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A monarch is the person who leads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until abdication. Monarchs may be autocrats (absolute monarchy) or ceremonial heads of state who exercise little or no power or only reserve power, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body (constitutional monarchy).

Etymology[link]

The word monarch is derived from the Greek μονάρχης (from μόνος, "one/singular," and ἄρχων, "leader/ruler/chief") through the Latin: monarcha (mono: "one" + arch "chief") which referred to a single, at least nominally, absolute ruler. In current usage the word monarchy generally refers to a traditional system of hereditary rule, as elective monarchies are rare in the modern period (though they do still exist in Vatican City, Andorra and Malaysia).

Characteristics[link]

Most states have at most one monarch at any given time, although a regent may rule when the monarch is a minor, not present, or otherwise incapable of ruling. Two monarchs have ruled simultaneously in some countries, as in the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta or the joint sovereignty of spouses or relatives (e.g. William and Mary of Kingdom of England and Scotland, Peter and Ivan of Russia, Charles and Joanna of Castile, etc.).

Monarchs have various titles — king or queen, prince or princess (e.g. Sovereign Prince of Monaco), Malik or Malikah (e.g. Maliks of Middle eastern Mamlakahs), emperor or empress (e.g. Emperor of Japan, Emperor of India), Shah of Iran, archduke, duke or grand duke (e.g. Grand Duke of Luxembourg). Prince is sometimes used as a generic term to describe any monarch regardless of title, especially in older texts.

Many monarchs are distinguished by titles and styles. They often take part in certain ceremonies, such as a coronation.

Monarchy is associated with political or sociocultural in nature hereditary rule; most monarchs, both historically and in the modern day, have been born and brought up within a royal family (over a period of time called a dynasty) and trained for future duties. Different systems of succession have been used, such as proximity of blood, primogeniture, and agnatic seniority (Salic law). While traditionally most monarchs have been male, female monarchs have also ruled in history; the term queen regnant refers to a ruling monarch, as distinct from a queen consort, the wife of a reigning king.

Some monarchies are non-hereditary. In an elective monarchy, the monarch is elected but otherwise serves as any other monarch. Historical examples of elective monarchy include the Holy Roman Emperors (chosen by prince-electors but often coming from the same dynasty) and the free election of kings of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Modern examples include the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, who serves as Sovereign of the Vatican City State and is elected to a life term by the College of Cardinals.

Monarchies have existed throughout the world, although in recent centuries many states have abolished the monarchy and become republics. Advocacy of republics is called republicanism, while advocacy of monarchies is called monarchism. The principal advantage of hereditary monarchy is the immediate continuity of leadership, with a usually short interregnum (as illustrated in the classic phrase "The [old] King is dead. Long live the [new] King!"). However, this only applies in the case of autocratic rule. In cases where the monarch serves mostly as a ceremonial figure (e.g. most modern constitutional monarchies) real leadership does not depend on the monarch.

The nine European Monarchs who attended the funeral of King Edward VII of Britain, photographed at Windsor Castle on 20 May 1910. Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King George V of Britain and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.

Postcard from 1908 showing nineteen of the world's reigning monarchs: (left to right) King Rama V/Chulalongkorn of Siam, King George I of Greece, King Peter I of Serbia, King Carol I of Romania, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Emperor Nicholas II of the Russia, King Edward VII of Britain, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, King Gustav V of Sweden, King Haakon VII of Norway, King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Emperor Guangxu of China, Emperor Meiji of Japan, King Manuel II of Portugal and King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

A form of government may in fact be hereditary without being considered monarchy, such as family dictatorship or political families present in some nominally democratic countries.

Classification[link]

A particular case is the French co-prince of Andorra, a position held by the elected President of France. Nonetheless, he is still generally considered a monarch because of the traditional use of a monarchical title (even though Andorra is, strictly speaking, a diarchy.) Similarly, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia is considered a monarch despite only holding the office for five years at a time. On the other hand, several life-time dictators around the world have not been formally classified as monarchs, even if succeeded by their children, but that may be more to do with international political sensitivities than with semantics.

