There are records that set out to reinvent heavy music, and then there are records like this one, which seem to know perfectly well that sometimes the best thing to do is just plug in, turn up and get on with flattening everything in sight.
Finnish trio Monsternaut have been at this a while now. Formed back in 2012 by guitarist Tuomas Heiskanen and bassist Perttu Härkönen, they’ve already built a decent body of work with their self-titled debut and 2018’s “Enter the Storm”, and they’ve backed it up by getting out on the road in Europe and even over to the States. That live-band pedigree matters here, because “Approaching Doom” sounds like a record made by three people who trust performance, chemistry and the power of a riff over studio trickery. Recorded entirely on analog tape, with no digital editing, it has the kind of feel that a lot of modern heavy records can only dream of.
And right from “Cold” you can hear it. There’s a very pleasing old-school metal stomp about the opener, but also a rawness that stops it ever sounding like cosplay. It lurches and pounds in exactly the right way, setting the tone for a record that is absolutely more interested in weight than polish. “Evicted” follows it with the same straight-to-the-point intent, the sort of song that doesn’t mess about because it knows there’s another riff coming in a second that is worth your attention.
The title track, “Approaching Doom”, is where the proto-metal spirit really starts to take hold. It is harsh and abrasive, and when they’re talking about scorching the earth they sound like they mean every last word of it. If this album has a mission statement, it is probably somewhere in here. Then “Drain” underlines that this is, above all else, a riffs record. Big, thick grooves are the order of the day, and there are moments here that carry the same kind of blunt-force power early Soundgarden used to summon up when they wanted to make the room shake.
“Black Blizzard” might not win points for sophistication, but honestly, who cares? What it lacks in finesse it more than makes up for in sheer intent, and that counts for plenty when the objective is to leave a dent. “New Order of Bliss” understands another fundamental truth too: sometimes what you need is a proper headbang, no more and no less, and Monsternaut are not about to overcomplicate that.
By the time “Human Stew” rolls around, the horizon is black and the whole thing is slung low, dragging itself along with the kind of menace that stoner metal and classic doom have always done so well. “Demon Strikes” then brings a real sense of glee in the lead guitar, and you can instantly imagine this one going down a storm in a sweaty room somewhere. It feels built for that.
“Heavy Monday” is where the Sabbath influence comes bursting forth, not hidden, not disguised, but worn proudly. And closing cut “Final Pain” sounds like it could have come out at any point since Tony Iommi sliced his finger off about three miles from where I’m sitting. More importantly, it sounds like it belongs in that lineage. That’s the key. This doesn’t feel like borrowed history. It feels like a band that understands what makes this stuff work and has decided to honour it by playing it properly.
Notable producer and engineer Anssi Kippo, whose CV includes work with Children of Bodom, added his expertise to the sessions, but the real triumph of “Approaching Doom” is that it never feels overworked. Monsternaut keep it loud, tight and direct, exactly as they should.
This is never going to win prizes for originality, but originality is overrated anyway. What matters is whether the thing lands, whether the riffs bite, whether the groove carries weight, whether the songs make you want to nod your head until your neck gives up. On that score, “Approaching Doom” does the job and then some.
Simply put, this is metal to its last breath.
RATING 8/10
