(This is Todd Manning’s review of the first new album from Chicago destroyers Lair of the Minotaur in a very long time, and it’s out now on The Grind-House Records.)
It’s difficult this time of year for me to find time to write about music, but I couldn’t let a new Lair of the Minotaur record go without comment. I Hail I is the first full-length they’ve released in sixteen years, and it is a fabulous return. Lair of the Minotaur is the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Steven Rathbone. He’s always managed to bring in top-notch talent to complete the lineup, this time reuniting with longtime drummer Chris Wozniak and bringing in bassist/producer extraordinaire Sanford Parker.
If any metalheads have been unlucky to overlook this killer band in the past, it is worth saying that Lair of the Minotaur sound like their name, like a minotaur let loose in the proverbial china shop. They deftly combine sludge and thrash influences, along with a talent for mixing in limitless hooks and memorable riffs. Their classic debut, Carnage, seemed to emphasize the sludge over the thrash, while most have emphasized the thrash a bit more. I Hail I returns to the burly sludge sounds of the debut.
photo by Damien Denton
Opener, “Emperor of Dis”, does ramp up the speed a bit but comes across as more hardcore-influenced rather than thrashy, yet no matter what variations they bring, it sounds like them. The drum and vocal break in the bridge is a classic Lair of the Minotaur move, and sure to be a crowd-pleaser in a live setting. From there, they settle into more familiar territory.
The title track mixes muscular grooves with double-bass-driven riffs, all in support of Rathbone’s commanding vocals. The next several tracks mirror this formula to great effect. While it may sound like too much of the same thing, the riffs are memorable enough to lend each song its own identity.
“Fucked Inside Out” leans a bit more towards death metal, while “Deepest Hell” nods at grindcore just a bit before finding their massive mid-pace groove again. “Prowler Twin Sister” filters their sound through a more traditional song structure, which was not surprising, as it was the single off the album. If I Hail I has a misstep, it might be the black metal-influenced “Family Tree”. It’s not terrible, but it lacks their distinctive identity.
Lair of the Minotaur at MDF 2026 (photo by Islander)
The album does successfully vary the songwriting formula with the two closing pieces. “Vulture Worship” is a short electronic piece that is totally unexpected for Lair of the Minotaur, but it works. An industrial beat menaces while Rathbone intones threatening half-growled, half-spoken vocals over the top.
The album closes with “Tartarus Apocalypse”, a foray into punishing doom territory. These slower tempos fit Lair of the Minotaur like a glove, even if it’s territory they don’t often venture to. The tempo crawls throughout the track and almost dissolves into nothingness near the end, ending up with a guitar and vocal soliloquy before climaxing with one more sludge riff to put the listener out of their misery.
No one probably ever asked what Conan the Barbarian would sound like as a musical, but Lair of the Minotaur are here to answer that question regardless. This material is ridiculously powerful but also feels like classic metal in its sheer memorability. Hopefully, most NCS readers already know this band, but if not, it is time to find out.
https://lairoftheminotaur.bandcamp.com/album/i-hail-i-2
https://www.instagram.com/lair.of.the.minotaur