Martyr De Mona - Memento/Contagion
We’ve featured Martyr De Mona in the past, and personally, I loved what I heard from them! As such, when a package arrived in the post the other day containing their latest offering, I was quickly reaching for the stereo and cranking on the CD’s to check out what was on offer from Memento and Contagion – the latest release from the guys! Sitting and listening to things at an obscene volume I noticed two key things:
1). It’s damned good.
2). When I’m playing Martyr De Mona at volume I can’t hear my neighbours crashing about
Based on both of these points, I figured I should probably share my thoughts with the world, rather than just keeping them to myself!
Memento gets things going and immediately sets the bar high for things, hammering into a track full of crashing guitars, intricate lines, pounding rhythms and those soaring vocals which set these guys apart from the usual crowd. Standing out as a track which doesn’t just pack a punch, but also makes you think about what you’re hearing, makes you question what you’ve heard before, and combines all of the technical elements of metal together to form one hell of a beast, this is a pretty damned cool track! Throwing an anthemic chorus into the mix to make sure you’re well and truly converted to what they’ve got going on, it appears that Martyr De Mona have been working hard, honing their skills and working to perfect their music – and the resulting track here is mind-blowingly good. Packed with prog elements, heavy elements, moments which sit you back and allow you to reflect, and a real sense that this is a special moment in music, the opening track here is one which you need to make sure you check out, definitely a stand out track.
Contagion follows on and doesn’t lower the bar at all, once again picking up the pace where the first track left off and showing us why it is we should be paying Martyr De Mona a lot of attention. Heavier than the first track, this one manages to combine a hammering backing riff with an intricate lead line to form a sound which seems to combine hard and melodic, packing a massive punch whilst still managing to craft a sound which is accessible to everyone who hears it. I’d even go so far as to say there’s a catchy edge to things on show here, something which suggests this is going to be one hell of a track to behold live, and the sort of thing which is sure to convert people onto the band and make them want to hear a hell of a lot more – another winning track from the guys.
The CD also held Protect What’s Yours and End Of Forever as follow on tracks – you can see what we thought of these below!
I’ve admired Martyr De Mona since the first time I checked them out, so it’s pleasing to see that they’re continuing to push the boundaries of their music whilst keeping their style at the forefront of it all. Powerful throughout yet still restrained enough to allow you to hear every single element built into the mix, these tracks are testament to the hard work and dedication within the band, and remind us all why we should be listening to Martyr De Mona from here onwards.
To find out more about Martyr De Mona, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
1). It’s damned good.
2). When I’m playing Martyr De Mona at volume I can’t hear my neighbours crashing about
Based on both of these points, I figured I should probably share my thoughts with the world, rather than just keeping them to myself!
Memento gets things going and immediately sets the bar high for things, hammering into a track full of crashing guitars, intricate lines, pounding rhythms and those soaring vocals which set these guys apart from the usual crowd. Standing out as a track which doesn’t just pack a punch, but also makes you think about what you’re hearing, makes you question what you’ve heard before, and combines all of the technical elements of metal together to form one hell of a beast, this is a pretty damned cool track! Throwing an anthemic chorus into the mix to make sure you’re well and truly converted to what they’ve got going on, it appears that Martyr De Mona have been working hard, honing their skills and working to perfect their music – and the resulting track here is mind-blowingly good. Packed with prog elements, heavy elements, moments which sit you back and allow you to reflect, and a real sense that this is a special moment in music, the opening track here is one which you need to make sure you check out, definitely a stand out track.
Contagion follows on and doesn’t lower the bar at all, once again picking up the pace where the first track left off and showing us why it is we should be paying Martyr De Mona a lot of attention. Heavier than the first track, this one manages to combine a hammering backing riff with an intricate lead line to form a sound which seems to combine hard and melodic, packing a massive punch whilst still managing to craft a sound which is accessible to everyone who hears it. I’d even go so far as to say there’s a catchy edge to things on show here, something which suggests this is going to be one hell of a track to behold live, and the sort of thing which is sure to convert people onto the band and make them want to hear a hell of a lot more – another winning track from the guys.
The CD also held Protect What’s Yours and End Of Forever as follow on tracks – you can see what we thought of these below!
I’ve admired Martyr De Mona since the first time I checked them out, so it’s pleasing to see that they’re continuing to push the boundaries of their music whilst keeping their style at the forefront of it all. Powerful throughout yet still restrained enough to allow you to hear every single element built into the mix, these tracks are testament to the hard work and dedication within the band, and remind us all why we should be listening to Martyr De Mona from here onwards.
