French sci-fi doom metallers Monolithe maintained a certain level of anonymity in their early years, with the band’s first four albums all being single-track, hour-long, progressive concepts designed for the listener’s personal enjoyment. But soon after this, they dabbled in material of shorter length, which led the band’s mastermind Sylvain Bégot to reinvent Monolithe as a fully operational live band. They have since played some blistering shows, many of which have been on high profile European festivals.
The band’s latest record, Nebula Septem, is their seventh, seven track, seven-minute-per-song, number seven-themed album. It has earned them a great deal more successful live gigs during the past year, including a tour in Japan.
A live album is naturally the next logical step in the their ongoing career, and the first of its kind for Monolithe. From Equinox to Solstice was recorded May 6, 2018, at a private gig at Les Feux de Beltane in Brittany, France. It features some of the best tracks from Nebula Septem and some abridged versions of earlier songs, including Monolithe‘s very first record, Monolithe I. Here is the full track list:
“Coil Shaped Volution”
“Delta Scuti”
“Ecumenopolis” (edit)
“Engineering the Rip”
“Burst in the Event Horizon”
“Monolithe I” (edit)
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until early next year for the album’s release. But this is not the only recent piece of good news from the Monolithe camp; they also announced that their eighth studio album will be recorded in 2019, and is set for release in 2020. The future’s bright…or dark, depending on how deep in space you are.
From Equinox to Solstice will be released on CD and digital on January 7, 2019. It will also be available at all five Japan live shows which commence in October. In the meantime, to hear more of Monolithe, check out their Spotify and Bandcamp pages as well as their Youtube Channel. For merch, tour dates, and other news, visit the official Monolithe Facebook and Tumblr pages.
