FIRST FULL-LENGTH ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS; “YOU BASTARD” OUT NOW

Photo credit: James Rexroad

Monolord return with Neverending, their first full-length album in five years, arriving May 29 via Relapse Records.

To create Neverending, Monolord decamped to Ashland, Oregon to record with legendary producer/engineer Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of a Down, and Johnny Cash). The collaboration began when Massy asked vocalist/guitarist Thomas Jäger to send everything the band had ever written. “She asked me to send her everything we had—not just songs written for the album, but every stray riff and idea,” he says. “I even sent her stuff I’d written ten years ago. She listened to all of it and sent us a list of what she wanted to work on.” The band rehearsed 12 songs, recorded 11, and ultimately selected eight for Neverending. The result captures a focused but expansive version of Monolord’s sound.

An introduction to the album comes with today’s release of “You Bastard” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-dfIpmX-xo), alongside a video by James Rexroad during the recording sessions. Driven by a propulsive groove, the track points to a shift in the band’s approach. “This isn’t really what people would call a doom album,” Jäger adds. “It feels like a mix of that and something new.”

Reflecting on the band’s trajectory since forming in 2013, drummer Esben Willems adds: “It’s been a wild ride and still is. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished along the way, and in many ways, this album feels like the essence of everything we’ve done so far. My mindset is the same it’s always been, to be the absolute best the three of us can be.”

Album pre-orders, including multiple limited-edition vinyl variants, CD and cassette, as well as digital pre-saves, are available now (https://www.relapse.com/pages/monolord-neverending).

Neverending album cover featuring a painting by M.K. Cooper

Neverending tracklisting:

• 1.    Iodine
• 2.    You Bastard
• 3.    Inside A Collider
• 4.    Crystal Bridge
• 5.    Oozing Wound
• 6.    The Masque
• 7.    Invisible
• 8.    It’s Neverending *

*-features vocals by Jörgen Sandström (ex-Entombed)

The band has simultaneously announced an expansion of their U.S. tour plans, adding a late Summer leg for the East Coast. Mizmor opens the Western U.S. dates, Khemmis opens on all Eastern U.S. dates with the exception of the Muddy Roots Festival. Tickets for all dates are on-sale now via Monolord.com.

Monolord U.S. tour dates:
Mizmor opens on all Western U.S. dates

• June 11 San Diego, CA Casbah
• June 12 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
• June 13 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
• June 14 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
• June 16 Eugene, OR John Henry’s
• June 17 Portland, OR Nova PDX
• June 18 Seattle, WA Substation
• June 19 Bellingham, WA Structures Brewing
• June 20 Tacoma, WA Airport Tavern Music Hall
• June 23 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
• June 24 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
• June 25  Las Vegas, NV Bizarre Bar
• June 26 Pioneertown, CA Pappy & Harriet’s
• June 27 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater

Khemmis opens on all Eastern U.S. dates

• August 27 Chicago, IL Thalia Hall
• August 28 Louisville, KY Portal
• August 29 Atlanta, GA Garden Club
• August 30 Asheville, NC Eulogy
• August 31 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
• September 2 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
• September 3 Brooklyn, NY Elsewhere
• September 5 Baltimore, MD Labor Daze
• September 6 Cookeville, TN Muddy Roots Festival
• September 8 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups
• September 9 Detroit, MI Sanctuary
• September 10 Indianapolis, IN Black Circle

European tour dates:

• May 28 Malmö, SE Plan B
• May 29 Stockholm, SE Slaktkyrkan
• May 30 Gothenburg, SE Monument
• July 30 Ghimbav, RO Rockstadt Extreme Festival
• August 7 Kortrijk, BE Alcatraz Festival
• October 6 Hamburg, DE Bahnhof Pauli
• October 7 Haarlem, NL Patronaat
• October 8 Eindhoven, NL Effenaar
• October 9 Sint-Niklaas, BE De Casino
• October 10 Paris, FR La Maroquinerie
• October 11 Nantes, FR Le Ferrailleur
• October 12 Toulouse, FR Le Rex
• October 13 Lyon, FR Jack Jack
• October 14 Aarau, CH KIFF
• October 15 Munich, DE Backstage
• October 16 Osnabrück, DE Bastard Club
• October 17 Cologne, DE Gebäude 9
• November 4 Copenhagen, DK Stengade
• November 5 Berlin, DE Columbia Theater
• November 6 Dresden, DE Beatpol
• November 7 Warsaw, PL Hydrozagadka
• November 8 Krakow, PL Hype Park
• November 9 Brno, CZ Kabinet Múz
• November 10 Budapest, HU Dürer Kert
• November 11 Vienna, AT Arena
• November 12 Zagreb, HR Vintage Industrial Bar
• November 13 Milan, IT Legend
• November 14 Bologna, IT FreakOut
• November 15 Karlsruhe, DE P8