Doomed Confessionary: Matt, Jo & Yuri (Mistress Of The Monolith)
Mistress Of The Monolith is an instrumental psych metal trio hailing from Leeds, UK. Formed in 2023, the band consists of Matt on bass, Jo on drums and Yuri on guitar & keyboards.
Fans of Russian Circles, Kyuss, Pelican, Om, and 70’s progressive rock, pay heed.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are a 3 piece instrumental outfit from Leeds in Yorkshire, England. The current line-up has solidified in summer 2023 when Yuri (guitar/synth) joined Matt and Jo (bass and drums), who have been providing the rhythm section together in several bands and versions of MOTM prior to that. We decided to pivot to a purely instrumental approach after the initial jam session as we felt all ingredients were already there and just wanted to get the project going.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Just getting ourselves out there. However it feels like the ball has started to roll, especially having some material recorded.
What can you be most proud of so far?
So far it is our recordings, we are very limited with our budget and have been trying to do as much as we can ourselves. We have enrolled our mate Dave who goes by his stage name John D. Murray when performing to record the drums for our first release Fulcrum Blues at the rehearsal studio called The Rock & Roll Circus, and Jo has managed to secure us a free day of recording at the Eiger Studios in Leeds this summer. Once we had the drum tracks, the bass and the guide track for guitar done we’ve worked on the rest of the recording, mixing and mastering from our homes adding layers and having verbal battles over the process.
What was your biggest regret?
To be honest as a young band we probably did everything we could to further our selves and have been trying to take every chance that would come along on our way to progress..ask us in a couple years, we might have something to regret then 😀
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
It was probably the time we opened the night for the album presentation of our home boys Helve late last year, we’ve played a few more gigs since and we are always grateful for a chance to showcase our music and for the people who come see us play, but that night had an especially great atmosphere of comeradery between all bands and a general sense of a cohesive community formed around music
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The fact that people care! It’s really mind blowing when a person you don’t know tells you they have checked out your recordings prior to the gig, or when a groupl of your friends sing the riff from your track out loud like a gang of football hooligans!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Yuri: I recently got into Gatecreeper and I really enjoy their overall sound, it’s very reminiscent of the Swedish death metal but with a modern twist and within a post-metal context. I am really anticipating the new Pelican release as they were one of the first bands that got me into heavy instrumental music.
Matt: Currently it’s Cowboys and Aliens and Deicide.
Jo: I just recently discovered Helmet and getting back into Motörhead.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Enjoy what you do, as that’s the main point in playing music, everything else is a nice bonus.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Yuri: I love listening to Scooter while driving.
Matt: My current guilty pleasure is listening to a band called Tabernis.
Jo: Budweiser.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Leeds / Yorkshire?
Leeds is a vibrant place and has a diverse music scene. There’s everything available genre wise from folk, to metal, to jazz to hip hop and everything in-between you can imagine. There are many venues ranging from pubs like The Primrose, DIY punk venues like Boom to world renouned clubs like The Brudenell Social Club. In fact Yuri and Matt both moved to Leeds in hopes of finding people to make music with, Jo was lucky enough to be born a Yorkshireman and a resident here.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
So far for the remainder of this year we have got a set booked at Santiago Bar in Leeds on Nov 2.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We do have another track ready for release in the pipeline early next year, and hope to play more gigs and record more music, but we take each day as it comes and try not to get ahead of ourselves.
How can people best support your band?
Come to our shows, listen to our music and share it with others.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Keep it real and keep it groovy!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well