Be prepared for 35 minutes of ruthless and crushing music offered by a German act that has all it takes to become the next big name in the underground Death Metal scene.

It brings me a lot of joy to see that one of the first independent acts reviewed at The Headbanging Moose over three years ago has kept growing as a band since then, evolving to a much stronger, thrilling and boisterous entity through the years. The band in question goes by the imposing name of Misanthrope Monarch, who after the release of their self-titled mini-album in 2014 are finally back with their first full-length installment, the bold, technical and absolutely devastating Regress To The Saturnine Chapter. It doesn’t matter if you like a more modern and technical version of Death Metal or that traditional old school havoc brought forth by bands such as Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, as Misanthrope Monarch offers you all of that and more during the album’s 35 minutes of extreme brutality.

Supported by the Wacken Foundation and featuring a menacing artwork by the band’s ex-guitarist Chris Salmen (Combat Colour) as well as Sami Yli-Sirniö of Kreator as a guest guitarist, Regress To The Saturnine Chapter is the epitome of European underground Death Metal, not only representing to perfection what this Oberhausen-based quintet is all about, but also what you can expect from any other German band that knows how to beautifully blend the gore and heaviness of Death Metal with tons of melody and devotion to extreme music. Furthermore, the album also marks the debut of lead singer Cristoph “Chris” Mieves, a Death Metal bulldozer who also growls like a beast for German acts Grind Inc. and Resurrected, and if you know those bands I’m sure you have a very good idea of how savage the music by Misanthrope Monarch shall sound now.

The short, dissonant intro Towards The Utopian Kingdom Of Fire warns the listener there’s a first-class metal tempest coming entitled Usurping The Throne, where drummer Max Scheefeldt decimates his drum set while Chris provides those old school Death Metal deep guttural, menacing growls we all love in this type of music, not to mention the song’s insane main riff and the kick-ass solo by guest musician Sami Yli-Sirniö. Put differently, this is an absolutely fantastic display of what Misanthrope Monarch are capable of doing, pumping us all up for a lot more of their crushing Death Metal, which is what we end up getting in Crushing The Unbeliever, a re-recording from their 2014 mini-album (you can check the original version HERE). The bands gives a new shape and form to the song, with the new version sounding more destructive due to the cavernous screams by Chris. Moreover, the guitar duo comprised of Kristian Gøbels and Richie Zubek will burn your ears and pierce your mind with their lancinating riffs. And the insanely heavy and thrilling The Brotherhood Of Destruction has the perfect name for the chaotic music presented, sounding old school and modern at the same time. Furthermore, if you love the music by Cannibal Corpse you’ll have a blast with the infernal gnarls by Chris and the rhythmic and precise drumming by Max, as well as the intricate bass lines à la Alex Webster by Pat Fleischmann.

In the next track, titled Dispelled, metallic guitars and bass pound our heads violently, while Chris keeps vociferating like a demonic creature. Kristian and Richie bring a lot of melody to the musicality with their solos, never letting the energy level go down. The title-track Regress To The Saturnine Chapter is amazingly brutal and obscure, presenting a more progressive side of the band, in special the intricacy brought forth by Pat and Max on bass and drums respectively; whereas Father Sin And The Hollow Spirit is the second old song to be redesigned (enjoy the original version HERE). I personally love both versions of it, with the new one having as its strongest elements the gory growls by Chris and the more polished and thunderous overall production, making each instrument more aggressive and therefore more enjoyable.

Black Sirens Lurking presents another side of the band, showcasing an atmospheric, acoustic beginning that suddenly explodes into an imposing sonority led by the beautiful guitars by Kristian and Richie, setting the tone for the technical The Omega Embrace, which keeps the violent aura of the album burning through the demonic riffs, beats and growls bred by the entire band, despite losing some of its grip after a while. On the other hand, Trail Of The Heretic (Maleficium) is brutal Death Metal from start to finish, living up to the most gruesome icons of the genre. Max sounds bestial on drums as well as Chris on vocals, with the riffs and solos blasted by the band’s dynamic guitarists being the song’s icing on the cake. And lastly, their final onrush of demonic sounds comes in the form of a more complex and eerie song titled Cosmic Maze, sounding and feeling more somber than all previous tunes, with the guitars exhaling darkness and despair while Chris sends a not-so-happy message through his devilish vociferations, ending in a melancholic and beautiful way.

In a nutshell, with the ruthless Regress To The Saturnine Chapter (which can be listened in its entirety on YouTube or Spotify), Misanthrope Monarch are accrediting themselves as one of the strongest names in the underground scene when the style in question is Death Metal, and who knows, maybe we’re facing the actual future of Death Metal with those guys. I guess I don’t need to say that they need our full support to turn that future into an exciting reality, right? In order to do that, go visit their Facebook page for news and other info, enjoy their music on YouTube, and purchase Regress To The Saturnine Chapter through their own BandCamp or Big Cartel (where you can choose between the regular CD version or the CD + T-shirt bundle), on iTunes, on Amazon or at CD Baby. I was going to say that I’m eager to see what’s next for Misanthrope Monarch, but their new album is so damn good I guess for now it’s better if we simply enjoy it as much as we can without thinking about the future, and let the band follow their natural path and keep smashing us all with their impeccable Death Metal for the coming decades.

Best moments of the album: Usurping The Throne, The Brotherhood Of Destruction, Father Sin And The Hollow Spirit and Trail Of The Heretic (Maleficium).

Worst moments of the album: The Omega Embrace.

Released in 2017 Independent

Track listing
1. Towards The Utopian Kingdom Of Fire 0:44
2. Usurping The Throne 3:21
3. Crushing The Unbeliever 3:12
4. The Brotherhood Of Destruction 3:50
5. Dispelled 3:35
6. Regress To The Saturnine Chapter 3:22
7. Father Sin And The Hollow Spirit 2:43
8. Black Sirens Lurking 2:31
9. The Omega Embrace 3:15
10. Trail Of The Heretic (Maleficium) 3:25
11. Cosmic Maze 5:29

Band members
Chris Mieves – vocals
Kristian Gøbels – guitar
Richie Zubek – guitar
Pat Fleischmann – bass
Max Scheefeldt – drums

Guest musician
Sami Yli-Sirniö – lead guitar on “Usurping The Throne”