-You guys are quite the hardcore supergroup. But before we get to the meat, let us know what each of the members do for a living or on a regular basis that would be worthwhile noting.

Matty (drums) - I work at a restaurant, give drum lessons, pretty much play music all the time. I also started working for my endorsee, Masters of Maple Drums, building and selling kits. I play for Mikoto and Mean Season as well.

Joey (bass) - I go to school full-time and work for a lighting company.

Dino (guitar) – I own a fight school called Apex/ Subfighter and train professional MMA fighters.

Keith (guitar) – I work at a graphic design studio. I do artwork for bands too. I recently did the layout for the newest ‘Bury Your Dead’ album and I have some other cool projects in the works.

Dave (vocals) – I work at ‘Chain Reaction’. It’s a venue in SoCal. I’m also in Force of Change.



Does Keith really write jingles for companies? What were some of his more memorable or interesting contracts or experiences?

Keith- Haha, "jingles”. Kinda’. My friend Mike and I produce songs for commercials and soundtracks and stuff. Sometimes they’re originals and sometime they’re covers but, they are always full songs. We just started last year and we've landed 3 Macy's commercials and also some movie that I don't know the name of.

-People seem to think your band name comes from the excellent hardcore band ‘His Hero Is Gone’. To what extent is this true? Where exactly does the name come from anyways?



Keith- ‘His Hero is Gone’ was fucking amazing. I loved how pissed, low, sludgy and political they were. So yeah. The name was kinda’ stolen from their record but it's not like this is some tribute band. It's none of our favorite bands ever or anything. Just a really cool name from a great band.



-Down-tuned, mid-paced, and heavy as hell hardcore of the mid to late 90's left us as quickly as it came. Southern California, notably Adamantium, Throwdown, and Eighteen Visions, were on the forefront of that movement, and members of all those bands comprise the roster of Monument to Thieves. Why do you think that era ended up being washed away so quickly?



Matty- I think maybe what it all came down to was that, a lot of the kids in those bands just grew up. For the 7 or so “glory years” that those bands all had, and I’m talking roughly 1995-2002, nobody really gave a shit about anything except having a good time, and playing music with and for their friends. There were no major-labels, no record deals, and money wasn’t really an issue. But when you get to be in your early to mid 20’s, life sometimes has a way of taking over and telling you that, “Hey! You need to get your shit together. This music isn’t gonna’ pay the rent or put you through college. Either get serious about it or get a real job!” So the kids that needed a more straight and narrow path, faded from the scene.



Unfortunately, when the kids left, some of the scene left too. 7 years rolls by fast. But the bands, who didn’t quit like 18 Visions, Throwdown, and Bleeding Through, ended up doing pretty well for themselves, as far as being musically “successful” goes. For someone that was removed for a few years, to come back and see those dudes doing well, it’s awesome. I hope they continue doing well for long time. I’m stoked that I was a part of THAT scene at THAT time. I wish that Adamantium would’ve had a longer run but, I think the mark we left on the bands that came after us, was sufficient enough to have a lasting effect on the scene today. And the bands that are still around aren’t letting it die either. It’s getting stronger. You can see it.



-What were Keith’s reasons for leaving the bands he was part of in the past?

Keith-

18 Visions- It had been a band for about 10 years, and it was just time. We knew we didn't want to be that band that kids said, "Are they still together?” Our entire existence was an upward slope.



We worked that band from the garage and local O.C. clubs to major labels and playing festivals with Metallica. We got churned up in the major label deal and when we got dropped, we just knew we didn't want to go through it again.



Throwdown- I was in 18V and Throwdown at the same time, for a very long time. At that point, the Throwdown guys weren't ready to be a full time band so I decided to make 18V a full time priority. I told Throwdown I would never quit and they would have to kick me out, haha. When the Throwdown guys graduated school and were ready to go full time, they called me and told me they needed to have a permanent guy. There were no hard feelings and it was a day I knew was coming.



Adamantium- I started that band with Matty to be a SXE band. When Matty quit, we tried to find another drummer as gnarly as he was AND still be SXE but it was fucking impossible at the time. Our singer Aaron told me he was willing to compromise the SXE bit to find a drummer that was good enough to play Matty's parts. Basically, I wasn't cool with it NOT being a straight edge band. That was the whole point. I wasn't going to compromise that. At the same time, our other guitar player, had pulled some shady stuff with some of my friends, and I just said I'm outta’ here.

Death By Stereo- I was just in too many fucking bands so I needed to quit one, haha.



-With Disembodied now officially back together, along with Overcast, Dissolve, For The Love Of, Blood Has Been Shed, and Earth Crisis all returning to the fold last or this year, it almost makes official the return of the late-90's movement. What are the reasons, or conditions, in your view that it has taken this long for these ultra-influential bands to open up shop once more?



