Interview by: DJ
Live Photos: Dhruv Kumar
Edge of Paradise has been steadily evolving their unique sound since their formation, blending classical influences, heavy metal, and industrial elements. With their new album “Prophecy” set for release on March 7th via Napalm Records, frontwoman Margarita Monet sat down to discuss the band’s journey, their artistic vision, and the deeper themes behind their music.
MGM: Let’s start with the history of Edge of Paradise. Your band’s been around for a while, but this new record is really great. I think this is probably your best album to date.
Margarita Monet: Thank you.
MGM: Take us back for some of the fans that haven’t been around as long. How did you get the band started?
Margarita Monet: Dave and I started it in 2011, 2012, but lately I’ve been saying that the band, as people know it these days, that version started in 2017 when we put out our EP “Alive” and then really started with “Universe.” That album set us on the path to where we are today because that’s when the concept started, the storyline. While you can listen to each song on its own, there’s a concept behind them. I put out a graphic novel to the last album “Hologram” and there’s art to go with the songs and a whole story with the music videos as well.
Before that, Dave and I were trying to figure out what we wanted our sound to be. It wasn’t like we actively said, “okay, we want to be this, this, and that.” It was years of evolution because we come from such different backgrounds. We had to learn how to write together, how to merge our different styles and get on the path where we wanted to go.
The difference with this album is that for the first time we have another guitar player, Doug Wayand, who came in as a second lead. He brought in an eight-string guitar which gave Dave a whole different place to work with his guitar layers and ideas. They really merged two distinct parts together.
MGM: Dave Bates, the guitar player – is his background more metal as opposed to yours? You’ve been playing the piano since you were a child, right?
Margarita Monet: Yes, he is definitely metal rock. His influences are Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden. I love all of that now, but when I met Dave, I didn’t know any of that existed. My first introduction was Dio – Dave introduced me to Dio, which became my inspiration as a singer. The closest thing I knew in college was Symphony X. I heard their songs and was like, “what is that?” because they have crazy keyboard solos. That drew my attention since I played piano. It was extra cool because we got to tour with them – a full circle moment for me.
My parents love Led Zeppelin and my mom loved Queen, but I never really listened to that because I was so into the classical world and musical theater. So that was my thing – ballet, the furthest thing from metal.
The Evolution of Sound
MGM: Your sound is a mix of different things. You have the classical part with the keys and piano, Dave’s more metal approach, and there’s this industrial vibe that makes it unique. How did that develop?
Margarita Monet: I started bringing in the industrial elements because I create a lot of songs on keyboard. When I was listening to Dio, I started exploring more bands. I really like Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, and because I play keyboard, there are so many cool things you can do now. I love to explore different sounds and make my own sounds. I have the Moog that I like to play around with because with analog keyboards, you can create something very unique.
I started putting in more industrial and cinematic elements, which shifted the sound from just being rock or metal. For example, with “Mask,” when I met Dave, he already had all the songs written with Robin McCauley. That was just a way for me to learn how to sing in this style because I never sang this type of music before. Now looking back, I’m a completely different singer.
With “Universe,” I started to really explore different elements of sound. I like to add more electronic elements too, but not go overboard because I still want it to be based in the instruments and the actual playing.
Themes and Concepts
MGM: Your lyrics deal with sci-fi themes, and you have novel tie-ins. How does this book or novel you’ve been working on tie in from the previous records to this one?
Margarita Monet: It started with “Universe” when I began creating these settings for the songs – otherworldly futuristic settings, but the songs are still based in core human emotions and experiences. I started exploring concepts like merging human mind and artificial intelligence. At the time, nobody was really talking about it. It’s interesting to see now in our society because it’s such a booming part of what’s to come.
With “The Unknown,” we had the song “Digital Paradise” that painted a picture of what if it’s our paradise to live forever through a digital reality, through this cyber existence. But I left it open-ended for the listener to decide whether it’s something positive or negative, or if consciousness could exist through digital space.
