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Norway’s Inferno Metal Festival comes to India

Rock Street Journal and VH1 India announced the inaugural Indian edition of the well-known Inferno Metal Festival that takes place every year in Norway. The announcement, which was made on January 20th, named New Delhi and Bangalore as the 2 cities to play host to the festival. Headlining this 2-day festival will be Norwegian death metal band Obliteration and thrash metal band Nekromantheon. The Indian contingent will comprise of Undying Inc, Devoid, Inner Sanctum and Theorized. The festival is to take place on the 15th and 16th of February in New Delhi and Bangalore respectively. India has been associated with Inferno in the past with bands like Demonic Resurrection, Scribe, Undying Inc and Zygnema having played in its Norwegian edition in the past. This year too, Kryptos have secured a spot at the festival. This is the 2nd major international festival coming to Indian shores after Bangalore Open Air’s direct support from Wacken. Stay tuned for more updates! Inferno

Thai black metal musician stabbed to death, murderer releases eerie confession on social media

Avaejee, well-known in the Asia Pacific region as the vocalist/bass player for Thai black metal veteran band Surrender of Divinity and guitar player of Zygoatsis, was found stabbed to death at his home in Bangkok, Thailand on January 10th 2014. He was 36 years old. Surrender Of Divinity and Zygoatsis released statements via social media confirming his death. Later that night, a Facebook post by a man calling himself ‘Malificent Meditation’ showed up wherein he claimed to be the murderer. This is the translation in English (provided by a source in Thailand):

***This is status updated from the murderer who killed Avaejee of Surrender Of Divinity*** (Translated version for all overseas friends)

Checkmate

Just had no many thing of reason why I murdered, I intend to commit suicide as I am 25 years old, It’s a matter that I’ll die certainly. So, I want to drag together a 1-2 corpses of those who lead attitude of Satanism to stain! And the true Satan answered me to agreed (I am who did meditation everyday 30-60 minutes and gazing in the mirror 30-60 minutes included) but I refrain to kill his wife and his kids, Atleast, to made him know that ‘Satan’ is not a toys that you can play anywhere and hail upon stage by without the true faith. If you didn’t true believe in Satan and no religions but take Satan to be ‘symbol’ to blaspheme another religions then you can call yourself to be anything, don’t fucking call yourself ‘Satanic’ and also said ‘don’t believe in Satan but I believe in myself’ SHIT!… Poser to blame all another religions which the true Satanist will not blame another religions like a bullshit because of my view is Buddha, Christian, Muslim that believe in their own way, I think they rather be respect more than posers that call oneself ‘Satanist’ but without any fucking knowledge. It seems like a trendy children and I believe for sure that if I didn’t kill, someday he’ll be killed by Buddhist, Christian or Muslim certainly.

This muder by first time, I intend to kill around 20-30 corpses but since inconvenience and I am only one who plan to kill So, I decided to kill as enough as possible and the news posted wrongly that I am the fan of Surrender Of Divinity, I’d like to say nowadays I’m not the fan of this shit band anymore and don’t take this case to be with ‘John Lennon’ murder, fucking different…and fucking polices marks this murder is came from drinking and drunk, I’d like to say it’s not true because of I INTEND TO KILL HIM ESPECIALLY. I hided my knife into a jacket and sham to bring my t-shirt for painting by his wife and try him to join drinking. That’s set up my way to wait he unguarded and came to a night.

I mudered fucking Avaejee, stabbed by a knife which a news posted wrong that I stabbed 3 times but the truth is stabbed 30 times for sure and didn’t behead from behind, I confront him, bring a knife to multiple stabbed his front of neck, no slash nor wipe, stabbed every lesions and watching him scrabble, clamber like a dog and raised a hands asking life. He said ‘NO’ it’s breath without voice with splattered blood out follow his speak but I stabbed again at his neck and his skull again and again (sometime knife is deep in skull and hard to pull off) I just wonder that murder people by knife is got a flavor, exciting, feeling more than shooting by gun. When I finished, I’m back to did meditation at the rent hotel easilly and for sure…I’M NOT SORRY WHAT I DID!

All his friends or his family maybe cursing me now but I thought this death is suitable for the poser like him already. Above all, Lord Satan is not a toys, If you haven’t true believe, don’t call oneself to be Satanist!!!!! I’m not person like brutal, cool, gangster louder but silence, cold blood, savagery…I have it certainly

My life after death is no saying anymore unless I wish I can be in the land of devil and spend a time after death to do meditation continually regardless of 10 years 100 years or 1000 years on my way.

