Megalithic comprises of two men from opposite ends of the world, brought together in the most unlikely of destinations by a mutual love for all things music. Alex McDonnell, and Mehzeb Chowdhury formed the band in the summer of 2014 in the wintry hollows of County Durham, with a vision to capturing the magic of independent music that was such a hallmark of the late 1980s and 1990s. McDonnell’s signature vocals and demiurgic playing style were an instant match to Chowdhury’s hard-hitting, head-banging riffs, and cerebral lyrics.

Chowdhury met McDonnell during their respective PhDs at Durham, spawning a partnership that would lead to one of the most exciting independent rock albums of recent memory. Their billboard favourites include the science-inspired Stars (a modern love ballad completely written with Astrophysics lexemes), Chemistry 101 (a riff-fueled rock epic containing only Biochemistry locution), and Blackhole – the band’s ultimate tribute to the funk rock genre. With these songs, Megalithic fields the question, ‘Can science be romantic?’

The two men worked through the harsh winters, and abridged summers for four long years, culminating in their first album, The Unnamed, releasing in early 2018 on 150 digital platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, 8Tracks, iHeartRadio and Napster.

 

Musical Influences

Alex

Queen is the alpha and omega of my musical universe. Highly influenced by Radiohead up until 23. If we’re talking about the album exclusively this is a more complex question. I was influenced in places by Motorhead, Prokofiev, Girlschool, Thin Lizzie, Black Sabbath, Coheed and Cambria, Rage Against The Machine, Prince, and Stevie Wonder. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Opeth, Nine Inch Nails and The Mars Volta are all obligatory influences that I listened to, and continue to listen to.

 

Mehzeb

Music is a contagion. I caught it at a very tender age, and it flows through my veins today. Guns N Roses and Nirvana are my primary influences, but Iron Maiden and Metallica are nothing short of lighthouses. Led Zeppelin, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, Van Halen and AC/DC must be mentioned as excitants, without whom I would not be here. Favourite musicians include Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Mathias Jabs, Tony Iommi, Steve Harris, Ronnie James Dio, and Kurt Cobain.