Tech-Death clan Monasteries, took the hot seat to have a chat about the remainder of their year, new music, and their thoughts on hitting UK Tech-Fest!
Guys, thanks for setting aside some time to have a quick catch-up – could you please introduce yourselves to our readers and what Monasteries is all about.
Monasteries is all about bringing the heaviest thing possible to the table, leaving people on the edge of their seats wanting more. Monasteries are a collective of five people wanting nothing more than to be chaotic and heavy while having lyrics that do hit on a personal and frightening level
How did Monasteries come to life and what was the main inspiration behind starting up a groovy Tech Deathcore band?
Dan Hill formed the band back in 2013 or 2014 revealing the band life with a debut song called ‘The Achiever’ and then the band progressed into releasing ‘The Empty Black’ debut EP back in 2015. The band inspiration did really come from Reflections and The Tony Danza stuff but also The Acacia Strain, Oceano, and Emmure just to be dummy heavy haha.
The band has undergone extensive line-up changes over 8 years of existence; having a member leave is never easy for a band, especially a finding member. How have you guys dealt with this and are you confident in the final form of Monasteries?
Yeah, having a member leave is never easy cause you build a bond and a ton of memories that are very good, but the show must go on and Monasteries will continue but I like to think we’ve dealt with it fine and now are moving forward with a great team. James Blackwell joining has been nothing more than a bundle of joy he’s killing it and he will continue to do so on the bass and the commute, time, and effort he puts into the band.
Got to ask, where does the name Monasteries originate from? I'm shooting in the dark here, but being the nerd that I am – is there a connection to World of Warcraft?
Basically back in Dan's years of gaming, he absolutely used to smash World of Warcraft a lot but doesn’t now anymore but the name came from that game and to do with the scarlet monastery. Some lyrics that I have been told on the empty black do have some WoW stuff but some don’t and that’s the only connection we have to that game.
If I hit the nail on the head with the previous question – who is the biggest nerd in the band?
Ermmm it’s a hard one because we all love that nerd shit haha, but I would say Ben. He’s far more into that than all of us especially when it comes to the Witcher stuff.
How has it been since signing with Seek & Strike?
It’s been great! We’ve seen progression within the band and we are hoping that continues with our next releases that are to come.
I'm pretty sure your latest release 'Lilac' has left the majority of your fan base asking when they can expect new music. Could you give us some insight without giving away too much?
I can't give a lot of insight other than we are writing but what I will say is no more standalone singles and no more eps.
What are you guys looking forward to most for hitting the stage at Tech-Fest this year and what can the crowd expect that is pulling through to check you guys out?
Looking forward to seeing some big circle pits and leaving people with half of their faces missing cause we are coming into this swinging heavily and that is absolutely no fucking joke. Playing some older tunes we have not done in a while so I’m excited to see people's reactions and I’m excited to meet them at the merch table afterward.
Anything in particular that stands out from Tech-Fest that you guys appreciate about the festival?
I have never been to Tech-Fest so for me this is a first but from what I’ve been told is that everyone does show up to your sets which is fantastic and everyone is so humble and nice which is a bonus.
What are your top tips for surviving a festival? No restrictions here, we've had some crazy answers, haha!
BABY WIPES! Bring them cause you gotta stay clean when you are camping in those fields cause you can’t lick yourself clean haha.
Any moments over the course of the existence of the band that truly stands out to you guys that you would like to share here?
Revolver Magazine saying ‘Lilac’ is one of the best heavy songs right now and also the tour we did with our friends in within destruction as that tour was successful and chaotic, full of madness.
To wrap things up - where can our readers check you out and order some merch and anything that you guys would like to punt? Please do so!
Readers can find us on Insta, Spotify, and every other social media platform. Readers can find merch on our Big Cartel and if you like Dark Souls then 100% check it out.