Monastery Dead are yet another hidden treasure of the Russian underground. Originating from Saint Petersburg, they’ve been active since 2004, and with ‘Ego Sum Dolor’ they unveil their fourth album after a nine-year gap.
It’s a merciless slice of Russian Death Metal: thick, hard-charging riffs, blasting drums, and an icy, hostile aura—relentless in pace and honed to a brutal edge, clearly the product of an extended writing process. Like many modern Death Metal acts, they draw on major influences from around the world. The foundation is firmly old-school Death Metal, but Monastery Dead elevate the technical intricacy in key moments so the songs avoid sounding rudimentary. Primitive rhythmic drive and furious musicianship coexist without either undermining the other.
That doesn’t mean they play technical Death Metal. The vocals are cavernous, guttural growls; while some singers enunciate more clearly, these are entirely effective and fit the music perfectly. For a Death Metal band, the lyrics are unusually well-considered, tackling themes like global industries and digital revolutions—naturally through a suitably rotten lens.
Unsurprisingly, the music itself is deeply tormented, vicious, and punishing on multiple fronts. At the same time, the production channels it with sharp definition and distinct instrumental separation, without surrendering the music’s often crushing power.
What may surprise you is how far this is from dreary, depressive, or Doom-drenched. It’s an explosive, dizzying spectacle.
The finely tuned clarity of the mix propels the darting, delirious riff-frenzies and the screaming contortions of the leads, making them feel even more unhinged and searing, while the turbulent bass and ferocious percussion land with plundering force. That same clarity also highlights the performers’ eye-popping technical ability and the intricately mapped songwriting.
In sum, this is contemporary Death Metal. The album will likely resonate with fans of old-school Suffocation, Immolation, Pestilence, and other bands that fuse technical command and intricacy with uncompromising savagery.
