out now: Monarch -- shredding, melodic speed metal from California, USA

In 2017 Monarch issued the album Go Forth... Slaughter. You could say that it's a solid thrash album, but now in 2021 they have turned up the shredding and the melodic hooks. They are still fast, but they have really spiced up the speed with improved musicianship, and the guitar work now is primed to grab people's attention for its sophistication, not just the speed and loudness. The difference is clear, and fans of serious guitar playing will notice that Monarch is in the business of serious guitar playing.

Monarch

Future Shock

16 April 2021

BIO: Monarch is a heavy metal band from San Diego, consisting of Matt Smith on vocals and guitar (NIHILIST, DAMCYAN), Casey Trask on guitar (THE THREE TREMORS, CAGE), Gabe Mendez on bass (SUPRA SUMMUS), and Adam West on drums. Formed in 2007 by Casey Trask and some buddies in high school, Monarch weaved its web across San Diego, finding the best musicians to keep up with the lightning-fast rhythms, smashing drums, and screaming guitar solos, the standard was hard to keep until the right members were found. Adam West was next to join the band bringing a fearsome ferocity that few have ever seen in a drummer. His all-out style drumming and love of heavy metal was a perfect fit for Monarch’s earlier thrash metal material and has since been refined into a speed metal killing machine. Next to join would be Matt Smith, always revered by the members of Monarch as being one of the most creative and eccentric musicians in San Diego playing with local bands Damcyan and Nihilist, Adam and Casey would go to his shows and stare in awe as he would warm up and soundcheck with Yngwie Malmsteen licks. Matt joined the band around 2016, a year later the band would release their debut album “Go Forth… Slaughter” featuring raw thrash metal with a hint of what was to come, with Matt’s affinity and background in classical music, the sound was bound to evolve in the most epic way imaginable. Last to join, but certainly not least, was Gabe Mendez. The members of Monarch would always enjoy watching Gabe’s band Supra Summus perform in San Diego in which Gabe was the bass player/ lead vocalist and was certainly more than capable of the demanding rhythms of Monarch. In 2020, Monarch recruited this demon beast of a bass player and hasn’t looked back since. Monarch has shared the stage with bands such as Death Angel, Nervosa, Powerglove, Act of Defiance, and in 2019, they won the Wacken Metal Battle in the USA to guarantee a slot at the greatest heavy metal festival in the world, Wacken Open Air. Monarch will release their new album “Future Shock” in the year 2021.

Monarch - Future Shock [Full Album] 2021

https://www.facebook.com/MonarchThrash/