These fresh faced Brightonians bring a new visceral energy and a strong voice to an already flourishing UK rock scene. Whilst pulling inspiration from more experienced minds they have been moulding their own sound in their relatively short history rightfully creating much excitement. So much so they have been picked up by Lockjaw Records to release this new EP.
‘The Wild Hunt’ sets the scene for El Moono’s new era with a wall of disconcerting wailing noise. Sinister times are a brewing as tension sets it as ‘Final Execution’ kicks in. The use of loud-quiet-loud dynamic well used here to fantastic effect. The explosive riffs explode alongside vocalist, Zac Jackson’s, roar which is simply obliterating. The variety of heavy influences are presented with melodies Thrice Black Peaks and Sugar Horse fans would pine over which roll into a doom, sludge driven deafening close.
Added elements which knit the tracks together as ‘Requiem’ starts are evidence that the quartet are already thinking about how to intelligently build a record rather than just lay out individual tracks. For the listener this makes repeated listens a joy as electronics weave their way through the cacophony of riffs and drums throughout.
‘Requiem’ also showcases Zac’s fine vocals which are fierce, full of pain and anger. His lyrics throughout range from chronic illness, depression, and societal corruption. The band do not shy away from standing in solidarity with those going through challenging times. Evident again with their inclusion on Lockjaw’s Black Lives Matter compilation last year. The track dissipates into whispers before exploding again with accomplished riffs for such a relatively young band.
Single ‘Forced to Smile’ and ‘Miseria’ do not let up. Heavy hooks galore and a beautiful intensity that only settles briefly for ‘Splitting the Atom’, an instrumental piano led breather. Closer ‘White Gold’ eerily reminiscent of Chris Cornell and Soundgarden. A call out of the injustices that are endemic in our society. A powerful finish to a stunning effort.
After the untimely disbanding of the aforementioned legends that were Black Peaks, El Moono hopefully will continue to fill that seaside shaped hole in the heavy music scene. Part of putting their own stamp on the music world has been not only the music the write but the process. The hard work and fine tuning will hopefully continue and help them grow and garner further support over time.