Dead Monuments "Scars Of My Mind" CD

Relased in jewelcase with 8-pages booklet limited to 300 copies

It's fair to say that Garazel is entering the new year with a bang. One of the label's new releases is the second album by Dead Monuments, whose debut was a strong entry into the Polish scene. I'm only surprised that it went somewhat unnoticed. Perhaps "Scars of My Mind" will change things. Especially since the already high standard of "Dead Monuments" has been surpassed here, and decisively so. The band's style hasn't changed. It's a direct extension of the themes from "Dead Monuments," a direct tribute to second-wave Nordic black metal. One could toss around names at random. Among the most audible influences, I'd mention early Mayhem, Dodheimsgard from the time of the first album, Zyklon B, and early Gorgoroth. Such lists are probably pointless, though, as I'm convinced that Dead Monuments are perfectly aware that their music isn't original. It's not meant to be. It's meant to contain, and it does contain, everything that made the genre so great in the 1990s. The greatest strength of these recordings is that you won't find a single ounce of direct borrowing, just original interpretations of now-classic bands. We're drowning in icy riffing, usually at a faster tempo (though "I am the Scar," which appears halfway through the album, is a clear exception to the rule) with somewhat bucket-like drums in the background. The sound of this album is, for me, almost perfect. It's like a basement, yet nothing escapes our attention. In fact, this material sounds as if it was recorded in the very period from which the authors draw inspiration. But back to the music itself. I'll say that such damn sentimental harmonies are hard to find, especially considering the very strong competition in this field. Each track here is a small leap back to the glory days of the genre. The vocal lines are also very good, in which a rough, classic scream sometimes leads dialogues with screams in a purer register. And to conclude, or for dessert, if you prefer, we have a cover of Arkona from the second album in the form of "Nieśmierszenia Uciskalna Droga do Gwiazd" (Extremely Difficult Road to the Stars) and "Odwieczna Niemoc w Poszukiwaniu" (Eternal Impotence in Searching) Truth Hidden on the Poles of Fear…" The whole thing is a phenomenal listen, and with each subsequent listen, I'm less and less inclined to put the album back on the shelf. With releases of this caliber, I regret that there are only twenty-four hours in a day, because I'd love to listen to "Scars of My Mind" endlessly. Anyone who ignored Dead Monuments' debut, or wasn't entirely convinced by it, should check out these six tracks immediately and put ashes on their heads. Because this is the highest league of Polish black metal!

Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=Kd4dXeWA7yg&t=711s