MENHIR: IT’S WORTH TAKING COVER UNDER THIS CANOPY

Menhir, the new album from Stockholm’s Canopy, is apparently the band’s third album — but it’s the first I’ve heard of them. I was in the middle of listening to the first song off the album when I forwarded the e-mail announcing its arrival to Vince, encouraging him to check them out for a possible write-up in the future; now I’ve listened to the entire album, and I’m digging it so much that I’m just gonna steal them back and write about them my damn self.

The band isn’t necessarily re-inventing the wheel with Menhir, but they are proving that, at the end of the day, great songwriting is really what this game is all about. From the opening title track to “Storm Within a Storm” to “Inward Burst,” Canopy prove time and again that they know how write an high quality, totally epic DM track. Every riff has a hook, and every hook is memorable. Every chorus is MASSIVE and anthemic. Every solo compliments the song and tells a story — there’s no mindless shredding to be had here. No atonal breakdowns a three year old could have written during snack time, either. I’ve only gotten to listen to Menhir once, but my initial opinion is that there isn’t a bad song on the album. This is the kind of album that practically taunts you — “Go on. Don’t band your head. Deprive yourself of a good time.”

You can stream the entirety of Menhir righthir. You can also download it there for €5, or approximately $6.75, which is totally worth it. Go check it out now.

-AR