Nine albums and 17 years into their campaign, Tokyo’s Mono are showing no signs of slowing. Following 2014’s sprawling and ambitious double album ‘The Last Dawn/Rays Of Darkness’, the band have returned with another devastatingly human slice of post-rock brilliance.
There’s only one way you should really listen to ‘Requiem For Hell’: without any other distraction. Turn off your TV and put your phone on silent. Close the curtains and switch all the lights off. Make yourself comfortable by either sitting or lying down and put some good headphones on. Then close your eyes and press play. Let the album consume you. Let each wave of blistering feedback chill you to your very core and every harrowing passage melt into your ears.
Let the building intensity of ‘Death In Rebirth’ set your blood on fire and the delicately downtrodden piano and strings of ‘Stellar’ move your soul. Let the beautifully patient jingles of the title track entrap you before pushing you to the depths as it comes crashing down around you like a ton of bricks. Let the heartbreakingly tender lullaby of ‘Ely’s Heartbeat’ soothe your battered body before finally letting ‘The Last Scene’ lull you into a beautifully peaceful slumber. Then once it is over, slowly ease yourself back in to reality and notice how different you feel. How touched and how affected you are. Then repeat.
Music should always make you feel like this. It should have the power to build you up then tear you back down within the blink of an eye. To make you feel like you’ve never felt before. To illuminate every emotion you’ve ever summoned in a completely different light. Mono have built a career on crafting such music and ‘Requiem For Hell’ is no different. This is music in its purest form. Let it enfold you.
4.5/5
‘Requiem For Hell’ by Mono is released on October 14th on Temporary Residence.
Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)
