Gnosis (Monuments album)

Gnosis is the debut studio album by British progressive metal band Monuments. It was released on 27 August 2012 through Century Media Records.[1] The album was produced by founding member and guitarist John Browne.[2]

Gnosis
Studio album by
Released28 August 2012 (2012-08-28)
Genre
Length41:09
LabelCentury Media
ProducerJohn Browne
Monuments chronology
We Are the Foundation
(2010)
Gnosis
(2012)
The Amanuensis
(2014)
Alternative cover
Vinyl Reissue Artwork
Singles from Gnosis
  1. "Doxa"
    Released: 28 June 2012
  2. "Degenerate"
    Released: 9 August 2012

Music videos for the songs "97% Static" and "Regenerate" were released in support of the album.[3][4]

A vinyl pressing of the album was released on 16 October 2015, including a bonus CD of the album's instrumentals.[5] It is the band's only album with vocalist Matt Rose.

Background

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All of the material on Gnosis was composed by guitarist John Browne long before the album's release.[6] Original vocalists Neema Askari and Greg Pope wrote lyrics for the songs, many of which were performed live during the band's early tours.[7] Due to disagreements, the two vocalists left the band in 2011,[8] leaving the band unable to use the lyrics written previously. In 2012, Matt Rose was recruited into the group to fill the vacancy. Though Rose re-wrote all of the album's lyrics, an issue arose when Monuments intended to release the song "Memoirs" featuring a memorable chorus whose lyrics and melody were written by Neema Askari and Joe Garrett. Askari refused to allow the use of the chorus, resulting in the song being removed from the album's track list not long before the release date. Following the album's release, "Memoirs" was released as a digital single, with all profits going to a charity of Askari and Garrett's choosing.[9]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Admit Defeat"John Browne, Mike Malyan, Matt Rose4:13
2."Degenerate"Browne, Rose4:12
3."Doxa"Browne, Rose4:31
4."The Uncollective"Browne, Rose, Oliver Steele3:58
5."Blue Sky Thinking"Browne, Rose5:12
6."97% Static"Browne, Rose4:33
7."Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise"Browne, Rose3:46
8."Regenerate"Browne, Rose, Adam Freeman Swan5:33
9."Denial" (featuring Spencer Sotelo of Periphery)Browne, Malyan, Rose5:11
Total length:41:09
Limited Edition Bonus Tracks[10]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Doxa" (instrumental)Browne4:32
11."Denial" (instrumental)Browne, Malyan5:15
Total length:50:56
iTunes Exclusive Track[11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise" (Paradigm Shift remix)Browne4:06
Total length:45:15
Vinyl Release Bonus Disc: "The Instrumentals"[12][13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Admit Defeat" (instrumental)Browne, Malyan4:14
2."Degenerate" (instrumental)Browne4:13
3."Doxa" (instrumental)Browne4:31
4."The Uncollective" (instrumental)Browne, Steele3:57
5."Blue Sky Thinking" (instrumental)Browne5:19
6."Memoirs" (instrumental)Browne3:58
7."97% Static" (instrumental)Browne4:48
8."Empty Vessels Make the Most Noise" (instrumental)Browne3:53
9."Regenerate" (instrumental)Browne, Swan6:22
10."Denial" (instrumental)Browne, Malyan5:08
Total length:46:24

Personnel

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Monuments
  • Matt Rose – vocals
  • John Browne – guitar, production, mixing, engineering, concept
  • Olly Steele – guitar
  • Adam Swan – bass
  • Mike Malyan – drums
Additional musicians
  • Spencer Sotelo of Periphery – guest vocals on track 10
Additional personnel
  • Dan Weller – vocal production
  • Mazen Murad – mastering
  • John Giulio Sprich – management
  • Marco Walzel – booking
  • Fall McKenzie – artwork, illustrations, logo

References

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  1. ^ "Gnosis". Century Media Records. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Gnosis". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  3. ^ "MONUMENTS: '97% Static' Video Released". Blabbermouth. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  4. ^ "MONUMENTS: 'Regenerate' Video Released". Blabbermouth. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Monuments: – "Gnosis" vinyl now available for preorder!". Century Media Records. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  6. ^ Rowe, Jimmy (12 September 2014). "John Browne of Monuments: The Heavy Blog Is Heavy Interview". Heavy Blog Is Heavy. Retrieved 24 February 2016. We sat on the Gnosis material for over 2 years
  7. ^ Rowe, Jimmy (12 September 2014). "John Browne of Monuments: The Heavy Blog Is Heavy Interview". Heavy Blog Is Heavy. Retrieved 24 February 2016. [...] we'd been playing it live with other singers [...]
  8. ^ "MONUMENTS UPDATE SUMMER 2011". 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  9. ^ Backer, Christine (20 December 2012). "ONEMETAL TALKS TO MONUMENTS' MATT ROSE". OneMetal. Retrieved 24 February 2016. You've just released a special edition of 'Memoirs', what is the story behind that?
  10. ^ "Tracklisting". www.cmdistro.de. 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Gnosis by Monuments". iTunes. 25 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Monuments: – "Gnosis" vinyl now available for preorder!". www.centurymedia.com. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Monuments – Gnosis (2015, 180 Gram, Vinyl)". Discogs.