Matty- There’s a market again. I mean, there’s always been “a market”. It’s just that, now it seems like a lot more kids have been getting more and more into heavy music. Earth Crisis and the other bands you mention can still bring it. Even if you’re some kid who knows nothing about “Firestorm” or “Destroy the Machines”, and you like heavy-hardcore, you’re probably gonna’ like the sound of Earth Crisis, or at least be into that genre. And when people see a post titled “Overcast (feat. Members of Shadows Fall…)” I mean, it’s easy to see why it would get popular. I just think it’s so much more mainstream now. It’s easier to get bigger. It reaches more ears. I think a lot of dudes in “heavier” bands realized they can be marketable and make a living by using other resources outside of the local record store too, like, and I hate to say it but, Hot Topic (the store) for example.



You walk in there and see a decent selection of metal/hardcore records and rows of shirts from Norma Jean to Meshuggah to Bury Your Dead, etc. Pretty much every popular “heavy” band is being promoted. And 2 years ago, some of these bands were not being promoted in public like this. I’m all about the local record store because it’s more authentic and I’m usually trying to find something that isn’t sold at Hot Topic or Best Buy and more importantly, indie record stores really need support. But for the majority of the kids, it’s so much easier to access heavy music nowadays right at your local mall. Convenience is king. Another reason I think those bands have a market now is that people are really getting sick of hearing the same bullshit, day-in-day-out on the radio.



Where I live, I can count 5 radio stations that used to play at least some hard rock or metal. They’re now either Spanish radio, or pop hits. It’s ridiculous. There’s one fucking station for metal, and that’s in San Diego?! C’mon. People are getting annoyed at the lack of variety. You sit there and listen to KROQ and hear the same garbage over and over and over and over. Like beating your head against the fucking wall. Sooner or later it’s gonna’ hurt and you’ll want to stop and try something else. I guess go buy satellite radio or something. But anyways, that’s how things seem to be getting more popular. Everything’s not so underground anymore.



-Is it possible that old-school or more traditional hardcore isn’t as popular as the down-tuned, metallic sound that for years now has been associated with Southern California? Certain individuals such as Corey from Internal Affairs, thinks so. If you agree, what factors account for the balance of popularity being skewed in the direction of the riff?

Matty- It’s true. “Old school” hardcore has been sort of pushed to the side because there is just this huge overflow of bands that play that metallic, down-tuned, “new school” style now. And when I say overflow, I mean, the fucking heavens have opened up and the flood has arrived. Almost to a point where if you took 10 bands from the same genre and put the songs on shuffle, you’d think it was one album from one band. It’s stupid.



I think maybe the bands in the “new school” vein nowadays, don’t really get the “old school” sound either. Mainly because, that style doesn’t sound, um, “right”? It isn’t over-produced. It’s not lined-up digitally with Pro-tools, it doesn’t sound amazing. It’s not lyrics that read like a novel. It’s raw. At times, it’s sloppy. It’s all about the quality of the message, not the quality of the music. I think that is the main factor nowadays. I don’t think you can take a 15 year old kid that’s into bands like Whitechapel or As I Lay Dying or even Bleeding Through and try to make him get into Youth of Today or Cro-Mags or Judge. Some 15 year-olds are into that though and that’s awesome. Hopefully, “old school” can balance it out one day and get some respect because, if it weren’t for a lot of “old school” bands, none of this shit would even exist today.



-I noticed you stole an intro pattern right out of “The Fault of the Human Condition” from Martyr AD’s debut album. It's OK, the album is amazing and it sounds great in your song as well. ‘The Human Condition’ was on the verge of being the album that changed metallic hardcore forever. What are your opinions on that album and era of Martyr AD? How influential were they on you guys?

Matty- Haha, I knew this was gonna’ come up. First of all, just to get it out of the way, we had no idea until you mentioned it. No joke. After I read the interview with Chaz (Disembodied), I mentioned it to Keith and we went and listened to that song. We can see what you’re saying. It’s definitely a little similar but, definitely NOT because we wanted it to be. Not even close and we’d have to be pretty cheap to rip off a band that we “sound like”. So, mark it up to sheer coincidence. That album is indeed top-notch. I wasn’t into Martyr as much as I was into Disembodied. I think I was getting into other types of music when that album came out so I never gave it much thought until recently. It rules. Martyr is one of our top influences and we are aiming for that type of heavy sound. But one thing we try to make a point of is to write some original tunes that incorporate a few different bands that we all like. This leads me to the next question about Helmet…



-You are depicted wearing a Helmet shirt in some of your recent shots. What are your feelings on post-Aftertaste Helmet? Do you even consider it Helmet anymore? While easy to overlook these days, enlighten us as to the broad influence of Helmet on modern hardcore and metal. Any other underrated bands worth noting?



