The Munsens caught my attention back in 2019 with their full length Unbounded, which showcased the trio’s ability to pull in other elements of extreme metal into their atmospheric and sometimes psychedelic take on sludge and doom. Sometimes you’d start to be lulled into a trance by a lengthier build-up only for things to suddenly dip into pummeling black metal, and it was this combination of atmospheric and abrasive that kept me interested. It did seem like there was room for The Munsens to further expand upon this genre hopping approach, and that’s what they’ve done nearly six years later on Degradation in the Hyperreal. There’s not a lot more death metal and death/doom added into the mix, marking a significant transformation for a band that continues to be a bit different from the norm.
Upon pressing play I had to check that I had the right album queued up, as opener “Eternal Grasp” comes in with lumbering death and death/doom riffs versus the haunting doom and soaring black metal that opened its predecessor. But as The Munsens have showcased before, on these lengthier tracks they don’t stay in one place for too long and around the three-to-four-minute mark you get some sludge and hardcore moments woven into this foundation. There are quite a few shorter tracks this time, which gives the group a chance to showcase some more direct and less transformative songwriting. “Sacred Ivory” goes for a more jagged death metal assault, while “Drauga” goes for much filthier sludge. On the other end of the spectrum you have “Supreme Death”, which sprawls out at ten and a half minutes and moves from atmospheric sludge/doom to crust tinged death metal and black metal. It’s a lot of different styles, but The Munsens pull it off and I found that the material had even more staying power than Unbounded. There are still a few transitions that feel a bit choppy and I’m not crazy about having both softer interludes so close to the end of the album, as it does hurt the flow of the material. But as a whole Degradation in the Hyperreal impresses, and the way it goes for this death/doom meets other elements of extreme metal is a bit less predictable than the average group.
The vocals are split between lower growls and raspy screams, picking things from across the death metal and sludge aisles and fusing them into one aggressive mix. Songs like “Eternal Grasp” are death metal forward, with the growls towering over the already dense soundscape, while “Drauga” lets the higher pitches cut through your speakers like a rusty knife. I did find myself wanting just a bit more interplay between the high and lows, particularly on the longer tracks. “Supreme Death” is a great example, as it sticks with the highs for almost the entire run and while they are intense some dips into the growls could’ve shaken things up even further. But if you like either sludge or death metal in any capacity, The Munsens have you covered when it comes to gnarly vocals.
Press material for this album indicates some of it has been in the idea stage since before Unbounded came out, so it is interesting to hear how The Munsens have pieced everything together for their sophomore effort. Instead of simply adding more to the foundation of Unbounded, they transformed everything over to a more death metal and death/doom focused sound and then brought in the other styles. It does have some sections that don’t flow quite as seamlessly as they could and a bit more back and forth on the vocals could make a difference, but this remains a strong showing that may just surprise you.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg