I reviewed the last Monsterworks album for PowerofMetal.dk a while back and I recall that I liked it. Therefore, I was excited to hear what they had up their sleeves next. Monsterworks were known to switch up their metal styles from song to song, even within a song itself. “The Existential Codex” was really interesting because you never knew what to expect.

So I was expecting the unexpected with “Black Swan Annihilation.” Well I wasn’t expecting it to be generic but that’s what it is. Gone are all the things that I liked about them. The songs are boring and forgettable. The band sound like they are trying to be Neurosis or Intronaut but fail profoundly. On top of all of that, the mix is shit. The drums sound like cardboard. They are trying to be so fucking heavy but it sounds just the opposite. I don’t get it.

I actually had to go back and re-read my own review of the last album to figure out why I even liked them to begin with! Suffice to say, everything I said in THAT review does not apply to “Black Swan Annihilation.” The band are known to write and record albums fast and I think the quality is officially suffering. The band have talent as evident from “The Existential Codex,” but it seems like they prefer to throw as much shit against the wall to see what will stick. This shit didn’t stick.

Rating: 1/10

Tracklist:

1. Immortalist
2. To Have Done What Must Be
3. Unbridled Force of Nature
4. Black Swan Annihilation
5. Vanishing Point
6. Unbeheld
7. Archivo Omnia

Label: Eat Lead and Die Music
Website: www.supermetal.net