Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Thessaloniki, Greece’s Morphine Social Club recently returned with their self-released ‘Monolithic Gospel‘ EP. Their sophomore outing is the follow-up to the band’s 2015 EP debut, ‘Radioactive’. That introduction was a well-received one that opened a lot of doors for the band and fans have been clamoring for something new… and here it is!
Released back on September 13th, ‘Monolithic Gospel‘ finds guitarist and vocalist Nick, guitarist John, drummer Manos, and bassist Vasilis gelling rather nicely since their debut. The quartet seems more intent on exploring the intricacies of hazy psychedelia here and there, while there are still the same elements of moody, heavy rock of course.
The four songs comprising the sermon delivered on this latest EP begin with the punk / new wave-y starter, “Chaos Lover“. The song seems to have a direct connection to the music of the late 80s and early 90s, merging some very diverse influences. Crazy as it sounds, think Gary Numan-meets-early-Ministry. Like I said, crazy, right?
From there though, the lads of the M.S.C. turn a total one-eighty into the trippish, hypnotic psychedelia of the stellar stand-out, “Starship Of Perception“. Head-melting haziness permeates the music as airy, effect-heavy vocals float upon the waves emanating from the void. There are some fiercely engaging guitar solos at some points too, ones also delivered through warping effects before going full-on groove nearing the number’s ending.
Things exit the house of headiness for the next cut “Swansong“, a fuzz-fueled Alt. Rock type track. There are still tinges of the atmospheric type that ripple throughout the song but what soon follows is more straightforward. That would be the fourth and final song, “Your Sun Is So Toxic“.
The instrumental end to the EP, it is high energy put through its musical paces and coming out the other side. Quickened tempos, chunky, fuzzy riffs and bubbling rhythms keep you involved as to where things are going. I might be wrong but I also hear what sounds like either some programming or possibly electronic drums. Whichever, it is a cool finish to this oh-so-interesting recording.
