Album concept:
Black Hole District is a story in a Tech-Noir style, inspired by Blade Runner, but also Dark City, Matrix, Ghost in The Shell, as well as “hard boiled” literature. The narrator lives in a decaying city, in a dystopian
future. The moon has left its orbit and is coming dangerously close to Earth, causing increasingly violent cataclysms (earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.). Humans now live at night because it is too hot during daytime.
This narrator is disturbed by recurring dreams in which a woman with long black hair speaks to him. However, he doesn’t remember who she is. He decides to investigate to find her. He ends up reaching a
forbidden part of the city, called “Black Hole District”. He enters a building which is actually an android factory. He then realizes that the faces of the inert and aligned androids being manufactured, are all the
same... And identical to his own. His break-in causes an alarm during which he, through the confusion, sees the woman of his dreams among the employees. He flees and tries to leave the city, pursued by a
militia charged with “removing” him; Because androids that have become “sentient” and can think for themselves are considered defective and dangerous. As he reaches the city limits, he gets fatally shot. At
the same time, the city begins to disintegrate, due to the Moon’s increasing proximity.
The Music:
Black Hole District is part of the band’s evolutionary logic since their beginnings: progression in continuity. If Monolithe’s musical style remains identifiable, new influences and musical desires enrich each new
album. This is the case with BHD, which drew on the aesthetics of the 1970s and 1980s, especially in terms of synthesizers, in particular with the use of the famous CS-80 synth popularized by Vangelis, and
the appeal of soundtracks of science fiction films. The album is also designed as a movie would be, with a scenario, an atmosphere, a central character whose train of thoughts is provided to the listener through
narrations in a “hard boiled” detective style. Eager to offer original music, Monolithe does not hesitate to break the rules of its primary genre, Doom Metal, while preserving its substantial marrow and roots.
MONOLITHE on BHD:
Quentin Verdier Growls, Guitar
Sylvain Bégot Guitar, Keyboards
Benoît Blin Guitar
Thibault Faucher Drums
Music & Lyrics written by Sylvain Bégot.
Bass recorded by Olivier Defives
Growl lines written by Quentin Verdier & Sylvain Bégot.
Clean vocals lines written & performed by Frédéric Gervais.
Voice-over performed by Jarrett Raymond.
Recorded between mid-2023 & early 2024.
Drums & growls recorded by Andrew Guillotin @Hybreed Studio.
Guitars & keyboards recorded by Sylvain Bégot @Red Reed Studio.
Clean vocals recorded by Frédéric Gervais @Studio Henosis.
Mixed & mastered by Frédéric Gervais @Studio Henosis (April/May 2024)
Produced by Sylvain Bégot.
Artwork by Guibz Zilla.
Band logo by Robert Høyem.
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