MONSTRANCE, the new band featuring former CARCASS guitarist Carlo Regadas and vocalist Tony Glover (ex-DEVOID), has parted ways with drummer Ian Treacy (ex-BENEDICTION, MEATHOOK SEED, ABSOLUTE POWER) and has replaced him with Nicholas Barker (BENEDICTION, CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR, TESTAMENT).
Says Carlo: “I am absolutely chuffed to have the opportunity to work with Nick. I’m a longtime admirer of his work. His drumming is flawless and will propel this band to the next level. [I am] seriously looking forward to making some earth-shattering metal with Nick.”
MONSTRANCE is the brainchild of Regadas, former lead guitar player with grind gods CARCASS, post-CARCASS outfit BLACKSTAR and DEVOID. Following his tenures with CARCASS and BLACKSTAR, Carlo continued to write and record music, mainly for his own enjoyment.
In 2013, after a stint living in the Canary Islands, Carlo returned to the U.K. and met up with old friend and former DEVOID bandmate Tony Glover. Tony had recently unearthed some never-released material of Carlo‘s, some of which was penned during his tenure with CARCASS. Upon hearing this material again and realizing the strength of the songs, Carlo sent the material to some trusted, musically minded friends for their opinion, and the response was nothing short of astounding!
On the back of this enthusiasm, although reluctant at first, Carlo was urged to send the material to several established record labels, who also responded extremely positively and were very keen to hear more.
Carlo decided to approach some old friends and fellow musicians from the original death metal scene and decided to put together a full lineup, although at first, the intention was just to record an album as a studio project. Such was the friendship, camaraderie and enthusiasm for the project, the decision was quickly made to become a full-time band.
Carlo’s focus in recruiting band members was not to look for big-name musicians from the genre with previous credentials but rather to source like-minded individuals who were also very accomplished musicians.
The vocal position was immediately filled by Tony, building on their long-standing friendship, previous experience with DEVOID and long-held ambition to do a further project together. Tony has honed his vocal delivery since the DEVOID era, now projecting a unique blend of power, clear diction and articulation. Such is the power of Tony’s delivery, the mic level during the vocal demo sessions had to be backed off by -20db!
Belgrade-born Aleksandar Kokai, from Liverpool band CRUSH DEPTH EXPERIMENT, was recruited on bass. A supremely talented and technically gifted bass player who will provide energy and heaviness to a rhythm section of dynamism and power.
The lineup is bolstered further with the addition of yet another old friend, and former ORNAMENT guitar player, Steven Hargraves, who completes the band’s live lineup on second guitar. Carlo and Steven have worked closely together to forge a tight, melodic and crushing guitar duo, guaranteed to turn heads in the live setting.
Music-wise, MONSTRANCE cannot be easily pigeon-holed. As far as the band is concerned, it’s just metal, albeit with downtuned guitars and extreme vocals. The music is as crushingly heavy as it is melodic and catchy. Carlo’s original demos have now finally been completed with the addition of Tony’s savage vocal attack, perfectly showcasing the quality and originality of the material.
MONSTRANCE is:
Tony Glover – Vocals
Nicholas Barker – Drums
Aleksandar Kokai – Bass
Carlo Regadas– Lead, Rhythm Guitar
Steven Hargraves – Rhythm Guitar
For more information on MONSTRANCE, click here.
Source: Blabbermouth
