Monks of Mellonwah - Turn the People

Australia’s Monks of Mellonwah are back with their debut album, Turn the People. I previously reviewed their EP, Ghost Stories, and wondered where they would go from there and how they would grow. Including every song from the EP, the band offers more of the same great rock, and while they haven’t grown a lot from their first recordings, they certainly have expanded and more fully defined their sound.

Unfortunately, the three or four songs from the EP are still the best recordings here. Some of the other songs, like “Tear Your Hate Apart” or “Escaping Alcatraz” are great editions, but others often meander on for too long, and simply become filler in an otherwise great debut. Otherwise, it is still a strong first full length, and the sonic expansion, incorporating strings and denser layers are attractive additions that help the listener more fully understand the band’s sound from their first releases.

Four more of the songs on this are from their next EP, Afraid to Die, and while it was another strong offering, it was weaker compared to their first, and one can’t help but wish that they had recorded more brand new material for their debut because Turn the People ends up sounding all over the place without a cohesive identity. It would have made more sense to treat this more like a collection than a debut album, because the songs are all for the most part very good.

The album was recorded in part by Grammy-award winning producer and sound-engineer Keith Olson (Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne), and it’s clear that having him was a big plus. His five produced tracks are among the standouts here, and it’s clear his work with metal artists like Osbourne was a big influence here, as on “Downfall”. Turn the People is set to be released in March, and if you haven’t yet heard Monks of Melonwah’s EPs or you want a collection of some of their earlier material, this is sure to be a great place to start.