After establishing themselves as serious contenders in the ever-growing Australian music landscape with their 2024 EP Requiem, Melbourne hard rock outfit The Last Martyr seemingly went into their shells, still playing the odd show but failing to release more new music to deliver the knockout blow.
It was ultimately a combination of many different factors of life and music that stood as a buffer between maintaining momentum and walking the tightrope of everyday life, but if the absolute carnage that is their upcoming single Brain Rot is anything to go by, The Last Martyr have decided it's time to reacquaint themselves with their fans. And not by easing back into things, either.
Harking back to their nu metal roots, The Last Martyr have proved that while they might not have been as prolific in the public forum, that doesn't mean they have remained idle in the creative realm. Brain Rot is a seething, attitude-laced descent into a world diminished by the rapid emergence of the digital age and the many fears, problems, and disconnections that come with it.
Throw in the fact that vocalist Monica Strut was recently crowned as a deserved winner of the Women In Heavy Music Award at this year's Australian Women's Music Awards, and you have a potent mix of tempered aggression and personal embodiment that is just waiting to be unleashed. HEAVY spent time earlier this week with Monica to talk about the new single and her recent recognition by her peers.
"I think it's just one of those milestones that is so rare, especially in the music industry," she relayed when asked if winning the award has sunk in yet, "and as a woman, and in Australia. There's obviously the ARIA's, but you really have to be so on top of your game to win an ARIA. We don't have many awards like this in Australia, and there's something really special about even just being invited to the ceremony."
We question Monica on the gap between releases and ask if she thinks The Last Martyr may have lost momentum in that time.
"We thought we weren't going to do it justice if we rushed it," she said of Brain Rot. "We had the song ready, but in terms of being a musician, it's not just about writing music. You've got to prepare all the contents, and you've got to have the marketing for it and create the single artwork. So I think we've delayed it a little bit, mainly due to logistical reasons."
We bring up the return to a more nu metalcore sound and ask if that is going to remain the way forward for The Last Martyr.
"We're always going to experiment," Monica shrugged. "We're never going to be a band that sticks with a certain sound and then just copy/ paste. We have too many ideas, and we always want to be pushing ourselves as artists. But what I will say is I feel like this song and the next batch of songs, they're the best songwriting that we've ever done in terms of arrangements and everything like that."
In the full interview, we explored the shift back to The Last Martyr's roots in more detail, discussing the reasons behind the return and how Monica thinks fans will react. We talked more about her recent Award and what it means to her as a person and an artist, also mentioning the previous two winners and how tight-knit the Australian metal circle is.
We spoke more about not rushing into releasing anything straight after Requiem, whether Brain Rot is a standalone single or part of a bigger album picture, upcoming shows and more.


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