KRATON – Monolith
Independent Release | Post-Doom / Death Metal
There’s something uniquely visceral about music that feels like it’s dragging you, inch by inch, through the mud of your own subconscious. Kraton’s latest offering, Monolith, doesn’t just pull you under – it cements you there.
Emerging from the often-overlooked Luxembourg underground, Kraton have been honing their craft in the shadows. Monolith is the sound of that patient evolution erupting into a fully-realized identity – equal parts post-metal contemplation, funeral-doom despair, and guttural death metal catharsis.
The opening title track, “Monolith,” doesn’t waste time. It breathes heavy, brooding atmosphere from the first note, then hits with tectonic weight. Guitars churn like machinery built to dismantle cathedrals, while the vocals – a mix of cavernous growls and tortured screams – sound like they’ve been pulled from the depths of a personal hell.
KRATON is Post-Doom Metal
“Roaring Silence” is where things get truly bleak. It lingers in that Ampere-humming void between melody and menace. It’s reminiscent of the haunting slow-burn of Cult of Luna, but the tone is more feral, less celestial. There’s an overwhelming sense of dread here – not cinematic, but intimate, like a panic attack in slow motion.
Tracks like “Take No Comfort; There Is None” and “Curse This Mortal Coil” feel less like songs and more like rituals. The former builds from a dirge to a dissonant climax with militant precision, while the latter introduces a rare spoken-word section that feels more like a confession than performance. It’s uncomfortable – in the best way.
“Embrace the Void” might be the most complete synthesis of Kraton’s core influences. The tremolo-picked layers hint at black metal, but the pacing is classic doom: a slow-motion avalanche. Drums punch like funeral bells slamming shut, and the bass doesn’t just fill space – it haunts it.
Credit must be given to the production, which walks a fine line between clarity and grime. Everything sounds intentional. There’s room for the songs to breathe, but the air is thick with distortion and unease.
By the time closer “Omega” rolls in, you’re exhausted, but not quite ready for it to end. It doesn’t resolve so much as dissolve – fading out into the grey oblivion it came from, leaving behind a strange silence that feels like mourning.
Final Ruling
Kraton’s Monolith isn’t here to entertain – it’s here to confront. It asks you to sit with your demons, not escape them. This is not background music. It’s a full-body, emotional purge. A statement piece, a scar carved in sound.
For fans of Amenra, Pallbearer, Bell Witch, and the existential void.
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Favorite Tracks:
“Roaring Silence”
“Take No Comfort; There Is None”
“Embrace the Void”
