Monumentomb Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band? 

Sure. We formed just under a year ago and we’re all based in Kent in the garden of England (So to speak). Myself, Alex and Lee all met at separate occasions in a pub and were all looking to form a band that’s playing a style that’s not even been done before by other bands from the area. Gaius joined later after the EP was recorded and we met in my local Metal pub previous months beforehand.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound and what are some of the things that you have been able to bring out with your newer band that you wear not able to do with the groups that you where a part of in the past?

The primary focal point for us is the Old-School late 80’s and early 90’s Death Metal. Essentially taking all the foundations of that time period and replicating the sound with a modern touch, like the production on the recording was all created via modern hardware. With Monumentomb there is far more scope and options in terms of the style, riffs and structures, whereas in previous bands I’ve played for there were limitations when it came to trying to adopt a different approach. All the ideas from over the years I couldn’t use are being vented now, the autonomy now is totally ideal. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

To state the obvious: Death! Also taking inspiration from topics of Necromancy, The Monk by Matthew Lewis, The Necronomicon, Lovecraft and his associated grimoires. A lot of cult horror movies from the 80’s play a huge part in inspiring the atmosphere that the lyrics attempt to portray. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Monumentomb'?

The name itself was the name of an album by a terrific band called Nominon from Sweden. The name always stood-out for me and encapsulated the essence of what I wanted. A monumental name that ties in with the morbid themes. After asking Nominon, they kindly gave me permission to use it.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We’ve only played 4 shows in total this year, we started playing live in March 2014. In light of that, 2 particular shows in Sheerness and Gillingham in Kent have been the best so far. The reasons for this are that the crowd responses were killer, very encouraging to see that kind of energy on stage. Our live shows are always kept as aggressive, furious and as active as possible. We always prefer to keep mobile and engage the crowd. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Yes, we do. We’re playing a headlining one in Kent on Friday 13th June (auspicious!) and one in October with Gravecrusher which is our first London date of the year. As for touring, it’s something we want to pursue for sure but don’t have anything confirmed yet. 

7.Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We are currently dealing with a label at the moment, but at this stage it’s all waiting to be set-in-stone and establishing a release date. I can say that it will be out on CD only at the moment, and the booklet inlay design is almost nearing completion. It will all be announced as soon as possible!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of old school death metal?

It’s been all extremely positive so far, from all over the globe such as USA, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Spain and the rest of Europe, Thailand and India to name a few. We have had a decent amount of people getting in touch outside of the UK, it’s always great to see that, especially as we’re hoping to play overseas in future. A few of these guys have said that we’ve managed to capture a sound which is very close to Bolt Thrower’s, which wasn’t entirely intentional!

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

New material is still being written at the moment. Within the next year is the ideal goal to have a full-length released for us. As for where we’re heading musically, sticking to our main roots and influences always gears the musical direction, we also draw influences/inspiration from recent releases as well. 

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

To name a few there is early Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass and Entombed, Autopsy, Unleashed, Dismember, Repugnant, Grave, Nominon, Bolt Thrower and Asphyx. I’m currently listening to the recently released Dead Congregation, mind-blowing is an understatement for it! From another aspect there's a lot of neo-classical and 80's virtuoso in the mix too like Malmsteen, Jason Becker, Steve Vai up to some recent shredders as well.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?

I have friends that practice Luciferianism, and others that gear towards the more Crowley perception of Satanism. Luciferianism as opposed to Satanism, for me, makes a lot more sense. My reason for this is that Luciferianism is a belief structure that contains theistic denominations. It’s also influenced by various personal experiences. Some say it’s not a religion, but a lifestyle or code to follow. Occultism in itself has always intrigued me, as necromancy and black art rituals are frequently referred to in the lyrical content.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Reading into Scandinavian and Indo European history/WWI recently, museums, as I said about the lyrics I tend to watch movies. I like to maintain personal balance with an active social life with sight-seeing, country walks, and of course seeing mates down the pub etc. 

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Many thanks for getting in touch and hails from the tomb!