Monks of Mellonwah ‘Turn the People’

 

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#939 in the series) is Monks of Mellonwah, Turn the People

Sydney, Australia’s Monks of Mellonwah released their debut full-length Turn The People back in March and it’s certainly worth a listen.

For all fans of Nine Inch Nails’ style of industrial rock, Satriani-esque guitar weavings and lyrical meditations on an existential theme, the Monks bring a late 90s vibe with 2014 relevance. At first listen, a trip through the album feels a bit like you’re caught up in a plot from the Fast and Furious franchise – you’re speeding through a European capital in the middle of the night, cars whizzing as you enter a tunnel riddled with strobe lights en route to the next clandestine rendezvous. The music appears to take on more life in this potential fantasy world: where it lacks in depth in the daylight, it finds its full purpose in the brooding undertones of night.

The NIN influence shows up most prominently in the lead single “Tear Your Hate Apart.” (The title even sounds like it was lifted from a lost Reznor lyric book.) With a driving metallic staccato guitar riff, vocal and harmonies that hearken Emery from a decade prior (no screaming though), and plenty of yearning, this should hold the attention of both angst-filled teens and pensive thirtysomethings alike.

Lest you think that everything they do sounds like it should have peaked 15 years ago, they bring in a cutting edge electronica vibe as well, and haunting vocals at times that do betray the members’ contemporary consciousness and status. Steampunk drums and incisive shards of guitar come together in a futuristic-but-rooted mélange of melancholy alt-rock and epic soundtrack-ready melodies.

I wager in a year or two they’ll be on tour with Imagine Dragons or Muse – MoM would certainly open, not close – but they would entertain nonetheless.

They’ve already made the rounds in both the US and Asia, playing world famous clubs such as the Whisky a Go Go, the Mercury Lounge in NYC and Sydney’s Metro theater.  Grab a copy of Turn the People from iTunes, your local record shop or a their website by clicking HERE 

 – Robin Crocker, Portland Oregon, USA 

Personnel

• Vikram Kaushik – Vocals
• Joe de la Hoyde – Guitar, Backing Vocals
• John de la Hoyde – Bass
• Josh Baissari – Drums

Track Listing

1. Ghost Stories (Intro)
2. Ghost Stories
3. Vanity
4. Tear Your Hate Apart
5. Pulse
6. Alive for a Minute
7. Escaping Alcatraz
8. Sailing Stories
9. Turn the People
10. Downfall
11. Afraid to Die
12. I Belong to You
13. Sky and the Dark Night – Part II – Control