Matty- Helmet is my favorite band. I’m not gonna' get into why I like ‘em, it’ll take a day or so to explain. Post ‘Aftertaste’ huh? No bullshit, my favorite album is ‘Size Matters’. I don’t know a single person who agrees with me. Some people haven’t even heard that album. Lots of people are like, “Meantime, Meantime!” Nope. ‘Size Matters’. And it deserves to be noticed more. The production, the songs, and the line-up, are just plain great. You had Page, John Tempesta, Frank Bello, and Chris Traynor. All-stars. Now all except Page, are gone. I saw ‘em a few months back and they played the entire ‘Aftertaste’ album. Helmet is still Helmet. It still sounds like Helmet to me. But, you’re talking to a fanatic so, there you go. The influence that Helmet had on hardcore and metal today is pretty evident. I can’t give you specifics, there’s just too many. If you know Helmet then you know what I’m talking about. All I can say is “jud-jud” riffs HAD to be at least a small product of Helmet. Driving power chords and lots of palm muting. Melodic hardcore? You’re welcome. I mean, listen to ‘Meantime’ or ‘Betty’ and you’ll get it. Underrated bands? Besides Helmet, let’s see…I’ll say The Bronx. Possibly Ignite. Those are some really good bands that don’t get enough exposure.

Keith- I love that there is a question devoted solely to Helmet. I'm happy with keeping the focus on them. They're amazing.

Joey- Look up Dorcia from Reno, Nevada. Great band. They’re done now, but they still have a MySpace.

Dino- Face to Face. Never got as big as they should have.

Dave- This awesome Australian band called Deez Nutz. Bands like Shitlunch, Retaliate, and Suffer the Loss, too. They’re all worth checking out.

-Dave fronts the Strife-inspired straight-edge band Force of Change. To what extent then is Monument to Thieves also a straight-edge band?



Dave- Keith and I are still straight-edge, but Monument’ is not an edge band. Dino, Matty and Joey aren’t edge but they definitely aren’t party animals either.

-How important do you guys feel it is to claim edge versus simply abstaining from substances and not giving it a title?

Keith- It's very important for me, but I don't spend much time worrying about how important it is to other people.



-To what extent has edge-breaking affected your scene and your friendship circle? Have you lost any close friends due to this?

Matty- I’m the only true “sell-out” in the band I guess. I didn’t really lose friends because of it. I lost respect I’m sure but, that’s water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned. Nobody ever held me over the coals about it. When you’re young, it’s a bigger deal because you want to belong and being edge is definitely like being in a large family. Gang’s a bad term, family sounds better. I sold out because it stopped being important to me and that’s that. I sometimes wish I hadn’t. I loved being edge. I haven’t really seen any kids “X’d” up at our shows. I’m sure they’re out there. I hope they’re out there and I hope they come to our shows. Straight-edge is a positive thing. Honestly, I’ve lost more friends over women than selling out though and that’s pretty sad.

-Have alcohol and drug abuse problems become worse in the U.S. since your previous bands were highly active years ago? If you feel they have, what factors do you think account for it?

Matty- Eh, it’s hard to say. When we (Keith and I) were in those bands, we were straight edge. I didn’t go to bars or really pay attention to that social problem. I knew that I wanted to be edge because it was a smart and positive thing to do with my life. I didn’t really hang out with anyone who did drugs or drank either so, for me, to gauge the progression of that problem is hard. I’m sure it hasn’t declined much. It’s safe to say that, any time you have an economic problem like we do now, it can drive people to drink. Or to do drugs. Anything to make the problems go away I guess. I’ve never personally been affected by either vice.



Keith- It doesn't seem any different to me. As years went by, I saw some of my friends get into drinking, but more so casually than abusive.

-To what extent do your lives reflect the popular TV show, The O.C.? Is Southern California really like that? If so, how do you feel about it?



Joey- About 8% of Southern California matches up with the show. None of us own beach-front property or drive a bright yellow Hummer. If you drive along the P.C.H. you’ll see plenty of that, but the majority of Orange County is just a nice place for middle class folk to live. The show is about as close to the reality of Orange County as Fast and the Furious was to street racing.



Dino- True. It’s all a media portrayal. They find the biggest, most gaudy parts of Orange County and the exploit the shit out of it. It’s totally ridiculous but like Joey said, there is that 8% out there that act just like the TV shows portray them and that’s scary.

-You guys are all or mostly, pushing 30 or in your early-30's, if my estimations are correct. What is it like starting a non-commercial hardcore band at that age? Is the issue of money more a factor than when you were all in your first touring bands?

