Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with an Italian band that plays Alternative Post-Rock/Metal. We welcome MENHYR.
Hi, welcome to our pages, how are you?
“Hello, we are doing great and you? Thanks for the opportunity to be on your webzine, we appreciated a lot!“
The band was formed over 10 years ago, how did the project and the choice of the name MENHYR come about?
“We started very young, as a group of friends who wanted to play covers of bands we liked. About the name, when we started playing together, we were into Stoner Rock and heavy music, so we wanted the band name to reflect this âheavinessâ. So, weâve decided to use the word âmenhirâ, referring to the huge stones with mystical aura used as megalithic monuments in ancient times. Fun fact, the name âMenhirâ was already used by another band, so we replaced the âIâ with a âyâ and we became MENHYR. We all liked how it sounded and the fact that written that way was unique.“
You offer an Alternative Post-Rock/Metal sound, how did your passion for these sounds come about and what are your sources of inspiration in this regard?
“As mentioned, early days we started playing Stoner Rock, but after a while we discovered the album âStationâ by Russian Circles. That record completely changed our life, we felt in love with Post Metal genre, with its dark evocative atmospheres, the alternation between heavy riffs and emotional harmonies. Band such as Russian Circles, Pelican, Isis, Amenra inspired us so much and pushed ourselves to approach this genre. So gradually our songs sacrificed the vocal lines to make room for the instruments and in 2018 we released our first instrumental album âMavenâ.“
You recently celebrated 10 years as a band, what did it mean to you and what memories do you have of this journey?
“When we think that weâve been playing together for almost a third of our lives we still canât believe it! Time really flies; we were so young when we started the journey. For us it means a lot, we consider ourselves best friends, before members of the same band. We see each other even outside the band, best creative ideas usually came in the strangest of the situations. I think this bond has allowed us to last this long and still be here.“
Your new album âEchoes Of The Monolithâ was released on January 31, 2025 how would you describe this work?
“We are very proud of this album, itâs our most matured work, weâve put so much effort and love in every detail of the production of the tracks. We wanted a heavier and tougher album than the previous one as our influences have evolved over the years. In this album we wanted to evoke emotions in a very deep and ethereal way, with heavy riffs and memorable harmonies. Each song expresses different emotions and visions which relate to the title of each track. The track names take inspiration from various languages, mythologies and traditions to give the album a universal place in space and time. We changed the names of the tracks we don’t know how many times but, in the end, we managed, at least in our design, to reach the right concept we had in mind. SoloMacello’s artwork incredibly encloses what we wanted to evoke. Listening to âEchoes Of The Monolithâ you can feel anger, melancholia, sadness but also power and hope.“
7 intense tracks, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“Every member of the band plays a different and fundamental role in the creative process. Usually it starts with Liuk (Guitar) sharing some riffs and harmonies and a general concept for a song. Marcio (Guitar) diligently takes these disconnected parts and tailored them in a seamless structured song, adding some flavour in harmonies. Then Martino (Drums) and Eli (Bass) enhance the overall structure of the guitars with their rhythm section as an oiled machine.
Finally, we play the newborn song over and over in studio until we are satisfied (it could take months for the final version).“
Since the first record in 2014 it has been 11 years, how has your sound evolved over time?
“As mentioned, we started playing Stoner Rock, influenced by bands such as Kyuss, The Sword and the great Black Sabbath, our style was more âclassicâ. We used to have a vocalist back then and one single guitar (Liuk). The sound of the band started to change when Marcio (Guitar) entered Menhyr, bringing a Hardcore flavour and a more modern and fresh heaviness. After a while, when we discovered the Post Metal scene, we decided to abandon the lyrics for an instrumental-focused project. Another important milestone for the evolution of our sound was the switch to drop B tuning, which together with the solid riffs, allowed us to create our “wall” of sound. We think that our song composition process really benefitted from this choice, we learnt how to communicate and express emotions only with the power of our instruments.“
Many of our readers and your fans wonder if there will be a chance to hear your music live, do you have plans in this regard for the near future?
“From the beginning we have always played live regularly in Milan and nearby, we’ve always been a bit lazy to travel though ahaha⌠However, we have these two dates planned soon in northern Italy:
March 14th @Circolo Arci AgorĂ , Cusano Milanino
May 16th @Masnada Club, Brugherio”
Italy has always been one of the main exponents in the Rock field and beyond, how do you see the scene today in our country and more generally in your genre?
“As far as we know, the rock and metal scene is very active, with numerous bands and projects, but also fanzines and independent labels, which thanks to the digital manage to make themselves known to the public. Unfortunately there are few genre festivals, but fortunately small realities, such as clubs and social centres, takes the music alive with events that are always populated by people who love live music.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music with a sound like yours?
“We are an underground subgenre, but donât be discouraged by this! Donât do music just to please a massive audience or for trends and meme but do music because you enjoy it, and you feel you are expressing your feelings at the best of your possibilities. Also, always use ear plugs during rehearsal and prevent loud noise to damage your ears, your hearing is important!“
In recent times technology is increasingly taking over the music field, how do you see this growing technological contribution?
“Technology has played a dominant role in the music industry lately, revolutionizing how music is created produced and distributed. We try to keep up with the times, but we are old-school âmusiciansâ- guitars, amps, rehearsal room and beers. We are passionate about our music because we like it and because we enjoy it. When we play live and strangers come up and tell us they liked us and we rocked, it is our greatest satisfaction and motivation to believe in our project and carry it on regardless of trends.“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside music?
“Oh man, we have soooo many passions other than music, it would take a year to describe them in detail!
Just to mention some of those: we are passionate about every sport with a board whether if itâs surf, skateboard, snowboard or even fingerboards! We are also into videogames, painting miniatures, and other nerdy hobbies⌠We also all love pets, both dogs and cats.“
I thank the band for the interview and wish them all the best for the release of their new album and the continuation of their artistic career.
“And we thank you again for finding us and giving us space in your webzine.“
Purchase their new album on Bandcamp: https://menhyr.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-the-monolith
