Those harboring a love of all things heavy and massive are bound to fall head over heels for Monolord. The Swedish three-piece has been destroying amplifiers and caving in ceilings for just two years now, but their sound carries the confidence of the genre’s toughest veterans. Look no further than the sinister surge of “Empress Rising” off the band’s debut album. It’s a nasty piece of doom metal that conjures the dreariest images. The band’s sound plays out like a slow motion bludgeoning, a prospect sure to please any extreme metal fanatics.

“Vaenir,” the band’s sophomore album, only cements Monolord’s position as one of the best doom metal acts going today. Bigger and better than its predecessor, “Vaenir” is equal parts consolidation and expansion of the band’s talents. Look no further than the title track — a mammoth sixteen minute closer that swarms and surges with a sickening primordial stomp. It’s my personal metal album of the year so far, and likely to be a favorite of many others as well. So give it a shot. You won’t be wanting for a heavy riff.

More information regarding the artist can be found at the band’s official website.