A new album with a new anger to be unleashed.
Blood Monolith’s new debut album, Calling of Fire, emerges from the underground, which unleashes an onslaught of speed thrash and death metal. Released in 2025, the latest album also showcases the band’s capacity to generate an unrelenting, aggressive sound. In addition to the heavy metal fest, Shelby Lermo adds another dimension with overpowering vocals layered over the formidable, primal sound.
Furthermore, the deep, menacing growl provided by the lead singer and guitarist, Lermo, is a dominating presence accompanied by three other band members. The group’s talented lineup consists of Shelby Lermo (Guitarist/Vocalist), Tommy Wall (Guitarist), Nolan (Bassist), and Aidan Tydings-Lynch (Drummer). The band was created in 2023 in the North Virginia region, where they began creating a battery of raw tracks.
The album begins with “Trepanation Worm,” which best demonstrates much of the band’s flexibility with differing riffs and other sounds to complement the music. After the song’s intro has begun, there is a deep, ominous growl that is overpowering as a catchy riff (unlike most of the album) begins. In the middle of the musical piece is a quick blistering, shredding session and a high-pitched wailing guitar solo. This song is a solid start to their first album, which focuses on insanity and chaos.
Next, the second track, “The Owl In Daylight,” also shows how the death metal band’s vision has much of the same tone, reinforcing the band’s dedication to producing one segment after another of uncompromising, hardcore metal. The high-octane rhythm of the guitars establishes the brutal tone. Additionally, the full aggression is felt by the singer’s growling, alluding to a type of decay with lyrics such as “the owl is a flight on corpses’ breath.”
Moreover, “Pyrokinesis,” the last track of the album, does not disappoint the listener. The song proceeds with a violent theme. The rhythmic, tribal pounding of the drums continues as a dark message is given to the listener. Along with rapid-fire drumming, Lermo’s harsh vocals are relentless (plus the occasional shrieks) and primarily focus on destruction.
In conclusion, Blood Monolith’s album, Calling of Fire, is a good choice for someone who considers themselves a hardcore death metal fanatic or just simply enjoys listening to new bands from the metal underground. Nonetheless, the album may not resonate with the casual music goer as it can seem monotonous in many parts throughout the collection of eight tracks. It doesn’t feature many (if any) catchy riffs or variable tempos as the band works to develop a signature sound.
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