Succession[link]

Hereditary succession within one family has been most common. The usual hereditary succession is based on some cognatic principles and on seniority, though sometimes merit has played a part. Thus, the most common hereditary system in feudal Europe was based on cognatic primogeniture where a lord was succeeded by his eldest son or, if he had no son, by either his brother, his daughters or sons of daughters. The system of tanistry was semi-elective and gave weight also to merits and capability.

The Quasi-Salic succession provided firstly for male members of the family to succeed, and secondarily males descended from female lines. In most feudal fiefs, females (such as daughters and sisters) were allowed to succeed, should the male line fail, but usually the husband of the heiress became the real lord and most often also received the title, jure uxoris. Great Britain and Spain today continue this model of succession law, in the form of cognatic primogeniture. In more complex medieval cases, the sometimes conflicting principles of proximity and primogeniture battled, and outcomes were often idiosyncratic.

As the average life span among the nobility increased (thanks to lords limiting their personal participation in dangerous battles, and generally improved sustenance and living conditions among the wealthy), an eldest son was more likely to reach majority age before the death of his father, and primogeniture became increasingly favoured over proximity, tanistry, seniority and election.

Later, when lands were strictly divided among noble families and tended to remain fixed, agnatic primogeniture (practically the same as Salic Law) became more usual: the succession would go to the eldest son of the monarch, or, if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the nearest male relative through the male line, to the total exclusion of females.

In some countries however, inheritance through the female line was never wholly abandoned, so that if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass to the eldest daughter and to her posterity. (This, cognatic primogeniture, was the rule that let Elizabeth II become Queen.)

In 1980, Sweden became the first monarchy to declare equal primogeniture or full cognatic primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, whether female or male, ascends to the throne.^[1] Other kingdoms (Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990, Belgium in 1991 and Denmark in 2009) have since followed suit.

In some monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, succession to the throne usually first passes to the monarch's next eldest brother, and only after that to the monarch's children (agnatic seniority). In some other monarchies (e.g. Jordan), the monarch chooses who will be his successor, who need not necessarily be his eldest son.

Whatever the rules of succession, there have been many cases of a monarch being overthrown and replaced by a usurper who would then often install his own family as the ruling monarchy.

History[link]

Monarchs in Africa[link]

A series of Pharaohs ruled Ancient Egypt over the course of three millennia (circa 3150 BC to 31 BC) until it was conquered by the Roman Empire. In the same time period several kingdoms flourished in the nearby Nubia region, with at least one of them, that of the so-called A-Group culture, apparently influencing the customs of Egypt itself.

West Africa hosted the Kanem Empire (700 - 1376) and its successor, the Bornu principality which survives to the present day as a part of the Federation of Nigeria.

In East Africa, the Aksumite Empire and later the Ethiopian Empire (1270–1974) were ruled by a series of monarchs. Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, was deposed in a communist coup.

Central and Southern Africa were largely isolated from other regions until the modern era, but they did later feature kingdoms like the Kingdom of Kongo (1400–1914).

As part of the Scramble for Africa, Europeans conquered, bought, or established African kingdoms and styled themselves as monarchs.

Currently the African nations of Morocco, Lesotho and Swaziland are sovereign monarchies under dynasties that are native to the continent. Places like St. Helena, Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands are ruled by the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the King of Spain, while so-called sub-national monarchies of varying sizes can be found all over the rest of the continent e.g. the Yoruba city-state of Akure in south-western Nigeria is something of an elective monarchy, with its reigning Oba having to be chosen by an electoral college of nobles from amongst a finite collection of royal princes and princesses of the realm.

Monarchs in Europe[link]

Queen of United Kingdom (as well as Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth realms)

Prince was a common title within the Holy Roman Empire, along with a number of higher titles listed below. Such titles were granted by the Emperor, while the titulation of rulers of sovereign states was generally left to their own discretion, most often choosing King or Queen. Such titulations could cause diplomatic problems, and especially the elevation to Emperor or Empress was seen as an offensive action.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries most small monarchies in Europe disappeared, merging to form larger entities, and so King is the most common title for male rulers and Queen has become the most common title today for female rulers.

As of 2010^[update] in Europe there are twelve monarchies: seven kingdoms, one grand duchy, one papacy, and two principalities, as well as the diarchy of Andorra.