Don’t comment or like this status, I only just want to inform a little bit and thanks for reading. Wish everyone whoever read this, be faith on own way by no fool oneself, doing what you must, see you again if we can live in the same dimension after death

HAIL SATAN!!!

From all of us at Headbangers India and everyone in the Indian metal scene, we extend our deepest condolences to Avaejee’s wife, children, bandmates and friends. It is an eerie and tragic incident and we wish for swift and severe punishment to be delivered to the killer.

Daniel Kenneth Rego quits Demonic Resurrection

After 6 years and 2 albums (including the as yet unreleased 4th full-length), lead guitarist of Mumbai metal veterans Demonic Resurrection, Daniel Kenneth Rego has decided to quit the band. The reasons cited were changing musical interests and professional priorities, as detailed in this personal statement:
To everyone who’s listened to and supported Demonic Resurrection over all these years, thank you. My decision to part ways with the band is based on a simple fact – I no longer feel the same passion and connection with this style of music, in general. Demonic Resurrection is at a stage where it requires a 100% from everyone involved in order to move forward, and speaking as an individual musician, I feel I am no more in the musical and aesthetic space to fully give to the band what it deserves. I hope I will continue to receive your support in my endeavours in other musical idioms, a few of which will be formally announced in the near future. Until then, to quote a famous musician, ‘Cheers and stay Demonic!
As a farewell, Demonic Resurrection will be playing a show at Mumbai’s Blue Frog on the 19th of January.

Undying Inc release music video for ‘Ironclad’

Undying Inc. have just released a music video for their latest single “Ironclad”. You can watch it here: The Delhi metal act had released the single on their Soundcloud page in the latter half of 2013, and even went on tour to support this new single- something no other band has done before. They were also to release their album by the end of 2013, but that has been delayed a little. However fans can expect the new release very soon. Ironclad’s music video has been shot, edited, produced and directed by Indie filmmaker, Abhisek Sharma Roy and the artwork has been done, as always, by band member Reuben Bhattacharya. The single received a massive, positive response after it was initially released online, and by the looks of it, the video seems to be following suit! What do you think of the new offering by Undying Inc? Let us know in the comment section below. Also check out our interview with Undying Inc here.

Nathaniel School of Music launches Heavy Metal guitar course

For the first time in India, a music school is actually all set to launch a course specifically for heavy metal guitar! Nathaniel School of music, based in Bangalore, will be kickstarting a course catering to the ever growing number of metal guitarists in the country. This is what they have to say: “Heavy Metal Music (and its sub-genres) is a lot more than loud distorted guitars, fast attacks, powerful vocals and solos at breakneck speeds. Few genres of music convey as much Power with emotion as Heavy Metal. Understanding what goes into creating the Heavy Metal ‘Sound’ is important for any guitarist wanting to nail those killer riffs and aspiring to play metal music. Sometimes there is only a fine line between metal music and plain simple noise, especially to the uninitiated. Metal guitarists need to be versatile and have a wide range of techniques and skills. From chugs (the defining sound of metal guitar), palm muting to constructing riffs and licks, using different tunings (dropped D,B,C#, open, shifted), odd rhythms, tapping, sweeping, breakdowns, string skipping, picking techniques…this course is designed to nurture the guitarist in you and help define your own unique metal sound. Speed, control, technique and tone. Learning these skills is a given at Nathaniel School of Music. But additionally we help you build yourself as a Live Performer (it takes more than just grades to rock a crowd) and more importantly, grow as a ‘Musician’.” This may come as a surprise to many, but for those who have been in the music scene for a while, it’s expected. More because Jason Zachariah, who heads the school, happens to be associated with some of the best bands in Bangalore like Extinct Reflections and Bhoomi. For more, check: http://nathanielschool.com/courses/metalguitar/ There are two levels in this course, and the faculty is Sanjay Kumar from Final Surrender. The workshop begins on January 15th, 2014.

