BIOGRAPHY
It all began in 1989 in Quebec, Canada, when brothers François and Dan Mongrain (15 and 13 years old at the time), got their first musical instruments. With friends from high-school, the band rehearsed daily for years, cutting their teeth with metal covers and dabbling in composition.
Martyr recorded in 1995 a well received 4-track demo entitled “Ostrogoth”, which would lead to the production of their first 9-track studio album in 1997, “Hopeless Hopes”. The concept of the album was to serve as a mirror of the human state of mind. Shortly after, drummer Patrice Hamelin joined the band.
Martyr promoted their first album with local tours and had the opportunity to play at the famous Milwaukee Metalfest XII in ‘98 alongwith Meshuggah, Death, Cryptopsy, Napalm Death, Despised Icon, and Merciful Fate.
In 2000, after many shows in Canada creating a solid fanbase, the band released a second studio album entitled “Warp Zone”, which was a success in the underground scene, and to this day has a worldwide respect amongst aficionados of the genre. Warp Zone is an exploration within one's life evolution, transitions, self-questionings and reflections. Martyr would then self-promote their first Pan-Canadian tour and gathered more and more fans as an amazing performing band, a must see act playing very complex music with lots of energy and passion.
A live album (Extracting the Core, 2001) captured the essence of the performance of the band playing titles from their first 2 albums.
Following the live album, departure of guitar player Pier-Luc
Lampron led the band to slow down and restructured with the upcoming of new axeman Martin Carbonneau and started to play shows again leading to writing new music once the band’s chemistry became solid.
In 2006, Martyr released a third studio album entitled “Feeding the Abscess”. Much work has been put into this album both on visual art and on words and music. Feeding the Abscess contains 13 intricate songs of pure aggressiveness and mind-boggling spiderwebbed labyrinths of organized soundwaves and rhythms.
The album was followed by the production of a live DVD in 2008: “Havoc in Quebec City”. This amazing DVD contained over 3 hours of highly personal footage that included the following: an extended headlining performance of fifteen songs, studio footage, 5 additional live songs, plus an hour-long documentary.
In 2012, dissensions led the band to be put on hold. During the hiatus, the musicians were to be involved in different music projects:
Dan Mongrain did extensive touring and recordings with Voivod, which he already joined in 2008. He is a 2-time Juno awards recipient as a member and composer of Voivod for the Album "The Wake" (2019) and The Album "Synchro Anarchy" (2022) for Best Metal/Hard Album of the Year (Canada). He also wrote and recorded an album with Gorguts (2000: From Wisdom to Hate) and toured with Cryptopsy as a hired gun in 2005. He played a musical (Dracula: Entre l’amour et la mort) and played in various projects in the pop scene in Montreal including live and TV Shows, as well as studio work. He also appears on various albums for guest solos spots from bands around the globe. (www.danmongrain.com)
Martin teaches guitar and plays regularly in various live music projects.
François distanced himself from music until 2022 when he joined the band Apocalyptic Fear, alongwith Patrice. He filled in for Kataklysm in a North-American tour (2008) and recorded bass on the Ex-Deo project “Romulus” (2009).
Patrice Hamelin did extensive touring and recordings with Quo Vadis (2008), Despised Icon (2008), Senate (2008), Gorguts (2014-), Cephalic Carnage (2011-), Beneath the Massacre (2012-) and Apocalyptic Fear (2022-). |
In 2019, there were talks about a reunion project, just before the pandemic hit the world.
in 2023, after an offer by Trois-Rivieres Metal production to play the well known Trois-Rivieres MetalFest in their hometown, Martyr decided it was time to get together and reconnect with their fans, their roots and the excitement of playing this crazy music together as MARTYR.
CONCEPT
Martyr's intricate and aggressive technical metal style conveys emotions from the inspiration of a multitude of different musical styles. Their music is not limited to the conventions of metal music, the band striving to push those limits to create a more open-minded concept. Martyr’s lyrics reflect upon the tormented and twisted aspects of humanity, and aim to improve oneself through adversity. But all in all, the best way to understand this is to listen to the music... and let it drown into your soul.
LINEUP
CURRENT LINEUP
FORMER MEMBERS
DISCOGRAPHY
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Title:
HAVOC IN QUEBEC CITY
Type: DVD
Release: April, 2008
Label: Galy
Records
Number of tracks: 15 + bonus features
Duration: 187 minutes
LIVE
CONCERT:
15 live songs (72 minutes)
BONUS FEATURES:
Documentary (57 minutes)
Recording sessions (33 minutes)
5 additional live songs (25 minutes)
This
DVD was recorded and mixed at the Wild Studio by Pierre Rémillard
(The End, Cryptopsy). Video editing by Benoit Nantel. Photos by
Marc-André Paillé and Fred Laroche.
Special
guest: Jean-Yves 'Blacky' Thériault ex-Voivod
on ''Brain Scan'' (Voivod cover) in the additional live songs
section.
Tracklist:
1) Lost in Sanity
2) Warp Zone
3) Havoc
4) Endless Vortex Towards Erasing Destiny
5) Perpetual Healing (Infinite Pain)
6) Speechless
7) Nameless,
Faceless, Neverborn
8) Retry? Abort? Ignore?
