Black Monk Time - The Monks

The Monks were likely the first proto-punk group of all time. Though short-lived they created one of the earliest examples in rock music of experimentation with droning and cacophony. Their pieces were dissections of popular culture, as filtered through the eye of a demented revolutionary. The dementia is quite prominent on this album but the question is not "how demented are these people?" but rather "how did society produce such demented people?" The viscous semi-parodies on this album attack all facets of society, attacking a culture which allows war, misogyny, apathy, corruption, addiction and oppression to occur. All of this is done with the vitriol of punk music, only a decade ahead of its time. As the group spews military chants against all these wrongs, percussive crashes and clattering noise signifies assaults each of these targets with a relentless anger. The stand-outs of the album include I Hate You, one of the most percussive tracks, as thumping drums, guitar and organ rattle the bones of the listener. Monk Time places furious chants over hideous droning and monstrous cacophony. Shut Up launches vicious amounts of vitriol, in some vague parody of those who try to stifle free speech. The rough growl is almost cringe worthy in how sinister it sounds. Complication sees the group making a more direct attack on the oppressive authorities who create war. These are the same sorts of mantras that ended the Vietnam War. Ultimately it's the Monks unwavering sense of justice that turns their blind rage into a focused weapon to oppose the evils of society.