Monarchs in Asia[link]

Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Crown Prince Akihito, Crown Princess Michiko and Empress Nagako, 1959

In China, before the abolition of the monarchy in 1912, the Emperor of China was traditionally regarded as the ruler of "All under heaven". "King" is the usual translation for the term wang 王, the sovereign before the Qin dynasty and during the Ten Kingdoms period. During the early Han dynasty, China had a number of small kingdoms, each about the size of a county and subordinate to the Empress or Emperor of China.

The Japanese monarchy is now the only monarchy to still use the title of Emperor. Between 1925 and 1979, Iran was ruled by an Emperor that used the title of "Shahanshah" (or "King of Kings" in Gelf). Thailand and Bhutan are like the UK in that they are constitutional monarchies ruled by a King. Saudi Arabia and many other Middle Eastern monarchies are ruled by a Malik and parts of the United Arab Emirates, such as Dubai, are still ruled by monarchs.

Oman is led by Monarch Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. The Kingdom of Jordan is one of the Middle East's more modern monarchies is also ruled by a Malik. In Arab and arabized countries, Malik (absolute King) is absolute word to render a monarch and is superior to all other titles. Nepal abolished their monarchy in 2008. Sri Lanka had a complex system of monarchies from 543BC to 1815. Between 47BC-42BC Anula of Sri Lanka became the country's first female head of state as well as Asia's first head of state.^{[dubious – discuss]}

In Malaysia's constitutional monarchy, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (The Supreme Lord of the Federation) is de facto rotated every five years among the nine Rulers of the Malay states of Malaysia (those nine of the thirteen states of Malaysia that have hereditary royal rulers), elected by Majlis Raja-Raja (Conference of Rulers). Under Brunei Darussalam's 1959 constitution, His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers, since 1962. The Prime Minister of Brunei is a title held by the Sultan of Brunei. As the prime minister, the Sultan presides over the cabinet.

Monarchs in the Americas[link]

The concept of monarchy existed in the Americas long before the arrival of European colonialists.^[2][3] When the Europeans arrived they referred to these tracts of land within territories of different aboriginal groups to be kingdoms, and the leaders of these groups were often referred to by the Europeans as Kings, particularly hereditary leaders.^[4]

Pre-colonial titles that were used included:

• Cacique – Aboriginal Hispaniola and Borinquen
• Tlatoani – Nahuas
• Ajaw – Maya
• Qhapaq Inka – Tawuantin Suyu (Inca Empire)
• Morubixaba – Tupi tribes
• Sha-quan – King of the world used in some America Indian tribes

The first local monarch to emerge in North America after colonization was Augustin I, who declared himself Emperor of Mexico in 1822. Mexico again had an emperor, Maximilian I from 1863 to 1867. In South America, Brazil had a Portuguese royal house ruling as emperor between 1822 and 1889, under Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II.

Monarchs in Tonga[link]

Tonga was ruled by a chief and the chief is in charge of one village. The cities were governed by the Prime Minister of Tonga. Tonga was falling apart because the chiefs would start war with other villages and Tonga would fall apart. Tonga did not know what to do and then the chiefs thought that a Monarch would bring balance to the Kingdom of Tonga and peace. The following day was the day that Tonga received a Monarch, so Tonga celebrated with games, dancing and singing.

Between 1931 and 1983 nine other previous British colonies attained independence as kingdoms, all, including Canada, in a personal union relationship under a shared monarch. Therefore, though today there are legally ten American monarchs, one person occupies each distinct position.

Titles and precedence[link]

The normal monarch title in Europe — i.e., the one used if the monarch has no higher title — is prince or princess, by convention. As an absolute ruler, a monarch can choose a title. However, titles are usually defined by tradition and diplomatic considerations.

Note that some of these titles have several meanings and do not necessarily designate a monarch. A Prince may be a person of royal blood (some languages uphold this distinction, see Fürst). A Duke may be a British peer. In Imperial Russia, a Grand Duke was a son or grandson of the Tsar or Tsarina. Holders of titles in these alternative meanings did not enjoy the same status as the monarchs of the same title.

Within the Holy Roman Empire, there were even more titles that were used occasionally for monarchs although they were normally noble; Margrave, Count Palatine, and Landgrave. A monarch with such a low title was still regarded as more important than a noble Duke.^{[citation needed]}

The table below lists titles in order of precedence. According to protocol any holder of a title of monarchy took precedence over all holders of a lower title. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was arguably the most powerful monarch of her time, but at banquets was seated below all the Emperors until she took the title of Empress of India.

