Aurorawave Monument Review
One of the unexpected blessings of being a half-assed music scribe with a full-assed love for sound is the sheer randomness of what lands in my lap. Most folks who read the site or know me at all are aware that I live and breathe Metal. But that doesn’t stop the digital tide from washing in a wild array of genres like bottles cast from distant shores. Rap. New Age. Film scores. Experimental oddities that sound like a sentient toaster got high with a Moog synth. All of it arrives. All of it gets a spin.
Why? Because music is life. And life, in all its chaos and clarity, is music.
Sure, I don’t love everything. But every now and then, some weirdo little record walks in the room wearing the wrong shoes and absolutely owns the place. Aurorawave’s new album Monument is one of those.
Now let me be honest, I’m not fluent in Reggaecore. Outside of what (hed) P.E. has crafted in their mutant laboratory of styles, I couldn’t tell you where that genre starts or ends. Reggae itself, yeah, I dabble. I’ve got a small, curated section in my collection, albums that I dust off when the mood is mellow and the suns still got something to say. But Monument didn’t hit me like a mellow afternoon. It hit like memory and invention colliding in a glittery back-alley brawl.
I didn’t expect to like this. PR sheets often over-promise and under-deliver. But from the moment I pressed play, I felt that magnetic pull. The ‘core elements are there, crisp and sincere, reminding me of those early-2000s Nu-Metal leanings: Relative Ash, Taproot, bands who understood groove but didn’t sacrifice melody. Aurorawave brings that energy, but they’re not here for nostalgia, they’re builders. Architects. They serve the song with surgical care.
There’s structure here. Heart. Craftsmanship. And while I haven’t heard their debut, I’m now actively hunting it down.
This album drips with clean hooks and confident swagger, yet never once feels like it's chasing trends. Guest appearances from members of Underoath and Emmure give nods to Metalcore’s spine, but they don’t hijack the soul. This isn’t a Frankenstein of style, it’s a garden where unlikely hybrids bloom in full color.
And yes, there’s Pop sensibility here, but it’s the good kind. The “make-you-sing-in-the-shower” kind. It’s catchy without feeling corporate. Playful without sounding plastic. There are moments of Rap, Hip-Hop, things I usually avoid like expired sushi, but the flow here feels earned and organic. There's no mumble filler or artificial flavor. Just emotion. Just rhythm. Just real.
And the Reggae, it’s not a garnish, it’s the root of it all.
In a time when genres get mashed together like leftovers in a blender, Monument is a rare meal where every ingredient holds its own. It’s vibrant. It’s honest. It feels good, soul good.
I’ve spent more time with this album than any other recent submission. I didn’t see it coming, but that’s the beauty of the open ear. I’ll be snagging the vinyl the moment it drops, no question.
Standouts: “Judge Me”, “Welcome to Your Nightmare”, “Suffocate” and “Turn the Page”.