Woman singing in a Thrash Metal band... (Article from OiM Magazine)

A woman singing in a Death, Black or Thrash Metal band still is a rarity and for many a kind of curiosity. How did you start to get interest in this genre and how did it come that you are in the band? I hope that you will say something interesting in this matter :) Right, not so many, but quite a few women exist in Metal bands. I come from a musical family, my big brother (John) influenced me the most. His kind of music, that is Rock, suited me and directed me to this path which I followed further. Then I fell in love with some guitarist! Ha! Ha! I’m so damn romantic! I sang in a Blues band when I still couldn’t sing, ha! ha! I also was taking guitar lessons and Poland discovered my voice which can be heard on the first MONASTERY record “God Save...”. Me and Mr Skaya (QUO VADIS) were invited to sing in a silly piece “Fuck’n Limits" (shit! that’s been ten years ago). After Kuba had left, boys came and asked me to sing. I said “Thrash metal? What the fuck!” Though I was scared, I was also flattered... and that’s how it started. I remember there was a concert in a couple of weeks... I was totally freaked out (guys probably too) but it went well and on the second concert I felt like fish in water. It was 1995. How do you exercise your voice? I think that somebody who uses his vocal cords that way should have a really strong throat (I know it by myself, ‘cause I used to do it and now, after some efforts like speaking too loud, I feel a small ache in my throat). Is it for instance like Sabina Classen from HOLY MOSES who drink a cup of alcohol before a rehearsal? I need to practice a lot. There’s a lot of singing - I’m also a member of A.S.O. Rock band, that’s how I develop and do overtime and I don’t stick to one sort of music only. So I play twice a week with the rockers and the rest of time is for MONASTERY. When comes to heavier drinking - I do that but I try not to drink before a concert, unless we travel far and there is time to get sober again before I face the public! I mentioned Sabina and her HOLY MOSES, so it’s necessary to ask you about influences of that band on musicians of MONASTERY. In your music I hear many parallels to other Thrash Metal giants, but I must say that a final result is pretty original. Which bands from this genre do you like the most? Listening to HOLY MOSES is a pleasure. For all of us it’s an important, maybe even an exemplary band. Although we try not to copy others, and despite our extremely various likes, most of us are impressed by SLAYER, PANTERA, TESTAMENT... Generally we’re open to any kind of good music. Coming back to Sabina Classen, she gives me strength, energy, shows that you have to keep on fighting - maybe it is a feminine thing or something like that, but my style of singing is different. I have rediscovered Blues lately - Janis Joplin... a propos Blues - it’s said if it weren’t for the black slaves brought to America, there would probably be no BEATLES and... no SLAYER.