Watch Mono’s Creepy New Video, “Requiem For Hell”

Instrumental music is much, much harder to write than its lyrically dependent counterparts. The instruments must convey every emotion and tell every aspect of a story in a way that is both effective and interesting. In that regard, MONO are undoubtedly one of the best instrumental bands out there, not to mention one of the most definitive groups to emerge out of Japan in recent years. The release of their new album Requiem for Hell is just around the corner, and you can consider me pretty hyped for it to come out.

The recently released video for the album’s title track is by far one of the heaviest songs they’ve ever written, both in terms of mood and tone. It’s a departure from their previous single, “Ely’s Heartbeat”, but that’s not at all a bad thing. “Requiem For Hell” oozes an uncomfortable atmosphere that takes a couple of minutes to build up, but once it does it explodes in white-capped waves that continue to erode at the psyche until its ultimate finale sends it crashing to a halt. The most surprising part is that in spite of the track’s overall bleak tone it manages to harbor immense beauty. The swooning riffs never bite too hard, eliciting a smooth allure amidst the chaos.

The video itself amplifies the track’s somber mindset, coupling the instrumentals with footage that is perfectly shot and realized. In fact, it’s hard to find a single scene that isn’t framed well. From start to finish it’s a fog-filled masterpiece that builds upon the music’s overall feeling of evil and melancholy.

Obviously, you need to check it out for yourself, but I think a lot of you are going to have a hard time dismissing this one. Just give it a chance.

As always the video is below, and you can pre-order the album right here.