of mind, with guitarist/vocalist Thomas Jäger, drummer Esben Willems and bassist Mika Häkki create a massive, dynamic sound with ultra-low frequencies serving as its fourth member.