9) Feast of Vermin
10) Virtual Emotions
11) Nipsky
12) Ostrogoth
13) Carpe Diem
14) Hopeless Hopes
15) Prototype
Bonus
tracks:
Carpe Diem
The Fortune-Teller
Speechless
Virtual Emotions (drums view)
Brain Scan (Voivod cover) with "Blacky" on bass.
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Title:
FEEDING THE ABSCESS
Type: CD
Release: October, 2006
Label: Galy
Records
Number of tracks: 13
This album was recorded at the Wild Studio with
Pierre Rémillard and Yannick St-Amand. Mastered by Alan
Douches.
The concept of the album is to describe the force-fed
information by governments, mass media phenomenon. Also, the album
tells about the social classes conflicts for power.
Feeding the Abscess lineup:
Daniel Mongrain – vocals, rhythm & lead guitar
Martin Carbonneau – rhythm & lead guitar
François Mongrain – bass & vocals
Patrice Hamelin – drums
Special guest: Jean-Yves 'Blacky'
Thériault ex-Voivod on ''Brain Scan'' (Voivod cover), Antoine Bareil (violin), Pier-Luc Lampron.
“This is another magnum opus to add to the long line of Canadian classics.” - Exclaim!
Tracklist:
1) Perpetual Healing (Infinite Pain)
2) Lost in Sanity
3) Feast of Vermin
4) Interlude - Desolate Ruins
5) Havoc
6) Nameless, Faceless, Neverborn
7) Silent Science
8) Felony
-- Dead Horizon
9) Part I : Echoes of the Unseen
10) Part II : Romancing Ghouls
11) Part III : Stasis Field
12) Part IV : Shellshocked
13) Brain Scan (Voivod cover)
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Title:
EXTRACTING THE
CORE - LIVE 2001
Type: Live CD
Release: September 2001
Label: Skyscraper
music
Number
of tracks: 9
This
album includes nine live songs taken from both previous
studio albums.
It was recorded live in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec,
in Summer 2001.
“Nothing short of a triumph” 9/10 - Terrorizer
Tracklist:
1)
Warp Zone
2) Speechless
3) Inner Peace
4) Virtual Emotions
5) Endless vortex towards erasing destiny
6) Hopeless
Hopes
7) Retry? Abort? Ignore?
8) Carpe Diem
9) Prototype
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Title: WARP ZONE
Type: CD
Release: March 11, 2000
Reissue: October, 2006
Label: Galy
Records (reissue)
Number of tracks: 9 + 4 bonus tracks
This album, recorded at Victor Studio, offers
a very intense and professional sound. The album's concept is
an exploration within one's life evolution, transitions, self-questionings
and reflections.
October 2006: Galy
Records released
a remastered reissue of the album with four bonus tracks.
Warp Zone lineup:
Daniel Mongrain – vocals, rhythm & lead guitar
Pier-Luc Lampron – rhythm & lead guitar
François Mongrain – bass & vocals
Patrice Hamelin – drums
Special guest: Luc Lemay (Gorguts)
on vocals.
“Can you say holyf*ckingsh!tgoddamnmutherf*ckingblowmymind? A++” - Repulse America
Tracklist:
1)
Warp Zone
2) Virtual Emotions
3) Endless vortex towards erasing destiny
4) Deserted Waters
5) Carpe Diem
6) The Fortune-Teller
7) Speechless
8) Retry? Abort? Ignore?
9) Realms of Reverie
Bonus tracks:
11) Warp Zone (demo version)
12) Virtual Emotions (demo version)
13) Deserted Waters (demo version)
14) Carpe Diem (demo version)
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Title:
HOPELESS HOPES
Type: CD
Release: November 7, 1997
Reissue: October, 2006
Label: Galy Records (reissue)
Number of tracks: 9 + 4 bonus tracks
The band searched
for different moods, playing with the dynamics, using different
scales, odd rhythms and bars. The sound is very aggressive. The
album's concept is to serve as a mirror of the human state of
mind.
October
2006 : Galy
Records
released a remastered reissue of the album with four bonus tracks.
Three of them are from Ostrogoth demo. Updated layout.
Hopeless Hopes lineup:
Daniel Mongrain – vocals, rhythm & lead guitar
Pier-Luc Lampron – rhythm & lead guitar
François Mongrain – bass & vocals
François Richard - drums
“Beyond Godly!” - Relapse Records USA
“10/10 - Best 1998 indie album of the year.” - Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles magazine
Tracklist:
1)
Hopeless Hopes
2) Prototype
3) Elementals
4) Non Conformis
5) Ostrogoth
6) The Blind's Reflexion
7) Inner Peace
8) Ars Nova
9) Nypsky
10) Enoz
Praw (not listed on cd booklet)
Bonus
tracks (numbered
as tracks 10-13 on booklet):
11) Prototype (demo version)
12) Ars Nova (demo version)
13) Ostrogoth (demo version)
14) Non Conformis (demo version)
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Title:
OSTROGOTH
Type: demo
Release: September 1995
Label: independent (retired item)
Number of tracks: 3
Tracklist:
1) Prototype
2) Ostrogoth
3) Ars Nova
Ostrogoth lineup:
Daniel Mongrain – vocals, rhythm & lead guitar
Pier-Luc Lampron – rhythm & lead guitar
François Mongrain – bass & vocals
Stéphane Bélanger - drums
These tracks can be found on the re-issue of Hopeless
Hopes. |
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