Meet Margarita Monet

Hello dear Margarita, how are you today?

Hello! I’m doing well, thank you very much for having me! Really great to be a part of Metal On Loud!

Please introduce us to your band Edge Of Paradise.

We are a heavy metal band!
Our sound is aggressive, but very melodic, with driving rhythms, heavy guitars, symphonic and classical elements. The songs are dynamic, some are theatrical and at times we bring out a heavy metal circus 😉 The music will definitely take you on a roller coaster ride!

What can you tell us about the band members?

We are a 4 piece, me on vocals/keys, Dave Bates on guitars, Nick Ericson on Bass and John Chominsky on drums. Dave and I formed the band and went through a few lineup changes, we’re very lucky to have found these guys and have such a solid lineup!
What can I tell you about them, Dave has three arms, one of them being his guitar, it’s like he was born playing it, he can play anything and everythingÉ
Nick and John make up our rhythm section, they are great musicians and awesome people! We all get along great and have a great time on the road!
You never know which pick up truck Nick’s gonna drive that week and he’s always trying to steal my jackets! John’s really into sports and Dave lifts some serious weights so don’t get on his bad side 😉

From what I understood, you came with a classical repertoire, winning numerous prizes. What can you tell us about yourself as a pianist?

Well I grew up in Moscow, Russia and even though I was a little kid, it was all very serious, since it’s super competitive over there. I used to practice at least 3 hours a day, on top of that I also went to ballet school, which was very strict and serious as well, so completely different world from heavy metal! When we moved to Houston, TX I continued playing piano and kept participating in competitions and it was always cool to win them 🙂 It taught me to work really hard no matter what you do, so i’m grateful for that. I also did musical theater in high school and studied theater and music in college, so being in a band is kind of all those things combined, I love to perform and create music, it’s not an easy road, but all the work makes it very rewarding and it’s the best feeling to hear from people that they enjoy and are moved by our music!

Please tell us about the debut release of Edge Of Paradise, Mask. What will we find inside it?

Dave used to have band called Bleed, Robin McCauley fronted the band, until he went on tour with Survivor, and that’s how i got into the picture, Dave was looking for a singer. He had unreleased songs that he wrote with Robin and later on I sang on, and those songs comprised Mask. It’s a treat for a musician or music fan to hear Mask because we had such great musicians involved, Tony Franklin (Jimmy Page, Quiet Riot) and Gregg Bissonett (Ringo Starr, Steve Vai) as the rhythm section, of course Dave, some songs are instrumental on the CD and really showcases Dave’s beastly guitar shredding! Bjorn Englen also played bass on some of the tracks.
The CD served as a great foundation that we started building the band on. It also gave me a chance to figure out what i can do with my voice and grow as a singer, of course it’s a never ending process!
After releasing Mask, Dave and I started writing music immediately and In A Dream was the first song we wrote together, I think that’s where we found our sound and the song set the way for the rest of the music you hear on our latest album Immortal Waltz. And of course getting Michael Wagener was a big part of creating our sound. When I listen to some of the songs on Mask, we kind of sound like a different band, but it’s really cool to see the growth as we continues to evolve, we’re working on new music now, I’ve very excited to get it out there!

As a long performing musician, what are the most memorable moments of your outstanding career?

Thank you! Well working with Michael Wagener was pretty incredible, he sold over 90 million records and was behind the bands that we grew up listening to, and he is one of the coolest and down to earth people you’ll meet, it was very inspiring to record with him, he is all about the music and making the song the best it can be! Also playing shows is always awesome, nothing can beat the energy you share at a concert with people!

Where are you planning to head with Edge Of Paradise? What are your future plans?

We plan to be doing this for a very long time! Right now we’re working on the new song with Chuck Johnson who was the guy behind Korn, Slipknot and many others, he’s producing our new song, he’s awesome! So you’ll be hearing a new twist in our sound!
We also look forward to masking it out to Nashville and working with Michael Wagener again (that’s where his Wireworld studio is), we’ve been extremely fortunate to have met such amazing people along the way!
We recently signed with Extreme Management and they’re working on booking more tour dates in US as well as Europe, so the main focus right now is to have new music ready for release and touring! This is what we love to do and want reach people with our music in as many parts of the world as possible!

Please recommend some music for the fans.

Well of course our CD Immortal Waltz! Iron Maiden has a new record out, that’s a music listen! We’ve been enjoying listening to Volbeat and Avenged Sevenfold lately as well as Faith No More, especially when driving cross country! 🙂

Any last words you wanted to share with the fans?

Wanted to thank everyone for you support, it inspires us and fuels this band!
Also, beginning of the new year, new song and new music video that’s a whole new level for us, so keep your eyes out for that!

Thank you very much for supporting Metal On Loud, and sharing your story with us.

Thank you so much for having me, it’s been a great pleasure! m/ m/

Thanks so much for the help Margarita!