The pope is the Bishop of Rome (a celibate office always forbidden to women), in English however, reports of female popes such as (Pope Joan) refer to them as pope and Popess is used, among other things, for the second trump in the Tarot deck; some European languages also have a feminine form of the word pope, such as the Italian papessa, the French papesse, and the German Päpstin.

Titles by region[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

When a difference exists below, male titles are placed to the left and female titles are placed to the right of the slash.

Current monarchs[link]

Use of titles by non-sovereigns[link]

It is not uncommon that people who are not generally seen as monarchs nevertheless use monarchical titles. There are at least five cases of this:

• Claiming an existing title, challenging the current holder. This has been very common historically. For centuries, the British monarch used, among his other titles, the title King of France, despite the fact that he had had no authority over French territory since the fifteenth century. Such as any one of the numerous antipopes who have claimed the Holy See.
• Retaining the title of an extinct monarchy. This can be coupled with a claim that the monarchy was in fact never, or should never have been, extinct. An example of the first case is the Prince of Seborga. Examples of the second case are several deposed monarchs or otherwise pretenders to thrones of abolished monarchies, e.g., Leka, Crown Prince of Albania who is styled by some as the "King of The Albanians." Retaining the title of an extinct monarchy can, however, be totally free of claims of sovereignty, for example it was customary of numerous European Monarchies to include "King of Jerusalem" in their full titles. When it comes to deposed monarchs, it is customary to continue the usage of their monarchical title (e.g., Constantine II, King of the Hellenes) as a courtesy title, not a constitutional office, for the duration of their lifetime. However the title then dies with them and cannot be used by anyone else unless the crown is restored constitutionally. Monarchs who have freely abdicated lose their right to use their former title. However where a monarch abdicated under duress (e.g., Michael I of Romania), it is customary to see the abdication as invalid and to treat them as deposed monarchs entitled to use their monarchical style for their lifetime.
• Inventing a new title. This is common by founders of micronations, and also may or may not come with a claim of sovereignty. When it does, it is disregarded by state leaders. A notable example is Paddy Roy Bates, styling himself the "Prince of Sealand," but not recognized as such by any national government, thus failing at least the constitutive condition for statehood (see Sealand for a fuller discussion of his claims). Another known example is that of Norton I, who invented the title "Emperor of the United States of America" and later declared himself "Protector of Mexico."
• Usage of a monarchical title by a fictional character. This is common in fairy tales and other works geared to children, as well as works of fantasy. Examples include Princess Leia and Princess Summerfall Winterspring.
• Honorific nicknames in popular music and other aspects of popular culture, such as "King of Rock and Roll".

See also[link]

• List of monarchs by country
• List of living former sovereign monarchs
• Archontology

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up monarch or kingship in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• A Glossary of European Noble, Princely, Royal and Imperial Titles
• Regnal Chronologies King lists worldwide
• Archontology
• African Kingdoms Imperial Throne Leadership and Enthronements
• Imperial House Foundation – Africa/USA/Europe – interview

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

Hate Eternal
Erik Rutan
Background information
Origin	St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Genres	Death metal
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Earache, Metal Blade, EMI
Website	www.hateeternal.com
Members
Erik Rutan JJ Hrubocvak Jade Simonetto
Past members
Jared Anderson Doug Cerrito Randy Piro Tim Yeung Derek Roddy Kevin Talley Reno Killerich

Hate Eternal is a death metal band from St. Petersburg, Florida.

Biography[link]

Hate Eternal was formed in 1997. The group's original line-up included Erik Rutan - guitars/vocals, bassist and co-vocalist Jared Anderson, drummer Tim Yeung, and guitarist Doug Cerrito of the band Suffocation. The band's name came from an old Ripping Corpse demo song.

In 2002, drummer Derek Roddy (formerly of Nile, Divine Empire, and Malevolent Creation) replaced Tim Yeung, and the band set forth to record their second album, King of All Kings as a trio with Erik, Jared and Derek. That summer, Erik Rutan calmly parted ways with Morbid Angel, stating that he wished to devote more time to Hate Eternal.