The Down Troddence release debut album at Metal Factory, Bangalore

Well known metal act hailing from Kerala (now settled in Bangalore), launched their highly anticipated debut album titled ‘How Are You? We Are Fine Thank You’ at the New Year metal gig that happened at Counter Culture, Bangalore. After the release of their single “Nagavalli” last month on their official Soundcloud page, the band finally released their album at Metal Factory along with the bands Inner Sanctum, Bevar Sea, Escher’s Knot and TDT Album ReleaseTheorized in Bangalore. “Nagavalli” has been getting rave reviews ever since its release. The album features 10 tracks including their hit single “Shiva”, and is produced by Keshav Dhar (Skyharbor). The album also features Indian guitar legend Baiju Dharmajan( ex-Motherjane) in one of their songs – Forgotten Martyrs. With intriguingly titled tracks such as Muck Fun Mohan, KFC, ‘Chaapilla'(Dead Foetus in English) etc, the album is thematically designed with lyrics which speak about the injustices prevaling in modern society. The band is expected to start its album promo tour by the end of January. The album is available online for sale at www.oklisten.com/thedowntroddence. The Down Troddence is also currently taking pre orders for their physical copies along with their new official merchandise on their Facebook page. Watch this space for more information on The Down Troddence and their brand new album!

Ten from Twenty Thirteen

My top 10 metal singles released in 2013   While the rest of the metal world goes into virtual war arguing about the best albums released over the course of the year, I decided to get a little more specific. I’ve listed down ten songs that I think were among the best to be released in 2013. And I chose to do this particularly because I found certain gems hidden in albums that could overall be branded just about average, and that wouldn’t be fair, would it? So here goes.

10. Soilwork- “The Windswept Mercy”

Album: The Living Infinite There’s no denying that ‘The Panic Broadcast’ was a masterpiece, and living up to the glory of that isn’t an easy task. But instead of keeping it simple, Soilwork unnecessarily took things one step further and released a double album. The result- An overdose of mediocrity. A majority of the songs carried the same formula of the previous release, and it almost seemed like the band was giving its fans the leftovers of a feast, and urging them to enjoy that too. But without being too harsh, I must admit that there were certain tracks on ‘The Living Infinite’ that really deserved more attention. “The Windswept Mercy” was one of them. It stays true to the Soilwork sound, with the fantastic vocal melodies that they are best known for. The guitars and drum work also carry it through, and make it rise above the barrage of average and disappointing melodic death that the Swedish metallers offered us this year.

9. Black Sabbath- “Loner”

Album: 13 This was Ozzy’s first full length release with Black Sabbath in 35 years! This was enough to get some old fans excited about what the band would have to offer! Some traditional old school fans refused (and probably still refuse) to digest that this is the real Sabbath, minus Bill Ward. The truth is, ’13’ is no ‘Master of Reality’, but hey… Any new music is also welcome! “Loner” is quite reminiscent of “N.I.B” and it’s good to see that the riffmaster, Mr. Tony Iommi, still has it going for him! This is definitely one of the better songs on the album. Thankfully the band chose to neither over-produce the release, nor keep it too raw. In all, it works well and the fans (at least a few of us) are quite happy!

8. Queensryche- “Open road”

Album: Queensryche If you’ve been following the gossip section in metal tabloids, you’d probably know by now that there are two Queensryches. One, with Geoff Tate and the other with most of Queensryche’s original lineup, led by the powerful new vocalist Todd LaTorre. The album that people have been talking about is by the latter group, i.e. minus the controversial Tate. It’s one of the best releases the band has had in years, and we know someone who wouldn’t be too happy about that! The song I chose to highlight from this same release is the ballad “Open road”. Why a ballad in an album full of guitar laden solos and juicy heavy metal, you might ask. The truth is, we’ve been missing the glory of real metal ballads in quite a while, and if someone does this well, it’s got to be Queensryche! This is the track where I fell in love with LaTorre’s vocal ability. The rest of the members, including the particularly young guitarist, shine on this song, bringing out a perfect blend of old school Queensryche and modern heavy metal. This will surely go down as a classic in the years to come.

7. Amon Amarth- “Warriors of the North”

Album: Deceiver of the Gods Amon Amarth is one of the most consistent bands in metal. They never promise to surprise you with experiments, and all they do is replicate their signature sound. Yet, they do so without sounding stale. ‘Deceiver of the Gods’ was another proudly Viking metal release, and “Warriors of the North” was the highlight of the album. Eight minutes long, it brings together catchy riffs, a play with tempo- from a gallop to a trot- but without losing the engagement of the listener. As someone rightly said, the song summarizes what Amon Amarth is all about. And of course, Johan’s death metal vocals take this song to a whole new level of greatness.

