Biography
Originating in Bayonne within France’s southern Basque territory, the light-shirking demons Monarch! craft an especially glacial and viscous strain of drone-doom that echoes, yet frequently exceeds in severity, the approaches of Khanate, Corrupted, and Rigor Sardonicus. Vocalist Emilie Bresson, performing as Eurogirl, assembled the group in 2004 alongside guitarist Shiran Kaidin, bassist MicHell Bidegain, and drummer Guillaume Lestage. Monarch! first emerged from the damp graveyard soil with a self-titled debut in 2005 that contained only three extended “songs,” an early indication of the band’s future direction, then issued Speak of the Sea in 2006 and Die Tonight in 2007, along with assorted shorter releases during the same period. Also in 2007, Crucial Blast brought out the two-disc American compilation Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Albums
Singles
