I'm The King Of Rock There Is None Higher

Why aren't there more bands doing shit like this? (Probably because they'd end up killing themselves.)

Monotonix are the sickest fucking band I've ever seen. They set up on the floor in the middle of the crowd, but it doesn't really matter where they set up, because as they play they start mowing the whole place down and taking over the entire room, wall-to-wall. Trash cans fly around like beach balls at a Dead concert. The singer, Ami, will climb anything and everything, ripping down signs and knocking over anything that's in the way of where he wants to go. The drum kit gets moved around, from place to place, on top of things, on top of the bar, on top of people, all while the drummer, Ran, keeps playing away. You'll see the guitar player, Yonatan, sitting off in the corner playing his guitar (not plugged in, of course) while the opening bands are playing. He looks like he sleeps with his guitar. Plugged in, he's a perpetual motion riffing machine. The kick drum ends up on top of the bar. Yonatan stands on top of the bar with it, playing the kick drum part with his foot while continuing to build a thick, solid wall with his guitar. Nobody can understand what the singer is saying. He climbs the second floor balcony, looking like he wants to jump. People are falling down. Cans of beer fly around and break open. The entire time, the band doesn't stop playing for even a second as one killer song runs into another.

Now the drum kit gets carried outside, so the band continues to play out in the parking lot. Yonatan stands on top of someone's van and keeps playing. He's still plugged in, though you can barely hear his amp, which is back inside the club. The club security starts freaking out as the crowd follows the band further down the street. Eventually the song stops and Ami, who's now standing nearly six feet up on a concrete wall, tells the crowd to quiet down, saying, "Everyone, we will now go back inside the venue. Wait for me, as I will get down first. Then please follow my lead." Well, yes sir.




This is Montonix side from a split 7" with RTX that's part of the subscription-only Volcom Vinyl Club, or whatever. There's supposed to be only 500 purple ones, but mine's black (unless that looks purple to you), so maybe there's two editions. It just came out last month and it's most likely already close to being sold out, if the number on mine (417 of 500) is any indication.

I'm also including a song off their "Body Language" EP on Drag City, which I like a lot better.




Monotonix -

"Ride"
(from Monotonix/RTX split 7")

"Summers and Autumns"
(from "Body Language" EP on Drag City)

(both these files are now listen-only)