What followed was a whirlwind of international touring to promote King of All Kings, including a noted video on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball for the single, "Powers That Be". Jared Anderson left the group soon after due to an admitted drug problem. South Florida musician Randy Piro (a friend of Derek's) quickly stepped up to the plate as Jared's replacement in the group, and the band pressed on. After completing their last tour for the album in December 2003, the group began a brief hiatus.

2004 saw Hate Eternal begin work on the much-anticipated follow-up to King of All Kings, entitled "I, Monarch". Recording began in the fall, and the album would eventually be released in June 2005. Hailed by critics and fans alike, the album put forth an innovative new musical approach in extreme metal, while retaining the elements of speed and brutality that dominate the genre. The group's individual and collective talents in musicianship and production shined like never before.

After an internally difficult U.S. tour over the summer of 2005 and with a number of pending business problems, the group cancelled their European tour, scheduled for the fall. After spending much of the winter dealing with internal differences and personal situations, Derek Roddy announced his departure from Hate Eternal in late March 2006.

With pending tour obligations, Erik Rutan and Randy Piro continued on and recruited former Dying Fetus drummer Kevin Talley for U.S. appearances in the Spring, and Reno Killerich for the group's rescheduled European run. On July 26, 2007 Erik Rutan announced Jade Simonetto as the band's new permanent drummer.^[1]

A music video for the song "Bringer of Storms" was shot overnight January 16, 2008 by David Brodsky.^[2] Earlier in the day, the band had been in a minor traffic accident which managed to disable their brand-new van. Securing a rental and rushing to NY to play their first show with the new lineup, Hate Eternal arrived at BB King's just as the headlining act, The Black Dahlia Murder, were leaving the stage. Still wearing their jackets, Hate Eternal went onstage and performed 5 songs to the remaining crowd. Having completed that leg of the journey, they then drove into Brooklyn to shoot with Brodsky.^[2] Once the shoot concluded, at approximately 7am, the band had not slept in 48 hours, yet continued to their next destination to rejoin the tour. The video aired on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball in February 2008.

In 2010, they recruited J. J. Hrubocvak on bass guitar. Recently, the band entered Mana Recording Studios to begin recording of their fifth full length album, scheduled for early 2011 release. Erik Rutan commented that "the band has come up with one of [their] heaviest, most twisted, evil, melodic, and insane albums yet".^[3]

To date, Hate Eternal have released five albums: Conquering the Throne (1999), King of All Kings (2002), I, Monarch (2005), Fury & Flames (2008), and Phoenix Amongst the Ashes (2011). The last four full length albums were produced by Rutan. Hate Eternal released their new album Phoenix Amongst the Ashes on May 10, 2011 with Metal Blade Records.

Band members[link]

Current members[link]

• Erik Rutan - guitars/vocals (ex Morbid Angel, Ripping Corpse)
• JJ Hrubovcak - bass guitar/backing vocals (Vile)
• Jade Simonetto - drums (ex-Camilla Rhodes, ex-The Plasmarifle)

Former members[link]

• Shaune Kelley - guitars (ex Ripping Corpse, Dim Mak)
• Jared Anderson - bass/vocals (Died at age 31 on October 14, 2006)
• Randy Piro - bass guitar/vocals / currently with ORBWEAVER
• Derek Roddy - drums /solo artist

Studio session and live members[link]

• Alex Webster - studio bass for 1997 promo and 2008 Fury & Flames album
• Doug Cerrito - studio guitars for 1999 Conquering the Throne album
• Tim Yeung - studio drums for 1997 promo and 1999 Conquering the Throne album
• Kevin Talley - session live drums for 2006 North American tour
• Reno Kiilerich - session live drums for 2006 European tour
• Katy Decker - session vocalist on Fury & Flames track, "Coronach"

Discography[link]

• 1999: Conquering the Throne
• 2002: King of All Kings
• 2005: I, Monarch
• 2006: The Perilous Fight (DVD)
• 2008: Fury & Flames
• 2011: Phoenix Amongst The Ashes (Release May 10, 2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Hate Eternal Myspace profile
• Hate Eternal discography at MusicBrainz

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2009)

Machel Montano
Machel Montano performing in 2007
Background information
Also known as	Lyrics Machel
Born	(1974-11-24) 24 November 1974 (age 37) Carenage, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	Couva, Trinidad and Tobago
Genres	Soca
Occupations	Musician, producer, Song-writer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion
Years active	1982–present
Associated acts	Xtatik, Destra Garcia, Farmer Nappy, Patrice Roberts, Zan
Website	www.machelmontano.com

Machel Montano (born 24 November 1974, Trinidad and Tobago)^[1] is a soca singer, record producer and songwriter based in Trinidad and Tobago.