“Hologram” took the story further with the graphic novel. It explores the idea of holographic technology where we could travel anywhere in the universe through a holographic reality because our human bodies would be somewhere on Earth and our consciousness could travel anywhere. I started painting a picture of how it could go wrong and the implications of such technology.
Now with “Prophecy,” I’ve really taken a stance with what I believe – that human consciousness is what makes up the fabric of the universe. AI is like this force based on the core need to multiply and overtake. It’s that ultimate standoff between consciousness and artificial intelligence, asking questions like who is really in control if we are to merge. But ultimately, I’m stressing the importance of recognizing that being human is a superpower because we can create something out of nothing, while AI creates something out of what’s already there.
The New Album: “Prophecy”
MGM: Let’s get into the new record. “Death Note” is a great song – everything just clicks on that one. How did you decide what was going to go on the album?
Margarita Monet: We’ve never been the kind of band that writes a bunch of songs and then picks what goes on the album. Every idea I have, if I feel it’s worth going into, it’s going to become a song no matter what. We’re going to make it into something we’re proud of.
“Rogue” and “Martyr” we wrote before we signed with Napalm. Those were the songs that got us with Napalm because we were in that transition period. “Rogue” embodied that energy of going rogue and not giving up.
The song “Hear Me” happened by chance. We had finished the record, and I was editing files to send to Jacob when we realized we only had nine songs instead of the planned ten. We were leaving on tour with Symphony X in three days, so there was no way to record a full band track. Mike suggested I just go home and write something with just keyboard. I wrote “Hear Me” and recorded the vocals the next day. It brought me back to my roots with just the piano and me. While all the songs are personal to me, this one is just so exposed – I have nothing to hide behind. It’s just me, the lyrics, and the piano.
Art and Visuals
MGM: You do artwork as well. How is that connected with the artwork on the records?
Margarita Monet: I started doing artwork since “Universe.” When we released the special edition, I painted a lot of box sets. Since then, I’ve been doing an art piece for every song and incorporating a lot of art with the band. I never do the cover art though, because I always want outside input from another artist to add to the vision. For this one, we had David Ruble do the artwork.
I always wanted the band to be multi-dimensional. I’m doing a giveaway of one of my biggest canvases I’ve ever painted – we’re drawing names on March 6th. I’ve been doing figurines and collectible items, and in the music videos, everything ties together. A lot of the characters you see throughout our music videos now show up in the artwork and the figurines. I like to create that immersive world that people can experience.
Edge of Paradise’s new album “Prophecy” releases March 7th via Napalm Records. The band will be touring with Delain and Visions of Atlantis starting March 7th in Arizona.
Prophecy tracklisting:
1 Death Note
2 Give it to Me (Mind Assassin) (feat. Ben V. from Ludovico)
3 Prophecy Unbound
4 Sad Life of a Rose
5 Rogue (Aim for the Kill)
6 Hear Me
7 The Other Side of Fear
8 Martyr (Monster)
9 Relive Again
10 Falling Light
EDGE OF PARADISE
Supporting Delain’s North American Tour 2025
w/ Xandria
03/07/25: Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile
03/08/25: Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky a Go Go
03/09/25: Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
03/10/25: Portland, OR @ The Bossanova Ballroom
03/11/25: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
03/13/25: Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
03/14/25: Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater
03/15/25: Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
03/16/25: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
03/17/25: Detroit, MI @ The Token Lounge
03/19/25: Columbus, OH @ The King of Clubs
03/20/25: Toronto, ON @ Axis
03/21/25: Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
03/22/25: Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
03/23/25: New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theatre
03/24/25: Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
03/26/25: Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
03/28/25: Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
03/29/25: Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live
EDGE OF PARADISE is:
Margarita Monet – Vocals, Keys
Dave Bates – Guitars
Kenny Lockwood – Bass
Jamie Moreno – Drums
Doug Weiand – Guitars
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