A year and a half after enlisting vocal powerhouse Andy Cizek on vocals after the departure of mainstay Chris Baretto, Monuments have returned swinging, packing a monumentally heavy punch with their new single, Deadnest.
I’ll admit, I had my reservations going into this. Albeit while it was quite hard not to get excited upon the single’s announcement, last year’s Animus–while still being quite a fun, techy, and catchy tune–failed to quite check all the boxes of what I personally look for in a Monuments jam. It’s a pretty nice track, but it lacked that iconic Monuments chunk for me. So, colour me relieved when I have all of my reservations immediately dispelled, as Deadnest comes out of the gate with that signature djenty goodness that I’ve come to love the band so much for over the years without a second’s notice. It’s a wonderful cold open, and a bold statement of intent for the track to open this explosively. The massive, intricate riff work from John Browne & Olly Steele here feel so quintessentially Monuments from the jump, while Cizek’s vocal performance sees him fit neatly and seem right at home in the band, much more so than with Animus. More on him in a bit, he’s a real standout.
The production has also seen a notable touch-up from Animus, with every instrument hitting that perfect, balanced sweet spot of grit and smoothness, with an overall sense of clarity to the mix that really helps every individual performance pop. There’s a distinct low-end presence on this track that really helps drive home the chunky riffs and groovy drumwork. It’s flawless djent production, all in all, no other way to describe it.
The chunk isn’t the only weapon in Monuments’ arsenal with Deadnest, though. The gargantuan chorus on this thing reminds me more of a latter-day Elitist than Monuments in all honesty, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. Infectious, impactful, and extremely fun; it manages to keep the flow of an otherwise considerably heavy affair going with ease, which is not an easy feat given the tonal shift between it and the verses. I can with certainty say the cleaner sections of this song are some of my favourites this band has ever penned, feeling just as grandiose as you’d hope and expect from a Cizek-led track, if you’re familiar with his work up to now. His full range is at play here, too. From the grittiest guttural growls, to the highest soaring cleans; Deadnest at times feels like Cizek at his best, flexing his abilities to the audience and earning his place in the group with his otherworldly vocal talent. It really feels like he was allowed to play around with this a lot more than with Animus, and he truly made this song his own.
Overall, this track surpassed my expectations and dispelled any of the minor concerns I had following Animus. I knew Cizek would come into his own with Monuments in time, but I didn’t expect it to be quite this fast, or quite this good. Deadnest is an essential listen for any djent or metalcore fan.
Deadnest is now streaming on Century Media, listen here.