Interview with death metal band from Hungary - MONASTERY.
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Ave MONASTERY! Greetings to the Hungarian underground. I hope everything is fine with you. It should be because this year you have released a fourth full-length album in your band's career. I have to admit it has literally blown my mind. It is dark, energic and as if it cuts by the sharp edge of the knife. I can hear from the record you did a really good job and you added a big portion of the talent, too. How do you perceive the new album in comparison to the previous one? Where did you want to move and in what are these two records different?
Greetings to you and the readers! In 1992, we made the first Hungarian death metal record, which was officially released. In accordance with the age, the material was considered pioneering in Hungary, and the same can be said about the album that followed. This was the ancient era of the Monastery, followed by a longer hiatus. Since many years have passed between the old and the new records, there is quite a big difference in terms of technical and instrumental knowledge, but I think the commitment can be heard on all our records! On the new record, we continue the old school death metal traditions!
“Divine Damnation“ includes all attributes of good death metal. For me personally, it represents the record, which I really like to listen to. How did you produce it? How look the writing process of new material in the case of MONASTERY?
I'm so glad you think so. It is typical of the Monastery's current operation that we write the songs together. In most cases, the two guitarists come with riffs and themes, and together we put them into final form. Our lyricist is a Hungarian guy living in England, Lajos Diószegi "Dixi".
Who is signed for mixing and mastering? I have to confirm that the sound literally kills. It keeps making me turn up the volume on the hi-fi tower. You've got a sound that's harsh, raw and dark and animalistic at the same time. What studio did you record in and how did it all work?
The recordings were made in a studio in Sopron /MD studio/ a very good friend of ours was the producer, who by the way is the lead singer and guitarist of a first line band, the band's name is Moby Dick. We were able to work together very well, he has similar musical tastes. His name is Tamás Schmiedl.
An important part and a kind of extra bonus for fans today is the physical CD. You self-published it, and it has a corpsy cover art. Who is the author? Do I explain well the picture when I would think it is a body in a considerable state of decay? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music at the record?
The album is published by HAMMERWORLD RECORDINGS, one of the largest Hungarian metal labels. By the way, it is also the Hungarian publisher of a European-level newspaper, which also only deals with metal. The CD disc was distributed in a very serious number of /8000 / pieces, which is a serious achievement in this genre. The cover tries to reflect human passing, from the beginning to the passing away, the graphic was created by a Hungarian tattoo artist.
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I have been wandering the underground for over thirty years and I still go to Hungary for music with certainty. I think we have a similar nature and taste when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I monitor your scene carefully. Maybe I envy you a little, because we only have a few death metal bands that are worth it. How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
I think the online space helps a lot at the moment, because it is easier to reach the fans, but it is much more difficult to motivate the fans to come to a concert. Back in the 90s, many more people went to parties, even on weekdays. Today it is more difficult. I think the underground in Hungary has narrowed down quite a bit, there are fewer clubs and festivals where metal is also present. We are not complaining, we are currently working on opening in other countries as well. We heard /and experienced/ that there are enthusiastic underground fans in the Czech Republic! The same can be said about the publishers, and it's no secret that we want to publish the next album with a major European label.
It is true that you were among the first bands at this year's Symbolic Festival in the Czech Republic and I had to get up very early. But I definitely don’t regret it. I was very excited. It's true that death metal suits a smaller, club stages, but it was still great concert. How did you feel during the playing there, how did you enjoy the festival and what could you say about our fans?
We had a great time, and ours was probably one of the most popular concerts on Saturday. The teams were very good, high-quality, and everything was flexible and organized! All our respect goes to the enthusiastic audience, they were fantastic, and a huge thank you to the organizer for the invitation and the crew's attitude!!! We made friends, and exchange concerts with bands were also organized!
You play devastating death metal influenced by, among other things, the American school. Today, the band can't avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start MONASTERY was born, who was and is your metal idol? Where do you want to move your band? Are you attracted to large foreign festivals, for example, are you willing to go on tour with a more famous band?
Our absolute favorites are Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, Entombed, Slayer, among the current ones Vader, Decapitated, Belphegor, Corpsegrinder.... By the way, we constantly give concerts, approx. We have 65 concerts, and we are also present at quite a few festivals in Croatia and Hungary. A spring tour with a serious big-name band is planned, it is being organized. Anyway, we would also welcome the help of Czech organizers, we would love to go to your country for concerts several times!
When I started my website six years ago, I had a vision that I would try to support bands that are not so much popular, or they are lost in underground. To let the world knows about them. I think I'm doing quite well, at least according to the responses. How do you approach the promotion of your music? Do you rely upon the label or do you send the CDs for various reviews by yourself? For example, I buy albums that I really enjoy. What about you? Are you also fans who often support your colleagues? Do you go to concerts?
Yes, of course we support each other in the domestic underground, we maintain a very good relationship with all domestic teams. We also have webzines, they are often promoted here at home. The underground really needs supporters like you, because even with an interview like this, you help us a lot! Anyway, I personally am a CD and vinyl collector, I diligently buy the band's stuff!
On the one hand, today the new band has a lot of opportunities to make themselves more known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of groups and the fans are getting lost in this big metal sea. A lot of people just download mp3s from the internet and instead of to visit the concert they prefer to spit poisonous saliva on Facebook. How do modern technologies affect you as MONASTERY? What do you think about downloading music, google metalists, streaming music, etc.?
Unfortunately, we also currently need online media interfaces, without which we could not exist. Despite this, we trust that traditional audio carriers will remain, that has its real charm. Of course, we are also on the portals, facebook, spotify, youtube, this need is bad, but we use it to promote our music! Many young people get to know music from their armchairs, they find it difficult to go to concerts, and this can be seen in the composition of the age group at the parties...
I like to ask the musicians what death metal means to them. How would they define it, whether it is more the philosophy and lifestyle thing for them or "just" relaxation? What does it mean for you? How do you perceive and experience it?
Of course, it can also be called a way of life, you can't do this just as a pastime with such enthusiasm and dedication. Everyone is serious, and friendship keeps us together anyway, and our singer is my big boy. Fortunately, we also receive quite serious support from our families. For us, death metal as music is an expression of our feelings, sometimes anger, sometimes stabilization!
Finally, a classic but important question. What is MONASTERY planning in the upcoming months? Where can we see you at the stage and when will you visit the Czech and Slovak Republics again?
After the above-mentioned festival, a Slovakian organizer contacted us, and it looks like we will work together. On September 9th we will perform in Zvolen, and on November 26th we will perform in Poprád. We really want to find a connection in the Czech Republic too!
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish a lot of success to the new album and let the number of your fans expand as much as possible. I will look forward to seeing you somewhere live again. I wish you a lot of success both musically and personally. I'm going to push " Divine Damnation" into my head again!
We also thank you very much for the opportunity and thank your readers for reading the interview!!!!
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