Album Premiere: Foehammer – Monumentum
The latest from D.C. sludge-doom crew Foehammer is available to stream right here, right now.
For a while now, I’ve been saying that doom was going to be the soundtrack of the future. Not the hyper-techno sci-fi world that Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time promised us. More like a slow but inevitable death lurch, seeping out into the world like a mass of undulating Eldritch terror.
Amidst that writhing, dark mass, though, is a small but potent light. D.C.’s Foehammer has returned with a sophomore release, Monumentum. Inspired by some of their favorite writers and the all-too-bleakness of our current reality, Foehammer continues to build upon the lore hidden beneath their sludge-ridden doom. Dour fans of Hell and Fórn will cling to this like gooey black tar.
Guitarist vocalist Jay Cardenell elaborates on the new album:
“Monumentum is a term that just came into my brain like a lightning bolt. Upon researching it, Monumentum was a Latin word used by the Romans frequently in their carvings, especially when listing the achievements of an emperor, military or otherwise. The word itself can have varied meanings such as “remembrance,” “tomb” or even literally “monument.” It ties into the lyrical content and cover art of the record, much of which deals with funerary mysticism. It also wound up being related in another way, as this album was made during the height of the 2020 pandemic and both of us lost close family members during this time, whom we have dedicated the record to the memory of.
Lyrically, the album pays tribute to a couple of my favorite authors, Ursula K. Le Guin and Jorge Luis Borges, as well as sketches of a sort-of mythology or overarching story I have been building within Foehammer’s lyrics, with threads connecting to all of our previous works. There is an unnamed main character who figures into several of our songs. Intrepid fans who read the lyrics may be able to connect the dots.”
Monumentum will be released on November 18th via Silent Pendulum Records. Physical pre-orders can be grabbed here and digital over this way.
Give Silent Pendulum a like on Facebook if you dig their roster, follow ‘em on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
