The ominous tones and noisy guitars resonate under Dominic Cipolla’s sinister talk-singing on “Blackouts and Runaways,” the opening track on this double LP. It’s followed with a jolting metal attack, more akin to Cipolla’s metal foray, Dead Child. This duel of soft, subtle and artsy against angry, aggressive and brutal — driven by powerful drumming from the late, great Tony Bailey — is the most interesting aspect of “Monoliths” — or at least until the two sides merge into a series of songs that are mellower than metal, but more forceful than art rock. Double LPs are always daunting tasks, and rarely fare well when judged against the standard 40-minute album. “Monoliths” works, however, achieving a telling juxtaposition of dark power and dark art.

Phantom Family Halo performs Jan. 20 @ The Empty Bottle in Chicago.