Monolord Finish Recording New Album
Monolord are done recording their next album. The Gothenburg, Sweden, three-piece tracked their impending sixth full-length in Oregon with Sylvia Massey, whose decades-long career has seen her work with hundreds of acts, among them Tool, Green Jellö and Machines of Loving Grace, and with the mixing and mastering process presumably still ahead of them, a release in March or April doesn’t seem out of the question for what will almost certainly be one of 2026’s most anticipated heavy albums. I’m pretty sure they’re still on Relapse Records, but they mention ‘a new era of Monolord‘ below, so I’ll wait for a confirmation of what that means before I start any real rampant speculation.
Obviously, the prospect of a new Monolord release brings questions of where the band are at sound-wise. While known for and retaining a physically lumbering nod, there’s no question the trio of guitarist/vocalist Thomas V. Jäger, bassist Mika Häkki and drummer Esben Willems have grown more dynamic. “Empress Rising” might still finish out a set with all due steamroll, but the band have shown time and again that they have more to offer sound-wise. Their 2023 two-songer EP, It’s All the Same (review here), continued the band’s forays into psychedelia and post-heavy atmosphere-making, and to my remembering, this is the first time Monolord will have come back together to make an LP that all three members have active solo-projects under their respective names.
Monolord‘s most recent full-length is 2021’s stellar Your Time to Shine (review here), which you’ll find streaming below along with the 2023 EP. One looks forward hopefully to the dry sarcasm of what their next title might be. ‘I’d Rather Walk the Dog Than Tour This Record’ or some such.
Unlike mine, their announcement was short and sweet. From socials:
We have finished recording our new full-length album with the legendary Sylvia Massy in Ashland, Oregon!
Stay tuned in 2026 for a new era of Monolord…
Photo by James Rexroad.
Monolord are:
Thomas V Jäger – Guitars & vocals
Esben Willems – Drums
Mika Häkki – Bass
monolord.com
monolord.bandcamp.com
Instagram.com/monolordofficial
facebook.com/MonolordSweden