He is the frontman of the popular soca band The HD Family, and is noted for his high energy, fast-paced, and often unpredictable on-stage performances. During his career, which spans over 30 years, he has recorded several songs alongside many of Caribbean music's most popular acts, such as Lerone Guy of St Anthonys College, Alison Hinds, Beenie Man, Calypso Rose, Burning Flames, Drupatee, Wyclef Jean, Canibus, Red Rat, Shaggy, Sparrow, Denise Belfon, Ken Marlon Charles (KMC), Destra, Walker Hornung, Vybz Kartel, Mohombi, G-Unit, Black Stalin, David Rudder, Buju Banton, Mr. Vegas, Doug E. Fresh, Pitbull and many others. In 1987 he was the youngest finalist to ever win the Caribbean Song Festival. He now stands as one of the most well-known soca acts in the world, using his leverage as an artist able to sell-out shows. Recently he has moved to the Los Angeles area and furthered his pursuit saying "I may not be the one to bring it forth, but in the meantime, I have a lot of work to do in order for something to happen". He is very well known in New York and has had sold out concerts in Madison Square Gardens many times over.^[2]

Early career[link]

Born in Carenage (West Trinidad), his family moved to Siparia, South Trinidad when he was very young. Machel attended Siparia Boys' R.C., then Presentation College, San Fernando, a prestigious secondary school in San Fernando, South Trinidad where he was in the choir led by Mrs. Cynthia Lee-Mack. Machel first shot to fame as a 9 year-old boy with the song "Too Young To Soca" while he was still in primary school. In 1984, along with his older brother Marcus and neighbours the group Pranasonic Express was started and in 1989, the band became Xtatik.

Machel is father to three children. Nicholas(13) his son, Melanie (12) and Malaya Journey (11), his daughters.

Machel Montano HD - his concepts[link]

Machel (center) performing on stage alongside Zan (left) and Farmer Nappy (right)

The band developed and was re-invented by its leader Montano several times as Xtatik 5.0, The Xtatik Circus, Xtatik The Road Marching Band, The Band of the Year and many others. Every year Machel has a battle in Zen to keep his band and his performances fresh. From 2007 they are known as Machel Montano HD (High Definition) and he promotes the concept by saying that he is the first human being to go HD. He claims this is a representation of the evolution of his music over the last 25 years and highly improved style in which his music shall be presented to his fans over radio formats, television, and during live performances. He is part of a campaign in Trinidad and Tobago to promoting safe driving - "Arrive Alive". Part of the hype surrounding Montano since 2007 is his HD tour bus, a 20-year-old bus from the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) which was re-done and includes a bedroom, bathroom facilities, flat screen TVs, Internet access and expansive audio systems. After the bus' debut in 2007, it was re-painted for 2008, the new images of Machel matching various photos of him from the album artwork of his 2008 CD, Flame on. The bus featured heavily in his videos for "Jumbie" - 2007 and "Rollin/Blazin d Trail" - 2008. In 2012 Macheal Montano won the Road March, Power Soca Monarch and the Groovy Soca Monarch. He won the acclaimed the Road March with his song "Pump yuh Flag" and he won the Groovy Soca Monarch with his rendition "Mr.Fete". THe singer recently launced the music video to his hit single "Bottle Of Rum" in May,2012.

Machel Montano performing at a fete at Brian Lara's house in Barbados (2008)

Xtatik's music[link]

In the last few years the band has risen to a new level of musicality as each performance is very tight musically and has foreign influences such as Ernesto Luis Gutirrez, its Venezuelan percussionist, Shawn Mitchell, bassist from Grenada and musicians from Barbados. Kernal Roberts, the son of the late Lord Kitchener (calypsonian) has picked up the role as Xtatik's drummer and musical director and has brought new life to the band.

