Monotonix Body Language [EP]

[Drag City; 2008]

Rating: 3.5/5

Styles:  drunk-rawk
Others: Eagles Of Death Metal, The Hellacopters, The Hypnomen, Black Sabbath

There are those about to rock and those who rock and roll all night and party every day. Tel Aviv's Monotonix fall squarely in the latter category. Since forming in late 2005, the trio of frontman Ami Shalev, guitarist Yonathan Gat, and drummer Ran Shimoni have played about 250 shows a year across the US and Europe, after essentially being banned from their native Israel for playing too loud. They are the drunkest, most fuzzed-out rawk band ever to come from the Holy Land.

By the courtesy of destiny, Tim Green (The Fucking Champs, Concentrick) actually convinced them to sit in once place long enough to record an EP. The resulting Body Language premiere packs more sludge than the Pacific Ocean and more balls than a Ron Jeremy marathon, and it ain't just posturing, also-ran, copy-cat shit like The Darkness. Yonathan is so deft on guitar, you'll swear there's a bassist or extensive overdubs. He's already on the plane of Josh Homme in Kyuss mode. The drumming is tribal to suit, and Ami has the righteous machismo of Zeppelin-esque classic rock down pat. These are the guys that made The Hellacopters disband; thirty seconds into "Longest Dive," when the Sabbath massive kicks in, you'll understand why. And Gawd said, "Let there be rock!"

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