Album Review: Euphoric Thriller by The Beautiful Monument
Album artwork for Euphoric Thriller by The Beautiful Monument
To say that “Euphoric Thriller” delivers a new change of attitude to an otherwise overall heavy catalogue within their discography, would give this new album by The Beautiful Monument a sense of righteousness.
The Beautiful Monument was created in Melbourne, Australia back in 2014. The band currently consists of Lizi McIntosh (Vocals), Amy McIntosh (Bass), Alex Manhire (Guitar) and Adam Pinzone (Drums). Prior to this release, they have released two other albums, “I’m The Sin” (2017) independently and “I’m The Reaper” (2019) when they signed to Greyscale Records earlier that same year.
There is a bunch of fun to be had with this record even if it is a change of tone to “I'm The Reaper”. There is experimentation when it comes to the majority of the electronic elements, which arguably works in its favour. Having spent the last year putting together this record and finding themselves as a band once more, “Euphoric Thriller” is the creation of that unity and discusses themes which are important to various members of The Beautiful Monument.
Euphoric Thriller, which is the title track, feels like it brings back a familiar vibe fans know from “I'm The Sin” and “I’m The Reaper” and yet doesn’t deviate from the fact the album is in its own lane, but instead, enforces the idea. The chorus is catchy and fulfilling, “Come around and stay a while, you are what I need. Don’t doubt, killer, my euphoric thriller” is helped by the head bang worthy riff that is going on in the background making it an absolute guarantee to make you go “hell yeah”.
Lyrics feel a lot more personal this time around, approaching questions such as, “how do you live in a world where most of it will not respect you for loving who you want to love?” Sorry… tells the story of this rather well and is one of the strongest songs on the album. You can tell that Lizi McIntosh went to the deepest places of her own experiences and brought some magic to this record. This result of emotion and control allows the record to feel like it's the band's expression of what they have been through the past few years.
The ending track, See you on the other side, takes you on an emotive journey touching on grief, losing the ones that you love and the effect that it has not just on yourself but everyone else affected by the same loss. The opening line “I’ll see you on the other side, say hi to the ones we have loved,” will make you feel like you are about to reminisce about someone you have loved and lost. The song has a chance to build into what can only be described as a blessing of a chorus and one that should not be slept on. The lyrics “I’ll wait for you to give me a sign that this is all a dream,” reminds you how you felt and how you are in disbelief when someone you love passes away and that in turn, helps the whole song feel so much more real and relatable which is what you want from a record like this one.
The production feels polished and does not fail to support the rhythmic excellence of the riffs and drum fills created by Amy McIntosh, Alex Manhire and Adam Pinzone respectively. Key parts which fans of The Beautiful Monument will enjoy are the bridges of Sorry…, Dancing With The Buried, and Euphoric Thriller. These bridges set up three of the strongest finishes across the entire record. The album was produced by Chris Lalic who has worked previously with bands like Windwaker, RinRin, and The Last Martyr. Chris’s compositions of each song are strong and do not disappoint therefore making them unique and stronger as you work your way from start to finish. His contributions only strengthen the album and gives The Beautiful Monument a centre stage that allows them to shine in the only way that they can.
Whilst the record as a whole is fantastic, the only thing that holds it back is that the pacing feels like it rushes through the album way too quickly. You should come out of an album like this wanting more and unfortunately, this album does not do that. It kind of just ends and you think, “Is that it?”
The Beautiful Monument have created what can only be described as a revival to the alternative emo sound that they have amassed over the past 10 or so years. This in turn has allowed themselves to experiment with every intention of creating a record that feels familiar but isn't afraid to throw a few punches along the way.
FFO: Stand Atlantic, Sleeping With Sirens, Redhook
SCORE: 7/10
Euphoric Thriller is out on August 7th 2026 on all streaming platforms via Greyscale Records.
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