Can you give me a background on your band? How was your band formed? How did you come up with the name Monuments?
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The band originally was formed as a continuation of FellSilent, after most of the bands members left. As time went on, the project began to grow into a whole different animal, and the project became the live continuation of Brownes solo-project. The name is tied in with the writing concepts we use, tied in with many esoteric themes that relate to certain monuments, and their origins.
Were there any bands that influenced your sound or lyrics?
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Far too many to list them all, we all have a very broad taste in music. To name a few, bands like Sikth, Karnivool, Gojira, but also loads of fusion/jazz acts like Hiromi Uehera & Snarky Puppy.
With the question above, a few of your members are ex-Fellsilent members. Did that experience have any influence on your sound?
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The general sound of the riffs Browne was writing has always had a very distinctive sound, so everything he developed inside FS naturally transferred down the line to Monuments, which has in turn influenced the rest of us in the band.
What kind of lyrics do your song revolve around? Is there any specific message you want to send?
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The lyrical messages really revolve the same musical concepts of social, political and spiritual issues. Answering the questions that people spend their lives avoiding
Have you guys been enjoying the gigs you've been doing?
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They've been awesome so far, its great to finally get back to shows with a solid lineup.
What songs do you guys enjoy playing the most?
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I think the track Empty Vessels Make The Most Noise, for the drops, and Denial for the bops.
Do you remember your first gig? What was it like?
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Our first ever show was in Colchester, Essex, in June 2010 with While She Sleeps and Carcer City. It was a cool show but it was a major 'oh sh*t so THATS what happens when you try to play this live' moment...
What equipment do you guys use?
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Mostly other peoples, but we do have a hitachi tv set with a metal zone boosted with a bag of roasted dry peanuts that give our sound that rich creamy toen.
What do you guys think about sites that post music and download links for full albums? Do you believe they're there to ruin sales, or do you feel they're just trying to help bands get noticed?
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While they contribute to a bands promotion and maybe get the music out to more fans, it doesn't really promote actual support of the band, which isn't such a good thing. People can enjoy the music for free, but the bands can't keep making and touring the music without the support, its definitely a two way thing.
You guys are listed as Experimental/Progressive, how do you feel about the complexity of genres today? (Death/Tech Death/Brutal Death/Deathgrind/Grindcore, etc etc) Do you feel that sometimes it gets out of hand?
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Sometimes, but even if it does, it usually ends up just causing more people to debate what music actually 'is', and the cross-referencing can be beneficial for sure. It is definitely a bit hard to keep up with though...
Are you guys excited for the day you break into popularity or get the chance to play in major concerts like Warped or Summer Slaughter over in the U.S.?
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Touring the U.S. is one of our main goals to achieve with this record, who knows what sort of offers we'll get a chance to play!