To find out more about Martyr De Mona, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Martyr De Mona
We were recently sent through the debut album from Stourbridge based Martyr De Mona, a band hailed as ‘the darlings of the Birmingham metal scene’. Describing their music as anthemic grunge tinged metal which tips a hat to their illustrious predecessors, these guys are crossing genres and basically, playing what they want to play. Working with Russell Tite (who has worked with the likes of Machine Head and Bullet for My Valentine) and already playing bigger and bigger shows, these guys seem to be on the verge of breaking out and being seen fully – so I figured it was about time I jumped aboard to see what’s on offer!
Opening with Sever, there’s an immediate sense that this is an album which is going to push boundaries, fusing the sludgy riff with lead lines and a powerful drum beat which gets you out of your seat wanting to hear more and more. The vocals come in clean yet powerful, the whole mix forming something which you can’t help but want to hear more of, the sound penetrating the inner sanctum of your ear drums and making you move whether you want to or not. The show stealer though has to be the catchy chorus – the anthem claims are already being well backed up, and that’s before I get onto the guitar solo!
Protect What’s Yours follows on and keeps things moving at pace, this time adopting an almost funky beat as it begins hard, then breaks down to more basic elements to really accentuate exactly what’s going on here. Once again catchy, this is a track which has to be built for live performances, it’s got that sound which pulls you along for the ride and makes you want to hear every single element. Fusing the key elements of grunge with harder rock here, and almost nodding to classic rock at other moments, this is a track which seems to sum up the style of the band perfectly – a band which is out for world domination and won’t stop at anything less. Departed is soon upon us though and comes as a bit of a shock to the system initially, opening soft and melodic as if to lure you in before launching once again to the solid riff based melee. Emotionally charged lyrics bound out from the hard hitting backing music, the mix forming something which you want to pull closer, want to turn up and want to make sure you play to everyone you know – the lead line continuing to throb around behind the main elements of the track to further bolster it.
The Jackal comes up next and returns us to the harder openings of the first tracks, once again opening with a pounding beat behind a bass heavy mix, this is music which is going to get live crowds banging their heads and loving every second of it. Moving away from the catchier side of things, this track is simply a rock track in every sense of the word, there’s riffs, bass rhythms and pounding drums all backing up a gravelly vocal line designed to keep you wanting more. Lycanthropy sticks to this theme as comes into being, this time opting once again for more of those intricate guitar lines which are going to have all of the guitarists out there drooling over their fret boards. Slowing down from the initial fast paced music, this track chops and changes through different time signatures as it progresses, once again throwing in a new element to keep you intrigued, the element of surprise! Almost as if to back this up, Esprit De Corps follows up with gun fire sound effects before launching into a hammering mix of pure downright rock goodness. Surprisingly restrained yet still managing to sound heavy, this is another emotionally charged track designed to give you a brief respite from the raw power shown off through the rest of the album, almost a moment of reflection if you will.
End Of Forever sticks to the laid back chilled out theme, this time breaking the track down to a simple acoustic line under more of those incredible emotionally charged vocals. The mix once again makes you reflect on things, allowing you a moment to hark back and consider where you’ve come from before launching you into a powerful chorus. Once again demonstrating that this is indeed a band which firmly believes in the word ‘anthem’, the chorus is surely one which is going to have live crowds singing along and loving every second of it. This track is probably my personal favourite from the album, purely for the contrasting hard and soft approach running through it. Coming a close second though is Arms That Crave A War, another track which opens in a way which is going to lure you in, making you question what’s about to come up. What’s coming up is another track full to the brim with guitars, bass and drums, all backing up the soaring vocal line. There’s a real sense of prog running through this track, almost as if to nod at some of their influences or to say to the audience, told you we could do it.
Bleeding Eyes is the penultimate track on the album and leaves you with no doubt that what you’ve heard so far has been an experience rather than just a selection of tracks. Opening hard, heavy, fast and raw once again, you’re pummelled once again by the guitar riffs whilst the drums keep you moving along with everything. Keeping the vocals soft within the track, the mix that’s formed here is one which you can’t help but want to see on the live scene, if there’s a track which is going to get pits going then it’s got to be this one! Closing with Saving Grace, the album is brought to a close to allow you a moment to rest before going through it all over again. Opening almost as a display for all of the elements of the band, every single part is here to be heard and shows of the bands skills as a whole and as individuals. As a closing track to the album, this does what it says on the tin and leaves you begging for more, questioning how they’re going to follow this with another album!
