Supersonic Death Monkey, great band name, hailing from ‘parts unknown’ (really it’s Derby, UK) and consisting of: Josh Morgan (vocals and guitars), Dave Bishop (drums) and Luke Lawrence (bass) have released their debut recording. A short but kick ass Ep entitled ‘Blueprints for Destruction’.
So what is Supersonic Death Monkey’s sound? Think Pantera but with more melody and more mid tempo groove, no blast beats. But there are certain elements of thrash present, not purely, but it’s there. So there’s that element. But there’s also a muddiness to the recordings (not badly produced, just grimy). Think Kyuss but clearer. There’s a 90’s sludge element happening with this band too. A grunge element if you will. Not punk influences, just production and guitar tone. So basically perfect freakin’ stoner metal.
The album starts off with ‘Roll Right Over You’. A bad ass southern swing metal track that would make Dimebag Darrell proud. Morgans vocals bear a slight resemblance to Chad Kroger, but without the annoying angle. Morgan is much more convincing and pure in the vocal style. Very close to John Garcia of Kyuss. ‘Bearclaw Warlocks’ brings the blues groove metal to the forefront times a million. It’s drum beat and riff that hits you right in the sweet spot. And they’re smart about it too. They know it’s a good riff and there’s nothing wrong with just riding on it. It’s a great example of simpler being the more effective route. With lots of Soundgarden tints in there as well. Then the album closes with the strongest track ‘The Mirror’. An excellent blend of 90’s grunge and Pantera style metal. The riff moves and grooves. A real barn burner. You can see the circle pit starting. And also the gigantic cloud of weed smoke above.
All in all this band is just fun. They’re a really fun stoner metal band. Something to blast at the bar, in your car or in your own home to let loose and forget about all the crap in the world. In a world where every artist seems to try and being politically or socially relevant (nothing wrong with that), these guys just want to simply jam and write the best song that they can write. And there’s something to be said for that. I think we could use more bands like Supersonic Death Monkey. Looking forward to seeing what this band is going to write in the future. Below is the full Ep. But if you like you can purchase the album with the bandcamp link below the youtube link.
https://supersonicdeathmonkey.bandcamp.com/releases
