EMQ’s with THE LAST MARTYR
Hi Everyone. Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Melbourne, Australia based Melodic Post-Hardcore/Metal band The Last Martyr! Huge thanks to guitarist Ben Rogers for taking part!
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hi all! My name is Ben and I play guitar in The Last Martyr. We formed in late 2017 and at the time our other guitarist and I had left another group and decided to start something new. I had contacted Monica earlier that year but nothing had eventuated but I was impressed with her previous work so contacted her again. The three of us got together to discuss what we were looking for and we started demoing music in the first few weeks. A month or two later I spoke to Matty our bassist and after playing previously in bands knew he would be the man for the job. He came and checked out what we were doing and hasn’t left since! At the start of 2018, we had recorded two singles ‘Into the Black’ and ‘Stay Awake’. Around this time our drummer Vinny came on board. He and I had been playing in groups and writing music together for around ten years and I knew he would be a perfect fit. We worked really hard on writing the EP and recording during 2018 and In April 2019 we played our first show at a festival in Sydney. We have played the odd show but have been focussing on some new music and rehearsing to make sure we are at the best we can be.
How did you come up with your band name?
When we had initially come together, as the three of us, we were brainstorming names and the word Martyr came up. We all really liked the word and we were discussing the meaning of the word our own pasts and there was a bit of a link. We had all studied music and played in bands and over time we had seen a lot of our friends and people we studied music with stop playing in bands and stopped playing music in general. We had this feeling like we were some of the last left carrying the torch. This summed up how we felt and “The Last Martyr” was born.
What country are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from Melbourne, Australia. The heavy music scene is pretty strong here. There are the issues surrounding venues (or lack of venues due to closures around the country) but the metal community here is amazing.
What is your latest release (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release is our EP “Creatrix” which we can’t wait to play for you guys!
Who have been your greatest influences?
Personally, my greatest influences are guys like John Petrucci, Misha Mansoor, Clint Lowry, and Drew Goddard. They are all very unique players and the sounds they all create are phenomenal. Music wise, I’d have to say Sevendust, Periphery, Karnivool, Trivium, and Mudvayne. They’ve been a big influence on what I like to create.
What first got you into music?
The first song that really got me into music and got me going out to buy CDs was ‘Fuel’ by Metallica. When I was hearing it for the first time when it came out, at 11 years old, I just couldn’t get enough of it.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I would love to collaborate with Matt Heafy from Trivium. I’d love to pick his brain while writing a song and I think it would be a good fun thing to do.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
I’d love to play Download Festival or Hellfest. Whenever I have been to Download it just seems like everyone is there having a good time and I’d just like to play at a huge event like that. From the footage I’ve seen from Hellfest, it just looks amazing with a chilling atmosphere.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I can’t think of anything weird but the coolest was sitting backstage and a fan brought all the band members a large pizza from Domino’s. It was epic.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
You are all appreciated. Every like and share on Facebook, every stream, every message all make a difference. We are extremely grateful for any time you turn up to a show, purchase some merch or buy an EP as this helps us travel further and put on bigger and better shows.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
There would be too many on the list to pick just one. But I think Cliff Burton would be one I would love to bring back.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The best thing is when someone you have never met sends you a message online and tells you that the music has made a positive difference to their current situation. This will always be my favourite thing.
But I hate changing my guitar strings/cleaning my guitar…when I do it I really rush through it just to get it done.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
There are many things I would like to see change. I find it hard to pinpoint one thing to change. I would like to see some more support for mental health. It is such a big issue and I find it rare over here that it is talked about. There has been a music festival locally dedicated to it which was great and it helped bring attention to it but it is something that I think needs to be looked at on a bigger scale.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
One of the many on that list would be “Sound Awake” by Karnivool. It’s an album I still put on and can listen from start to finish without skipping a track or hitting the pause button.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Definitely CD’s! I’ve never had vinyl but it would be a waste at our house as I usually stream music at home and listen to CD’s in the car. The last cassette I owned was Blink 182 “Enema of the State,” and the tape snapped once I got to the end of the first side!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
One of the biggest was at Crown Casino here in Melbourne about 10 years ago for an event. It was packed and the crowd went off. A close second was a support slot with a band I played in with Matty and Vinny supporting The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. There was a huge crowd all night and they were really into every band that played that night.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
If I wasn’t playing music I would be playing a lot of sport. A lot of cricket! Other than that I have no idea.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
I would invite Corey Taylor, Matt Heafy, Misha Mansoor, Jarad Dines and James Hetfield. Though I would be insanely star struck and would not say much throughout the night.
What’s next for the band?
We are looking to record a single in the next few weeks, record a video in the next few months and keep on rehearsing, writing and looking for shows.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Good old Facebook and Spotify.
https://www.facebook.com/thelastmartyr/
https://thelastmartyr.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2yHEL3jTfxCw85mI0hWqNf
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
I had to google what that is haha! I’d think it depends on how you eat it but I reckon you do something a bit Australian and spread some vegemite on there and call it an “Arvo Sanga.”
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for taking the time to put all of this together and for checking out our EP, “Creatrix!”
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.