Mournument – Smouldering into Dust

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From Bandcamp, “MONUMENT started activities in 2021 after Niklas and A.P. met and discussed the creation of a new artistic vessel, considering some musical styles that has not been well explored in their home country Chile, taking aspects of the deepest and most emotional tunes of traditional Chilean folklore, combined with a Melancholic Doom Metal approach. After a few months of hard work, a full length album was created, and the experienced drummer C. Krono was recruited to complete the band’s line up. The album has six lengthy songs.

“On Rain and Thunder” is the first. Beginning with clean but somber acoustic guitars, the entering vocals are whispers in the wind. The sad violin notes help to tell the tale. Horrid harsh vocals follow, then lovely piano notes join the melancholy violin. Replaced again by a hardened riff and harsh vocals, it parades to closing. “Chasm of Abandoned Souls” sounds like the kind of place that you would never want to visit…a barren and desolate place full of constant screams. The opening tones are just as desolate, and also full of rage. The heavy riff plods forward with deadly purpose. It breaks at the half-way point, as the souls return to their cages, and the screaming subsides for a spell.

“Sea of Desperation” is a shorter offering, opening with clean guitars and some white noise in the background. Sober violin tones mix in with clean vocals in desperate sound, indeed. “A Funeral Poem” is a slow grind of clean and harsh vocals, as well as a trade-off of tones of aggression and tones of hopelessness. As the title suggests, it’s never easy writing something about a loved one who has departed. “Grey Was the Chant of My Endless Autumn” is as desperate a title as you could get. Although, endless autumn sounds good to this North American writer. Harsh tones lead the desolate sound. Many of the grey tones come in at the half-way mark, with acoustic guitars and whispered vocals marking the slow passage of time. The harsh tones return, with gut-wrenching vocals.

The short Rimü closes the album, and it’s a perfect ending to the misery and pain. Sweet but somber violin notes combine with acoustic guitars and melancholy vocals. This was an excellent album overall, and almost a Funeral Doom album if you are into labels. The desolate elements can be felt in your soul, and the anger reverberates across mountain ranges. The use of other instruments like violin and piano add layers to the sound. This is deeply contemplative music.

Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 8
Production: 8