In 2018, Long Island progressive death-metal band Monochromatic Black threw down the gauntlet with a video for their debut single, “The Herd,” announcing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. The following year, they released their first EP, Pneuma, to considerable acclaim: it’s an intense, versatile, and strikingly assured burst of brutality that hit like a progressive deathcore derecho and left me wanting more. Last fall’s full-length Vicissitude has scratched that itch for sure. Guitarists John Gribbin and Dan Rivera, bassist Arthur Erb, and drummer Eddie DeCesare build a majestic, ever-changing foundation atop which singer Tanya Beickert can stretch out, switching between deep growls, mountain-lion screams, ethereal clean vocals, and anything else a song’s atmosphere calls for. Monochromatic Black’s music maintains a tension between high-tech and primal while leaving room for windy, fatalistic romanticism—though they never allow it to linger for long.
With ten fierce tracks that bounce among styles—progressive and technical death metal, metalcore, hints of black metal—with remarkable ease and flexibility, Vicissitude proves that Pneuma was no fluke. The album’s confident power suggests that Monochromatic Black could be hugely influential in their genre for generations of bands to come. They’ve also released a 40-minute documentary about making the record, which provides insight into their writing process and the interpersonal, logistical, and musical challenges of recording during the pandemic—including laying down their parts separately without the benefit of their usual practice schedule. In the documentary, the band members are up-front about their mental state the past couple years, as well as the toll that being unable to play live has taken. Nearly every member has lost someone close to them since the pandemic began, and they tell touching stories of how grief and loss fuel their music. The way Monochromatic Black powered through the pain and put out an impressive first full-length under these conditions bodes well for their ability to handle whatever the future throws at them.
Monochromatic Black, Orinoco, Deaf Ear, Enox, Lost In The Current, Thu 1/27, 7 PM, Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland, $12, 17+
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