... their most ambitious LP so far, the aptly titled “Monumenta”. I say aptly titled because the record is truly monumental in scope, both from a compositional and from a purely sonic point of view.Read the full review by Mircea Laslo at arcticdrones.com
The first thing that comes to mind when first being introduced to “Monumenta” is the decidedly darker direction that Valerinne are pursuing on this record in comparison to their previous LP – “Arborescent”. Right off the bat, the opening track, titled “Edifice”, is brimming with menace – a fast, fierce, precise groove which almost serves as a warning – “beware of sharp edges, intense solar glare and abrasive surfaces”. And so it is, throughout the album as a whole, with stoic relentlessness.
In this new release the band largely continues its original approach to Math Rock with multiple guitar layers, rendering a spacey but introspective sound. This time around the band takes some risks, experimenting with more diverse time signatures and more demanding moments to the listener. Still there is space to try a radio-friendly single for a first time, which coming from an instrumental band is unlikely the become a success, but it sounds quite good nontheless.Media/Samples