BOG MONKEY - Hollow (Review)

Written by: The Administrator

What, dear reader, is more classically and quintessentially Sleeping Village Reviews behavior than dropping a review for an album that came out more than 12 months ago? I mean, come on. This is embarrassing. We slumbering scribes are notoriously--and demonstrably--bad at finishing stuff we started, but instead of letting this half-completed writeup die in the drafts, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit and finally complete. Needless to say, I apologize to Bog Monkey for the extreme tardiness. This album is very good and merited a more prompt review. In any case, better late than never, I suppose.

So. Bog Monkey. A fuzzed out and swampy doom/sludge/stoner trio out of Atlanta. They released their debut album back in early March of 2023, and I consider it to be one of the better exemplars of the genre released last year. It also features one of my favorite album covers of 2023--purple swamp, simian skeletons, and ooze is an aesthetic holy trifecta as far as this scribe is concerned--but that's another story. The music itself is pretty damn addicting, and notably feels quite unique in a world where a new stoner doom band seemingly pops up on a daily basis. Bog Monkey's homegrown concoction utilizes a little hardcore attitude and a lot of  garage-esque grit. They almost seem to be a noisy homegrown rock band disguised as a doom outfit, and as a result their songwriting relies more on hard rockin' fun than a more straightforward or predictable stoner vibe.

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​Rather than relying solely on the sheer weight and noisy churn of the riff soup, Bog Monkey keep things pleasantly elastic and springy. There's a playfulness and bounce that rears its head across the album--highlight track "Slither," for example, coyly slithers into surf rock-esque riff, albeit drenched and dripping in distortion and that sweet, sweet fuzz. The drums are punky, and general vibe is significantly less downtrodden and sludgy than one might imagine. Opener "Crow" balances an initial sludge-drenched appearance with rockin' up-tempo drums and some borderline psych-rock leads. The whole track feels modern and fresh and engaging as all hell. The instrumental "Facemint" feels more inspired by desert rock classics, featuring sidewinding riffs, noisy squelching, and some liberal application of delay. Moving towards Side B, "Blister" is an absolute barnburner, feeling more akin to proto-thrash than a stoner doom. The bridge slows things down to a languid stank-face pace, the tempo seemingly falling into the swamp. Closer "Soma," the longest track herein, spends some real estate on a slow build around the midpoint. The dramatic tension and unease builds in the extensive noisy back half, and at no point am I bored or wanting for more.

​Instrumentally, I have no complaints. Across Hollow, the bass presence is exceptional, with a thickly burbling tone grounding the album in the muck and the mire. The drums are sharp and flexible and remarkably dominant for an album that one might assume is all about the dynamic application of sick riffs. Zachary Romero's vocals are used sparsely but oftentimes great effect--the howl-into-the-void approach lends a spaced-out vibe that only amplifies the flashes of spacey psychedelia. They are desperate and pissed off, and a more mellow option ultimately would have been much less interesting. I do wish the vocals were utilized a little more frequently across the runtime, as the emotive range they inject is pretty significant. That said, I appreciate the clear thought that went into unleashing 'em at the most opportune moments. 
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One last thing that I appreciate about this album is the brevity. At a succinct 33 minutes, Hollow is tight and trim, and, as a result, nothing drags on too long. Punchy songwriting is always a plus in my book, and here, Bog Monkey demonstrate a strong ability to self-edit. The longer tracks are longer for a reason, and the balance between raging urgency and languid heft is stellar.

If you're a fan of doom/stoner/sludge and all variants thereof, I highly recommend giving this one a well-deserved listen. If you don't often gravitate towards said genres and indeed take issue with a certain monotony, I recommend checking out Hollow regardless, as it pretty actively bucks the trend of less than dynamic songwriting. Bog Monkey claim to be "Just Monkeying Around," but in reality this album is the clear result of some very deliberate and precise craftsmanship. I'm excited to see just how much exciting sonic ground they manage to cover in the future.
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​Bog Monkey - Hollow was released March 3rd, 2023. Find it here!

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Bog Monkey can be found:
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