Band: MONARCH
Country: France
Title: Sabbat Noir
Label: Zanjeer Zani Productions
Year: 2019
Style: Drone Doom Sludge

Review:
Initially released in 2010 by the short-lived Australian label Heathen Skulls, and apparently quickly sold out, the fifth album from French Doomsters Monarch is now re-released on cassette, vinyl and digipak CD by Zanjeer Zani, a Necrocosm division. Monarch have eight albums underbelt by now and are quite known in the Drone Doom area, so I guess this re-release will please their followers even though it features only one track and clocks only 29 minutes of playing time. To call this "la quintessence of Extreme Doom" as the label does presenting the album, is a bit too much; it is, indeed, Extreme Doom, but to call it the quintessence is way too bold. As an outsider of this whole Drone Doom thing it's hard for me to get into it the whole time, and to be frank most of the time I find it quite boring, but around the 13th minute, when Eurogirl's screams and moans kick in somewhere in the distant background things get more interesting and it seems there's more consistence on the guitar work as well, but even then parts get repeated to a point you start wondering if they did this just to stretch the track. The atmosphere in the second part is oppressive, depressive and even scary at times, but unfortunately the first part killed it all for me. 
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10

Contact:
monarchuberalles.bandcamp.com
zanjeerzaniproductions.com