Headbangers India caught up with Bangalore based heavy metal band Bhoomi, who are in the process of recording their first album, with international producer Neil Kernon on board. After seven years of performing across India and headlining more than forty college festivals, the group is mid way through recording this album, tentatively titled ‘We The People’. The album will consist of nine songs, with a sound that brings together hard rock and heavy metal. There will also be an acoustic number on it!
Though they initially had plans of getting the album only mastered abroad, Bhoomi has managed to do what many bands can only dream of, which is working with an internationally acclaimed music personality. Their Grammy Award winning producer Neil Kernon has also worked with bands like Nevermore. Bhoomi had first tried their luck and sent Kernon a demo, but when they failed to get a response, they actually couriered their demo CD to his address. And voila! Kernon responded, saying that Bhoomi had a sound that was interesting and a refreshing change from the kind of metal he had been working on then.
Thankfully the deal worked out, though it has cost the boys more than quite a bit, and work began in May 2007. Though ‘We The People’ was scheduled to release by this year, this has been pushed to mid-2009 as Kernon works on close to 15 projects at a time. Nonetheless, the band is also in no mood to hurry things up. So far, the tracking of the drums is complete, and guitars are in progress.
We asked Bhoomi about the album’s promotion, but it is a little too early to decide on that bit. International gigs will still not be easy, even with Kernon on their side, and they dont want to get carried away. However, their U.S.P is that they are an Indian heavy metal band and they hope things will work out in their favour.
The Indian metal scene has definitely changed from the time these guys started off, but progress in terms of financial investment for bands, Bangalore bands in particular, hasn’t bettered, they say. Then we’re sure hoping that Bhoomi can change that for us! So, good luck fellas!
