Megalithic, Alternative Rock from London (UK)

Megalithic comprises of two men from opposite ends of the world, brought together in the most unlikely of destinations by a mutual love for all things music. Alex McDonnell, and Mehzeb Chowdhury formed the band in the summer of 2014 in the wintry hollows of County Durham, with a vision to capturing the magic of independent music that was such a hallmark of the late 1980s and 1990s. McDonnell’s signature vocals and demiurgic playing style were an instant match to Chowdhury’s hard-hitting, head-banging riffs, and cerebral lyrics.
Chowdhury met McDonnell during their respective PhDs at Durham, spawning a partnership that would lead to one of the most exciting independent rock albums of recent memory. Their billboard favourites include the science-inspired Stars (a modern love ballad completely written with Astrophysics lexemes), Chemistry 101 (a riff-fueled rock epic containing only Biochemistry locution), and Blackhole – the band’s ultimate tribute to the funk rock genre. With these songs, Megalithic fields the question, ‘Can science be romantic?’
The two men worked through the harsh winters, and abridged summers for four long years, culminating in their first album, The Unnamed, releasing in early 2018 on 150 digital platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, 8Tracks, iHeartRadio and Napster.

Musicwebzine – Hi, who is Megalithic?
Alex: Megalithic is me Alex McDonnell and Mehzeb Chowdhury. We both met at Durham University and started Megalithic with the intent of harkening back to that style of music that was on the precipice between rock and metal in the late 70s/80s. However, we also incorporate other genres like progressive rock and funk because we are eclectic!
Mehzeb: Megalithic is about collaboration that grew out of love for riff-heavy, attitude-filled rock music. I met Alex at Durham, and it was obvious right away that we shared the same love for the classic eras of rock and metal, but we also had very different influences, which made things interesting. We never wanted to just recreate what came before. It’s about fusing the old with whatever new ideas grab us in the moment.

Musicwebzine – Tell us about your latest release!
Alex: Our latest release, Serenade is a five track E.P. starting with Blackhole which is a fusion of hard rock and funk with some virtuoso bass courtesy of Dima, our guest bassist! This is followed by Legacy which is a tune with progressive rock leanings and blistering solos. The next track is Megalithic, which is tongue in cheek and influenced by glam rock and bands who used to write songs about themselves! Chemistry 101 takes its cue from Motorhead with the combination of metal with punk while Bleak is grunge metal with a guitar solo at the end which incorporates some techniques from “modern guitar”.
Mehzeb: Serenade really is a real cross-section of what we’re all about. Each track comes from a different space. Blackhole brings funk and metal into orbit, Legacy plays with time and emotion through progressive rock, and Bleak is what it sounds like… a grunge-metal meditation on catastrophe. Alex’s solos on this release are next level. There’s always something fresh and unpredictable in the way he constructs them.

Musicwebzine – Which guest would you like get for your next album ?
Alex: Funny you asked as we have Dima on bass on a few of our tracks. Definitely Dima as he’s a beast on bass. Also, his bass guitar is really nice, tonally as well as visually!
Mehzeb: We already got lucky with Dima, who brings this surgical precision to the bass but with real flair too. You can hear his personality in every note. If we could bring him back for more, that’d be a no-brainer. Beyond that… if Slash ever felt like jamming with us, we wouldn’t say no.

Musicwebzine – Which bands influenced your style ?
Alex: For me it’s Led Zeppelin, Queen, Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Nine Inch Nails and The Beatles. However, in practice during the recording my guitar style was influenced by shredders like Malmsteen while certain vocal parts were a homage to James Brown. Funnily enough the sound engineer compared my rhythm playing to early 2000s pop punk bands, which I never listened to much. Therefore, it’s often bands you don’t think influence you who do because of the time period you grow up in or what the song requires.
Mehzeb: I grew up absorbing a mix of classic rock, metal, soundtrack scores, and early 2000s alternative. But more than specific bands, it’s moods and atmospheres that inspire me. That said, I’d be lying if I said Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Scorpions didn’t leave a mark. I also listen to a lot of composers and experimental stuff outside the rock genre, which occasionally seeps into our arrangements.

Musicwebzine – How many styles we can listen in your music?
Alex: Plenty, Blackhole is funk and hard rock with some rap thrown into the mix but there’s also progressive rock in tracks like Legacy, hard rock in Chemistry 101 and even some medieval stylings here and there!
Mehzeb: A lot. And that’s actually by design. We’re not trying to tick boxes. It’s just that we don’t see any benefit in limiting ourselves. One song might have funk, the next might lean into synth textures, or drop into grunge. If it fits the emotion or story we’re trying to convey, it goes in.

Musicwebzine – What about the cover?
Alex: I’ll pass this onto the artistic maestro, Mr Mehzeb! Needless to say, he could have apprenticed under Leonardo Da Vinci, such is his skill in art.
Mehzeb: I designed it to reflect a kind of epic, dreamlike tone. It’s meant to look like something carved into time…otherworldly, but familiar. There’s also a touch of theatricality in there, because we’re not afraid to have fun with the visual side of what we do. Alex is being far too kind, as always. I didn’t apprentice under Leonardo, but I certainly find myself influenced by him in everything that I do.

Musicwebzine – How is the music scene in your country?
Alex: It would appear to be vibrant enough. However, the expense of performing in Dublin and in the UK combined with the closure of venues mean there are less opportunities for bands to get their music heard, while also undermining the creation and growth of music scenes from which you get this good music. Of course, if housing and commercial rents weren’t stupidly astronomical, you would see an explosion in music scenes!
Mehzeb: There’s definitely a lot of talent. But the cost of living and venue closures are hitting creativity hard. It’s not a lack of good music. It’s a lack of sustainable ecosystems to support it. Musicians are often forced to choose between surviving and creating. That’s not healthy for the culture. Still, there are pockets of rebellion, and that’s where scenes tend to grow.