6. Motorhead- “Heartbreaker”

Album: Aftershock This was Motorhead’s 21st album! Doesn’t that say a lot by itself? Especially knowing that this is another band that doesn’t brag about surprises. But we will continue to listen to them simply because they are Motorhead! This is the band we turn to when we want something speedy, raw and energetic.  “Heartbreaker” is one of the better tracks on ‘Aftershock’. It’s still very rock and roll and formulaic, but it’s got the badass quotient that by default, makes it awesome. Moreover, it’s what we want, and it’s what we’ve been getting. Lemmy sounds old though, and after the Wacken episode, we sure hope all the JD and the ciggies aren’t catching up on his mortality!

5. Suffocation- “Cycles of suffering”

Album: Pinnacles of Bedlam We all know Suffocation as the pioneers of death metal, and this was one of the most eagerly looked forward to releases of the year. But the album received a lot of mixed reviews. Older fans compared it to ‘Pierced from within’ and when placed side by side, ‘Pinnacles of Bedlam’ definitely doesn’t grab the limelight. The absence of Mike Smith has evidently impacted the band’s sound, but change is inevitable! I picked “Cycles of suffering” simply because it is one of the less-technical tracks on the album. The solo (which is quite a rarity to find on the other songs) also takes it one notch higher from the rest of the tracklist.

4.  Kylesa- “Unspoken”

Album: Ultraviolet I’ll be blatantly honest here. I discovered this band with this album, and had to press the rewind button to figure out more about Kylesa’s discography. I’m also not particularly a sludge guru, but like any other music lover, you know the good stuff when you’re exposed to it! “Unspoken” starts off slow, with eerie slow guitars, and suddenly breaks into a crushing chorus. The best part about this is that it is beautifully juxtaposed with the mild female vocals- a thoroughly winning combination. This track mingles elements of stoner rock and sludge, groove and rhythm. The album, as a whole, leaves you with the blues by the end of it, but I assume that’s something this genre usually does to you. However, there is no denying some hidden gems in the runtime of forty-odd minutes.

3. Dream Theater- “The enemy inside”

Album: Dream Theater Mike Portnoy was awesome. Nobody questions that. But Mike Mangini proves he’s not just second best! Dream Theater is a bunch of musicians who take talent to a whole new level, and on this song in particular, Mangini walks away with the crown. “The enemy inside” is a work of genius by Dream Theater who have retained their musical gymnastics, without letting it get too complex for casual listening. Apart from the drums, Petrucci with his heavy rhythms, and LaBrie’s vocal skills come together for a winner. Initially, I wasn’t very excited about this release, but this particular song changed it for me.

2. Ghost B.C.- “Monstrance Clock”

Album: Infestissumam “If the Devil really does have all the best tunes, he’s loaned a few of them to Ghost B.C. ” – Kerrang magazine You might argue about whether Ghost B.C. is metal, Occult Rock or just progressive rock, but genre classifications aside, it’s a brilliant album, and that’s all we really care about. This troupe of anonymous masked musicians make Slipknot look like idiots. Ghost B.C. have put forward some heavy metal with a vintage touch, and a generous sprinkling of all things Satan. Why did this song get my attention? Simply because it’s nothing like what we hear these days. “Monstrance Clock” reminds me of Blue Oyster Cult, with an evil touch. And the chorus… well, it’s going to be a while before we hear something like that in a while!

1. Carcass- “Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System”

Album: Surgical Steel ‘BLOODLUSTMORD!’ and you get a rush of “Yes! Carcass is back!” Every metalhead around the world has been raving about ‘Surgical Steel’ since its release. It was almost like the band was saving up all their ideas and strokes of genius for this one release! With a fantastic album like this one, it’s very difficult to choose just one song to call a favourite, but what I would call the flag-bearer of death metal excellence in this masterpiece by Carcass, would be the track “Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System” . The meaty riffwork (quite ironic that I need to use an adjective like that to describe the music from a band with a not-so-subtle animal rights motive) and the solos, along with the tinge of thrash, makes this one of the best tracks on ‘Surgical Steel’. There were quite a few bands who I thought would easily make the list, like Children of Bodom, Protest the Hero and Megadeth, for example. Though all of them didn’t necessarily disappoint, some didn’t live up to the mark. But here’s looking forward to 2014, and tons of more good music to break our necks to! Disclaimer: This is a personal selection of what I consider to be good, and it, in no way, reflects the opinion of the website, as a whole, or any of the other writers. There is a good chance that your favourite band has been left out of this list, simply because picking 10 out of thousands of metal releases is not an easy task. So be reasonable before you start flinging dung all over the place.