Label: Drag City
Release Date: 2011-01-19
Rated: NONE
Genre: Recording
The sophomore release from these Israeli maniacs wears its ragged heart on its sweaty sleeve. Monotonix is an absolutely insane three-piece from Tel-Aviv. Since 2006, after being all but outlawed in their hometown, the band toured heavily in the U.S. and Europe, gaining quite the reputation for mayhem. This has a lot to do with their live show, which frequently involves plenty of sweat and fire, and rarely, if ever, confines members to anything that one might call a stage. It also has a lot to do with the music, which sounds like the world’s most energetic garage-rock channeled through proto-punk aggression, 70’s guitar histrionics, and a bit of early metal. Not Yet is sheer cacophony, albeit surprisingly melodic. The band’s unadulterated rock power is noise-heavy and terrifying, but they achieve the sound with surprisingly catchy aplomb, flitting through the stomping and snarling “Nasty Fancy,” the catchy-as-hell riffs on the jam-kicking and frenetic “Everything That I See,” the Iggy-via-Sabbath churn of “Blind Again,” and the psych-haze detour of “Late Night.” It’s more of what everyone expects from Monotonix — greatness.
