Review: Monomorte – 'The Three Mothers'

MONOMORTE
'The Three Mothers'
SELF-RELEASED

Danny Ryder AKA, Monomorte, returns with a new EP sure to appeal to fans of witch house. The Liverpool-based producer has crafted some wonderfully unique releases in recent years including 'Ad Extremvm', 'Coven XXIII', and 'Douosvavvm' which have explored genres such as chillwave, ambient, old school house, trip hop and industrial to create a take on the witch house sound that is accessible, enjoyable and most importantly high quality music.

'The Three Mothers' is the latest EP outing from Monomorte and immediately dives straight in with some dark and spooky ambience permeated by a simple and addictive beat which harks back to the sound on 'Ad Extremvum', but with a noticeable improvement in quality. 'My Mirrors Are Black' follows with a more club-orientated feel to inject some energy into the release; complete with a steady dance beat, ebm style synth bass and near trance-like lead occasionally rearing up it has undeniable dance potential. The final cut on the EP is the dark ambient leaning 'The Men' which incorporates a little bit of the witch house sound but until about the halfway point where the beat kicks in it keeps the subtle. It is however one of the most stunning tracks from this artist to date and the stand-out on this EP.

In terms of production this release continues the upwards trend that Ryder has shown with every bit of output. The quality is excellent, the songs – even the more club-friendly 'My Mirrors Are Black' have and airy feel to them that lets each element shine through with ease.

'The Three Mothers' is a very, very strong release from Ryder. Its a shame it only features three tracks as it leaves you hungry for more. It shows Ryder continueing to develop and improve his take on the witch house sound, and as a result raise the quality for others to aspire to. Let's hope a full-length release is on the cards soon.  

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Review: Monomorte – 'Douosvavm'

MONOMORTE
'Douosvavm'
SELF-RELEASED

It's been a while since the last outing in 2013 with 'Coven XXIII', but UK witch house artist Dan Dellamorte has returned with a brand new Monomorte EP just in time for Halloween. The 'Douosvavm' EP features three tracks of dark, witchy electronics that touch on ambient, old school house, trip hop and industrial elements complete with classic horror movie samples liberally spread throughout. It is just what the doctor ordered for the Halloween party season.

Opening with 'Cuore Oscuro' with it's simple but classic rhythms and ambient drones, Dellamorte amps up the sinister atmospheres from the off. Completed by Vincent Price's Satanic speeches from the classic 'The Masque Of The Red Death', it gives it a dark but somewhat tongue in cheek vibe perfect for the time of year.

'Ligeia' features the unmistakable Christopher Lee's invocation from 'The Devil Rides Out' in pride of place. But it is the barely audible vocals that kick in a little later in conjunction with the light an lush synths that gives this track it's atmosphere.

'The Ruler Of This Realm Was Seen...' closes the EP in a more overtly dark ambient style. The central rhythms are reminiscent of early Enigma but the half whispered chanting ever present in the background gives the song an uneasy sense of threat about it.

The production is very nice on here. There are a lot of witch house associated acts that revel more than necessary in the low-fi vibe of the genre. But 'Douosvavm' has a nice balance between the polish the final product should have and the fundamental grittiness of the songs.

This is a nice (and free) EP that continues on from where Monomorte left of with 'Coven XXIII'. It's an EP that will appeal not only appeal to witch house fans, but also to dark ambient and dark electro fans as well. Hopefully we'll be hearing more from Monomorte sooner rather than later.  

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Review: Monomorte – 'Ad Extremvm'

MONOMORTE 

'Ad Extremvm' 

SELF-RELEASED 

Solo post-industrial and witch house influenced act Monomorte has already got two EPs to its name in the form of 'coven 23' and 'dead things shouldn't play with children'. Completing the trilogy is 'Ad Extremvm', focussing heavily on the ambient and ritualistic side of the witch house spectrum. The EP is subtle and layered with hushed, almost subliminal vocals and mechanical rhythms owing much to down-tempo electronica.

The EP is introduced with a short crescendo before revealing the stuttering rhythms, semi-distant vocals and hanging synths of 'Caedo' for a somewhat trip-hop opener. The track list then veers into more dark ambient territory with the likes of 'Lacerandvm' and 'Reptilis Oscvlcm' sounding in particular as though they should have been included in the Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines soundtrack. 'Daemon Fvtvo' brings in the trippy occult samples and repetitive but toe-tapping beats for a groovy entrancing track. The EP then finishes with 'Dedisco', evokes the likes of Apex Twin's ambient works with it's sinister mechanical rhythm and swirling noise juxtaposed by a simple ambient melody.

'Ad Extremvm' is a very nicely produced package. Subtle, retrained and with plenty of attention given to details it is a perfectly formed package. The production is clear and fresh and the mix makes good use of the vocals to add extra ambience.

This is a very promising act that has the capacity to both create infectious beat-orientated electronica as well as immersible ambient. For fans of witch house, dark ambient and post-industrial, Monomorte is going to be a name to keep an eye on.

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