Interview with Chris Monroy Vocalist,guitarist of Skeletal Remains done by Patrick
1.Hello Chris how are you doing this week?Please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hey man I am doing great thank you for asking! Chris here guitar and vocals for skeletal remains!
2. Chris you handle the guitars for Skeletal Remains when did you become interested in playing the guitars?Did you take lessons when first starting out or are you self taught?
For the most part I am self taught I tried taking lessons once when i was in high school but it didn’t work out i was learning everything I could learn on my own so decided to stop taking em and just kept doing what I was doing before. My older brother actually played guitar so I guess he was one of the main reasons I started playing although he played a different style of music but I think it started with him showing me how to play a few songs back when i was younger then I kind of just started learning how to read tablature and Id just sit for hours a day and learn my favorite songs.
3.Who would you say are your influences and favorite guitarists?
Some of my favorite guitarist and influences are Jason Becker, Steve vai, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, James Murphy, Marty Friedman, Chuck schuldiner, David Gilmour.
4.Besides the guitars you also take care of the vocals when did you start growling?Do you do anything special to keep your voice healthy?
When i formed skeletal remains was the first time i actually took singing serious before that I never really sang much and if I did was just for fun when I would jam with friends but it was never anything serious like now and I never really wanted to be the singer it kinda just happened because we couldn’t find a singer at the time haha.. not really much man I guess just drink a lot of water when I’m on stage or right before getting on stage And try to stay hydrated.
5. Chris you all formed Skeletal Remains in 2011 when did you get the idea to form the band?And who would you say are Skeletal Remains biggest influences?
The idea came from just simply loving death metal and wanting to play some covers with a friend when we had free time it was never nothing serious as I was pretty busy with my full time band at the time so it would only happen when I was home from tour. Then we started writing our own songs and they sounded pretty ok so we decided to do a demo and the rest is history now we are here...
Some of the biggest influences would be pestilence, gorguts, demolition hammer, death, disincarnate, obituary, morbid angel...
6.Devouring Mortality is the bands third release how long did it take you all to write the music for this release?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member write everything?
For the first two records before it was me and Adrian Obregon doing most of the writing but this time around it was pretty much all me doing the music and for lyrics I had help from Adrian Marquez and Johnny. As far as how long it took I guess it was quite a long time just because we went through three drummers during the writing of this album so that also made things take a bit longer.
7. Chris, you handle the vocals so I figure you take care of writing the lyrics for the music what are some subjects you all wrote about on Devouring Mortality?
It’s actually me and Adrian Marquez who wrote most of the lyrics for this album But alot of things come into play when it comes to the lyrical content on the album. From natural disasters to autobiographies and stories on historical figures, science-fiction and even video games believe it or not. Just a lot of what we are into and fine very interesting on a daily basis. We like to take any topic or idea we find interesting and try to make it as brutal as possible.
8.Besides the upcoming release are the bands previous releases still available for the readers to buy?Besides the physical releases does the band have any other merchandise available if yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?
You can still purchase the first two albums from us on our online store or at our shows as well with a bunch of other merchandise we have available. We have a lot of different things shirts patches sweats shorts flags pins etc. so go check it out.
Skeletalremains.bigcartel.com
9.I know Skeletal Remains has played many shows over the years in both the U.S and Europe.What have been some of the bands most memorable shows over the years?And who were some bands you have shared the stage with?
Oh man there has been so many cool shows I would say hellfest in France was one of the best shows sharing the stage with so many sick bands was a dream come true. Playing japan for the first time was amazing as well we had such a great time a lot of killer fans out there can’t wait to go back. Party san on our first European tour was also a big one we played first at like noon and there was so many people there for us it was really crazy and amazing experience.
10.Are their any shows or tours planned in support of Devouring Mortality?If yes where will the band be playing?
Yes we have are playing Canada for the first time in March supporting the mighty demolition hammer and we also have an album release show here at home in April a European tour in May with our label mates angelus apatrida from Spain. Strikefest in Los Angeles which has an amazing bill that you should check out if your not familiar with it. And some stuff later in the year is also booked but I can’t announce yet I guess best thing would be to keep an eye out for announcements on our Facebook and Instagram.
11. Chris, when not working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your free time?
When I’m not busy with SR I am usually working here at home because we all still have daily jobs to pay our bills. Besides that most of my time I spend with my family because sometimes being away from them for a month or two on tour sucks so I always try to be with them when I’m home. And also go to shows when any cool bands come near LA.
12.Skeletal Remains comes out of California's old school death metal what is your opinion of the metal scene in California?
It’s great man there is a lot of cool bands coming out all the time that are also doing the same style we are and it’s great to see that. The scene it self can be a bit weird here in LA people support rumors instead of music it seems like and i find that pretty dumb haha but it’s not always like that but you will come across it.
13.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of California and are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
There is a few that i really enjoy. Necrot from Oakland is great also Rude but I’m not sure if they are still based out of Oakland. There is this band from Oregon, Torture rack who we played with at Maryland Deathfest also a sick band.Our friends from Morfin, Blade Killer you should check out as well.
14.Thank you Chris for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you guys for the interview and thanks to anyone who took the time to read this! Keep supporting and make sure you pick up our new album “Devouring Mortality” out April 13th!
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=9437 www.facebook.com/SkeletalRemainsDeathMetal/
Band Contacts
https://www.facebook.com/SkeletalRemainsDeathMetal
http://skeletalremains.bigcartel.com/
Label Contacts
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DarkDescentRecords