Matty- It’s awesome. This band is always going to be a “fun” project. We take it serious sure but, we all understand that we probably won’t ever tour with it or make a profit. It’s not about money, I can tell you that. Money is nice, but not expected. And it’s definitely a factor more now than when we were in our previous bands. We all have rent to pay and bills to take care of. We just want to play good local shows and have a good time. If some wild proposition were to arise, then I suppose we would cross that bridge when we came to it. But for now, we’re older and we’re not naive enough to think we can make a living off ‘Monument’.



-Do any of you believe in conspiracies? If so, which ones? Please elaborate and educate our readers.

Matty- Aliens do exist. Our government has definite proof. It’s going to come out. Hopefully, in my lifetime. As an atheist, I want to know and I would personally like to see the explanations that organized religion can come up with for their existence. That and Elvis is still alive.

Joey- Aliens exist, but the flying saucers that sparked the interest in Roswell, New Mexico were spacecraft developed by Nazi scientists who fled Germany during the war. Oh, and Biggie Smalls is still alive.

Dave- I’m watching “Invasion” right now and I've become a firm believer that, aliens will one day take over the world through a viral infection or some sort of telepathy...... Obama perhaps? All the signs are there.



Dino- I believe in conspiracies. There’s too many to name. It’s all shady business.

Keith- People need to read the book "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins and look up anything to do with him on YouTube.

-Has Monument to Thieves set forth any particular career goals? Which, if any?

Keith- Put out brutal records and have fun.

Matty- Write good music, and then shop it around. If we can get on a decent label and play some good shows, we’ll be happy. Touring isn’t important for us right now and we don’t have any plans to do that on a major scale. You never know what’s going to happen though. Tomorrow some band could call and wanna’ take us out. Who knows what the future holds. We’ll cross those bridges when and if we come to them.

-Who are the hardest working people, labels, bands, and venues around your way (or abroad) who deserve some recognition? What is your relationship with Prime Directive Records?

Keith- Prime Directive is rad. We go way back with that label.

Matty- Chase Corum is a living legend.

Dave- The hardest working dude in hardcore right now is my boy Thai John at Thai Gulf. He’s the realest dude out there! He feeds the scene delicious Thai treats from 11am - 10pm, 7 days a week.

-Could we get some of your most unforgettable moments from the time spent with Adamantium? Any wild shows, near-death experiences, or mosh-induced violence?



Matty- The U.S. tour we did had some crazy shit happen. Nothing dangerous. No van-flips or anything. Rosey and I shoplifted in Omaha and Dave Mandel was furious. I tried to urinate in Rosey’s face in Georgia. Stayed with some dude who jerked off with his own shit. Lots of bums near the van. I mean, stuff like that. I remember Worcester, Ma was a great show. Minneapolis with Disembodied and Throwdown was rad. East coast dates with The Swarm and Ensign. You can watch the Indecision Vault video for more highlights. So much cool stuff happened, I can’t remember it all. We look so young in that video, it’s crazy to think that we went on tour.

Keith- I was a fan of The Swarm and then we toured with them and I was a fanatic! I love Chris Colohan. We played a garage show together and after we were done playing, I walked out to our van to get a dry t-shirt. I jumped in and noticed porn taped to the inside of the entire van. That was Chris. Love that band and total great dudes. It's weird. I felt like he was me, but from Canada.

-What are some of Keith’s more out-of-the-ordinary memories from his years in Eighteen Visions, Throwdown, and Death by Stereo?

Keith- One time, some girl sent 18V a fan letter containing drawings of our power animals with raging huge cocks and our faces drawn on them. It was unbelievable! At our first Throwdown show at Adam Van Beek's house, I wore boxing gloves and a robe with no shirt. Oh, and there was a rad pillow fight. I think Dom was wearing a visor... but like not joking.

-What changes would you like to see in society to make it a better place for the youth?

Joey- I’d like to see people taking more responsibility for their diets, especially parents. Fat kids almost always equal bad parenting. And when I say fat, I mean FAT. Not chubby. Not pudgy, FAT. It’s sad to see.



Matty- City officials and venue owners need to be more pro-active when working together. They don’t realize that 99% of the kids that go to shows aren’t there to cause trouble. If anything, it’s keeping kids off the streets. And it keeps them in a fairly safe environment. They can hassle the kids that show up and loiter outside all they want, I could care less. Those kids are usually the ones waiting for something to happen. But I’ve seen one too many venues shut down now due to poor management and lack of communication with the city council, the cops, even the landlord. And it totally affects the scene and society in a bad way. Because now, the same kids that were at these shows, are now doing other shit and possibly getting in trouble. Get this shit in line. The reasons to HAVE MORE VENUES far outweigh the reasons not to. It’s so simple, but the people in charge don’t get it. Eventually they will.