The debut by Finnish trio Monsternaut is actually a compilation of their two previous eps. These nine songs provide the stoner rockers among us with a decent overview of what these guys have been doing since the band was formed in 2012. They play straight forward rock 'n roll with plenty of fuzz and plenty of energy to get even the most stoned people in the crowd shaking their asses. 'Dog Down', 'Caravan' and 'Mean Machine' are pretty heavy rockers, and their not the only ones.
Lou Reed and Ian Curtis often come to mind when I listen to the vocals. I can't help but think they these people have had some kind of influence on Monsternaut. Not only in the vocal range but also in some quite Velvet Underground-reminding vocal lines. That being said, there seems to be a nag for noise rock, grunge and sludge as well. Take the song 'Mexico' for example. That one could have been a song by any of your favorite sludge doom bands.
And what about ZZ Top? Well, that might have been exaggerated a little but still, there's something blues rocky about some of these songs. And since we're throwing genres around, basically, this is pure punk rock, pure, harsh, immersive and fuzzed-out punk rock 'n roll. It makes me curious about what's next for this trio. After all, these are older songs and we rockers always want new stuff. But for now, this will definitely satisfy your stoner punk needs...
​Serge