It’s time. Time for a big plug about an ambitious new metal site about to be born. Some of you have been hearing rumblings about this project for a while, but the rising has now finally begun. Its name is THE MONOLITH.

I’ve been a behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall witness to the development of this project for quite a long time, but have been keeping my gabby yap shut until it reached the point where the principal organizers began disclosing information publicly, and that’s now happening. So here’s a recap of what’s been revealed to date (and more information will be coming soon). In the interest of full disclosure, please be aware that although what follows is based on publicly disclosed info, these are my words and they haven’t been reviewed or approved in advance by The Monolith’s operators. Also be aware that lots of the people involved in this venture are friends of mine.

THE CONCEPT

This isn’t going to be just another metal blog (for example, the awesome Par Olofsson has designed the site’s artwork), although it will certainly include the kind of content you would expect from a metal blog. It’s billed as “an entertainment hub for alternative culture, focusing on music (and film) from the very darkest corners of the human mind”. So what exactly does that mean?

Well, at its core it’s about trying to build a community of people who are passionate about metal and who want to collaborate in supporting the scene and seeing it progress in a positive way. The site already seems to have attracted the backing of lots of artists, fans, label reps, PR folks, etc.

The Monolith will, of course, include the kind of free online content that readers have come to expect from a top-flight metal blog — breaking news, album reviews, interviews, song and album premieres, etc. — and the mission will be to generate positive, interesting, and entertaining writing. The names of all the writers haven’t been revealed yet, but I can tell you they’re an experienced, knowledgable, multi-national collective of people whose names you will recognize and who have experience writing for or running their own blogs. I’m expecting good reading from them. But there’s a lot more in store, too. Continue reading »