New Prog Rock Discovery: The Monks of Mellonwah - The Sky And The Dark Night

Monks of Mellonwah are an Australian prog rock outfit - the group consists of Vikram Kaushik (vocals), Joe de la Hoyde (backing vocals/guitar), John de la Hoyde (bass), and Josh Baissari (drums). They are obviously influenced by Led Zeppelin - the guitars, the overall scope of the music, including soaring string sections make this evident. But they are playing in a few different styles - the predominant style is rock, but they venture into orchestral territory on their new EP Sky And The Dark Night. The first song is a prelude - featuring mostly strings - and it establishes the musical theme. The second track, "Sky And The Dark Night Part 2 - Control" adds in rock instrumentation and vocals:


There's some very strong guitar work on that one. Then the third song takes the theme, and builds it up with synths and a repeated chorus. It's exhilarating music, and augurs well for the anticipated full-length debut.

This is their third EP - their immediately previous one was Neurogenesis in May 2012. Here's a video for a track from that one:



Sky And The Dark Night is my first exposure to the Monks, and I think it's a significant step forward for them - hearing their earlier stuff, I think they are wise to turn up the guitars. The EP will be released April 1.

Monks of Mellonwah website