This album from Martyr De Mona is one which I know for a fact I’ll be coming back to time and time again, there’s just something about it which is really appealing. The style of music is a combination of different styles, which in turn makes this something which can’t really be pigeon-holed into a particular style or genre, but that’s got to be a good thing. This is a band who are coming up with a unique sound, one which you’re going to hear and want to hear more of!
To find out more about Martyr De Mona, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Sever, there’s an immediate sense that this is an album which is going to push boundaries, fusing the sludgy riff with lead lines and a powerful drum beat which gets you out of your seat wanting to hear more and more. The vocals come in clean yet powerful, the whole mix forming something which you can’t help but want to hear more of, the sound penetrating the inner sanctum of your ear drums and making you move whether you want to or not. The show stealer though has to be the catchy chorus – the anthem claims are already being well backed up, and that’s before I get onto the guitar solo!
Protect What’s Yours follows on and keeps things moving at pace, this time adopting an almost funky beat as it begins hard, then breaks down to more basic elements to really accentuate exactly what’s going on here. Once again catchy, this is a track which has to be built for live performances, it’s got that sound which pulls you along for the ride and makes you want to hear every single element. Fusing the key elements of grunge with harder rock here, and almost nodding to classic rock at other moments, this is a track which seems to sum up the style of the band perfectly – a band which is out for world domination and won’t stop at anything less. Departed is soon upon us though and comes as a bit of a shock to the system initially, opening soft and melodic as if to lure you in before launching once again to the solid riff based melee. Emotionally charged lyrics bound out from the hard hitting backing music, the mix forming something which you want to pull closer, want to turn up and want to make sure you play to everyone you know – the lead line continuing to throb around behind the main elements of the track to further bolster it.
The Jackal comes up next and returns us to the harder openings of the first tracks, once again opening with a pounding beat behind a bass heavy mix, this is music which is going to get live crowds banging their heads and loving every second of it. Moving away from the catchier side of things, this track is simply a rock track in every sense of the word, there’s riffs, bass rhythms and pounding drums all backing up a gravelly vocal line designed to keep you wanting more. Lycanthropy sticks to this theme as comes into being, this time opting once again for more of those intricate guitar lines which are going to have all of the guitarists out there drooling over their fret boards. Slowing down from the initial fast paced music, this track chops and changes through different time signatures as it progresses, once again throwing in a new element to keep you intrigued, the element of surprise! Almost as if to back this up, Esprit De Corps follows up with gun fire sound effects before launching into a hammering mix of pure downright rock goodness. Surprisingly restrained yet still managing to sound heavy, this is another emotionally charged track designed to give you a brief respite from the raw power shown off through the rest of the album, almost a moment of reflection if you will.
End Of Forever sticks to the laid back chilled out theme, this time breaking the track down to a simple acoustic line under more of those incredible emotionally charged vocals. The mix once again makes you reflect on things, allowing you a moment to hark back and consider where you’ve come from before launching you into a powerful chorus. Once again demonstrating that this is indeed a band which firmly believes in the word ‘anthem’, the chorus is surely one which is going to have live crowds singing along and loving every second of it. This track is probably my personal favourite from the album, purely for the contrasting hard and soft approach running through it. Coming a close second though is Arms That Crave A War, another track which opens in a way which is going to lure you in, making you question what’s about to come up. What’s coming up is another track full to the brim with guitars, bass and drums, all backing up the soaring vocal line. There’s a real sense of prog running through this track, almost as if to nod at some of their influences or to say to the audience, told you we could do it.
Bleeding Eyes is the penultimate track on the album and leaves you with no doubt that what you’ve heard so far has been an experience rather than just a selection of tracks. Opening hard, heavy, fast and raw once again, you’re pummelled once again by the guitar riffs whilst the drums keep you moving along with everything. Keeping the vocals soft within the track, the mix that’s formed here is one which you can’t help but want to see on the live scene, if there’s a track which is going to get pits going then it’s got to be this one! Closing with Saving Grace, the album is brought to a close to allow you a moment to rest before going through it all over again. Opening almost as a display for all of the elements of the band, every single part is here to be heard and shows of the bands skills as a whole and as individuals. As a closing track to the album, this does what it says on the tin and leaves you begging for more, questioning how they’re going to follow this with another album!
This album from Martyr De Mona is one which I know for a fact I’ll be coming back to time and time again, there’s just something about it which is really appealing. The style of music is a combination of different styles, which in turn makes this something which can’t really be pigeon-holed into a particular style or genre, but that’s got to be a good thing. This is a band who are coming up with a unique sound, one which you’re going to hear and want to hear more of!
To find out more about Martyr De Mona, check out their Facebook page HERE.