Montano was also instrumental in the promotion of soca music in the United Kingdom on the British Broadcasting Corporations' black music digital radio station 1Xtra, where he co-presented the International Sounds of Soca show for four years with DJ Slic. He has released many successful singles, with and without Xtatik, during his career, such as "Big Truck" (Xtatik's most successful single, which won the Road March title in 1997), "Outa Space" (with Beenie Man), "Music Farm" (Xtatik), "It's Carnival" (with Destra), and his most recent back to back Road March title wins for 2006, "Band Of The Year" (with Patrice Roberts) and 2007, "Jumbie".

His 2008 album Flame On, was released in February 2008 and featured collaborations with some of the most esteemed artistes in calypso such as David Rudder on "Oil and Music" and The Mighty Sparrow on "Congo Man". These two collaborations were well-received all around, especially "Congo Man".

Flame On also includes collaborations with other well-known artistes from various genres including soca, reggae, rap and reggaeton. Examples of these partnerships can be heard on the following tracks: Patrice Roberts on "Rollin", Shaggy on "Wining Season", Buju Banton on "Make Love" and finally Lil Jon and Pitbull on "Defense (The Anthem)".

Flame On displays the very strong relationship between Machel Montano and Kernal Roberts, his right-hand man. Roberts was involved in the writing of eight out the 13 tracks on the album.

In Trinidad's Carnival Road March Competition for Carnival 2008, Montano's song "Blazin d Trail" placed third even though it was a crowd favourite^{[citation needed]} when it was played at Carnival fetes during the Carnival season of 2008.

In 2011, Machel won the International Soca Monarch competition defeating the likes of Iwer George (2nd) and Bunji Garlin (3rd) after a fierce night of competition. In the end, Machel walked away with the TT$2 million dollar prize and the first International Soca Monarch title of his career. He then went on to win the Carnival Road March title with the same hit 'Advantage' by a landslide victory.

In 2012,Machel once again won the International Power Soca Monarch with the song "Pump Yuh Flag" beating Iwer George (2nd) Who sang a rendition of the song he did last year. Destra Garcia finished(3rd). Montano once again received the TT$2 million dollar prize and title. Also he entered the Groovy Soca Monarch and was victorious beating out reigning Groovy Soca Monarch King Kes Diffenthaller and crowd favorite Kerwin Du Bois (2nd). Topping off the Carnival Season In Trinidad & Tobago, he Won the Road March Title(Pump Yuh Flag-Played 233 Times) Beating Fay-ann Lyons(96) & Iwer George(84). Montano's last two years have been the most successful of his career and most attribute it to his strong work ethic, relationship with current manager, James Walton and mother Liz Montano.

Discography[link]

Patrice Roberts (left) and Machel perform at UWI Splash in Chaguaramas, Trinidad.

Machel and his band perform in front of a live audience at a fete

Solo albums[link]

• Too Young to Soca? (1986)
• Soca Earthquake (1987)
• Dr. Carnival (1988)
• Katch Ya! (1989)
• Breakin Out! (1990)
• One Step Ahead! (1991)
• 2000 Young To Soca (2000 Re-Edition)
• The Xtatik Experience (2005)
• B.O.D.Y. (2006)
• The Book of Angels (2007)
• Flame on, released as Wining Season in the United States (2008)
• Heavenly Drum (2009)
• Album 34 (2010)
• The Return (2011)

Xtatik albums[link]

• X Amount Ah Sweetnesss (1992)
• Soca Style Hot (1993)
• By All Means (1994)
• Loose Yuh Waist (1995)
• Men At Work (1996)
• Heavy Duty (1997)
• Xtatik Live (1997)
• Charge (1998)
• Any Minute Now (1999)
• Here Comes the Band (2000)
• Same High (2001)
• On the Cusp (2002)
• The Xtatik Circus (2003- as "Xtatik Band 5.0")
• The Xtatik Parade (2004)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Xtatik
• Answers.com biography on Machel Montano
• BET J to air Machel Montano Trinidad & Tobago special - Saturday, March 24, 2007: CaribbeanNetNews

	Book: Machel Montano
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