Dyelirium

Just in time for Halloween, The Monroes have offered up a sweet piece of ear candy to fill your mp3 baskets.  The South African rockers, presently located in Nashville, TN (USA), will take you on a ride that moves at a mostly breakneck pace through ten tracks of the dark and macabre; sometimes humorous; sparsely gory, and oft disturbing pieces of performance art. I myself am an ex-carnie (seriously, I am), and I can almost envision a maniacal barker surrounded by the whir of guitars and drums that make up the wickedly bizarre calliope aptly titled, The Devil’s Carnival.

There are influences that initially appear to be derivative of the typical post-punk goth/screamo generation, but do not be fooled. The Monroes aren’t just another band riding the teen alt wave straight into the wall at your local Hot Topic. There are a great many nuances that slip in and out: technique-laden, old school metalesque solos (And On the 9^th of March), rock crunch (Eric) , with splashes of alt-pop appeal (Peter Pumpkin Had a Tumor).

Sure, this album has some major bounce and more hooks than a tackle box, which are evident in many of the songs. It may lend to a feeling of repetition, but just when you think a few songs define the entire work, the album takes a major turn and you are presented with something unlike any of the others. I love a good surprise on an album – that song that makes me stop, and start it over from the beginning.

In the case of The Devil’s Carnival, that song was House of Curse and Freak. The dichotomy between the music and lyric is fantastic. The thing I’m really digging in that particular work is the often gut-wrenching lyrical content wrapped up in a bouncy melodic shroud that reminds me of my days of listening to The Smiths. (If you don’t know who The Smiths are, I am sad for you and ask that you go look them up.) Other exceptional tracks include Bumpy Ride, which is the least sinister track with just about the most addictive melody; and Toy Orphan which is sad and beautiful with an edge of desperation.

As a person who normally listens to a more straight-up style of rock and metal, I find The Devil’s Carnival a good diversion from my norm and feel that The Monroes have that something that, with enough drive and a dash of luck, can potentially make a band that is already good, great.

Favorite Tracks: The House of Curse and Freak, Bumpy Ride and Toy Orphan

You can find out more and listen to some of the tracks on the band’s band page on Face Book: http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheMonroes?sk=app_178091127385

Follow the band on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheMonroesBand

Check out more content on the band’s YouTube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/themonroesofficial

The album is available at iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-devils-carnival/id474068929