Where Were You When It Happened?

Album Review

Monotonix is one of those bands that is better conceptually than on wax. Their on-stage antics are legendary and if you ask any fans, a performance recap will almost undoubtedly involve lead singer Ami Shalev climbing rafters, stage diving, chugging beer out of his shoe, mooning, or assaulting the crowd with sweaty bear hugs or garbage cans. Capturing such a spectacle in the studio is a little like trying to cage a rabid monkey, and as crazed as Shalev sounds as he howls “Oh no! Oh yeah!” on “My Needs,” the experience just doesn’t convey the charm (or the danger) of actually seeing him froth at the mouth. Even so, as a second to an actual Monotonix live show, the relentless crunch of the band's debut, Where Were You When It Happened?, is as action-packed as possible for mere audio. Like on their EP, Tim Green of the F*****g Champs wears the engineer cap and keeps everything raw to the point that the record sounds like it could have been recorded in an afternoon of first takes. Like any good garage rock or sludge-metal act, the Israeli trio makes it seem easy to bust out some straight-ahead, totally explosive music. The synergy between guitarist Yonatan Gat and Haggai Fershtman is that of brothers, and they hold it down tightly, while Shalev caterwauls like a mad goon. He’s a much better shouter than a singer, as he proves in the intro drudge of "Something Has Dried," but what he lacks in skill, he makes up with heart. And his heart is huge. No doubt about it, this is a guy who loves to rock.