“Would you be proud to call this your home?”
The UK metal scene right now is as strong as it’s ever been. While classic bands like Bring Me The Horizon and Architects continue to push boundaries and maintain dominance on the charts, it’s the relatively smaller acts like Loathe, Sleep Token and Static Dress that define the newest generation for me. That’s where El Moono come in. Hailing from Brighton, while this four-piece are certainly part of the UK scene – having toured with the likes of Black Peaks, Phoxjaw and more, their sound is far from typical, even considering the broad sound of the UK scene at large.
True opener “Final Execution” and following track “Requiem” exemplify that sentiment right out of the gate. While containing elements of metalcore typical in the UK scene right now, with their monstrous breakdowns and wild screamed vocals, the doom- and post-metal edge El Moono employ carves them an incredibly unique path. With vocal influences seeming to range from the bombastic rage of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato to the serene beauty of Deftones’ Chino Moreno, vocalist/guitarist Zac Jackson is a frontman with character and range, which is apparent from the jump on Temple Corrupted.
This is all not to mention the brooding, oppressive atmosphere emanating from these tracks. Across this album’s five tracks (not including the introductory and interlude tracks), El Moono craft an eerie haze through the use of ambient guitar, synth and vocal work to build an acutely unsettling level of ambience. The crunchy guitar tone, percussive drums and piercing screams across Temple Corrupted leave a lasting impression with their unique and incredibly emotive nature.
Closer “White Gold” closes out Temple Corrupted in appropriate fashion. A droney, crunchy affair; “White Gold” stands out as embodying both the most unsettling and gorgeous elements of Temple Corrupted. The highly emotive, melodic vocal performance is contrasted by the sludgy, noisey and downtempo instrumental. There are moments of equally serene beauty within the instrumentals here too through its quieter moments, but I feel that the oppressive, droney sound of this gargantuan closer exemplify everything I love in El Moono’s sound on this EP.
The UK scene is alive and as varied as it’s ever been right now, and El Moono are evidence that there’s always more space to grow. One of the most unique EPs I’ve heard in recent times, Temple Corrupted’s brooding, sludgy, doom-metal atmosphere carves out a unique niche for El Moono within the UK metal world. While I felt having both an introductory and an interlude track on an EP of this length felt fairly unnecessary, the rest of what’s on display on Temple Corrupted is simply stellar. Temple Corrupted will be available this Friday via Lockjaw Records, and you can pre-order the EP here.
9/10