Mare Infinitum – Alien Monolith God

H.P. Lovecraft is, in my humble opinion at least, one of the more predominant writers of the early 18^th century. Not only did he manage to create an entirely new sub-genre of horror – One heavily focused upon mankinds utter insignificance when compared to the universe around them and the underlying solitude and fear this creates – He has also, somehow, remained both relevant and interesting even now, well into the 21^st century. This has happened through many mediums and many genres, even several more artistic than what would normally spring to mind when Lovecraft is mentioned.

What I am trying to convey with this rather long scribble, is that the loneliness, pain and sorrow often found within his stories fit themselves rather well into several Metal genres as well; Which is where the Russian trio Mare Infinitum fit into this particular tale.

Alien Monolith God is the name of the bands second full-length release and within it, they have stayed true to the Atmospheric Doom Metal sound that they created for themselves five years previously: The music is dark, gritty, all-enveloping and almost designed to draw you in (which is also the case when referring to the ‘evils’ of Lovecrafts cosmic horror stories). This musical backdrop fits perfectly together with the growling lyrics about mankinds inevitable demise or its utter insignificance (which again, are themes that can be drawn back to Lovecraft).

While the title track can be interpreted in several ways, both as a story about the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, a similar meteor that will destroy mankind or as an analog to the birth of a Great Old One, there is no such doubt about the meaning behind ”The Nightmare Corpse – City of R’lyeh”. The band itself has admitted this to be their take on Lovecrafts titular Cthulhu story – And it fits like a glove on an eagerly awaiting hand. Not that their overall approach does not work when it comes to their own stories – ”Beholding the Unseen”, the fourth track on this record, is every bit as impactful.

This might have been the first time that I came across an Atmospheric Doom Metal act (unless my mind has finally begun to fail me), but rest assured it will not be the last album of this nature that I will find. I will make sure of it.

Alien Monolith God contains five tracks, each spanning roughly ten minutes (give or take a few minutes), adding up for a grand total of 55 minutes worth of playtime. Heavily recommended for fans of Bal-Sagoth.

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