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Trend Slaughter Fest returns

The third edition of Bangalore’s Trend Slaughter fest is here, featuring Singaporean thrash/crust band Blood Division as the headliners. The gig, engineered and innovated by Cyclopean Eye Productions promises the best of the underground bands and stays true to it’s name. Having featured Japanese black thrash metallers Abigail and Bangladesh’s own Orator in the past, this one promises to be just as damaging. Making their live debut at TSF III will be Bombay’s Solar Deity. Accompanied by Necrodeity from Kolkota, the legendary Dying Embrace and Bangalore’s very own Witchgoat and Shepherd. TSF III takes place on 10th February, 2013 at a venue yet to be announced. The gig features an early bird ticket offer for Rs. 500, while the ticket on the day of the gig costs Rs. 700.  Both variants featuring a free beer. Be there to witness some absolute mayhem, moshing and thrashing. And as always, support the underground!

The Great Metal Year of 2012: Top 10 albums

The List

Blut Aus Nord – 777 – Cosmosophy (BaN – Epitome XIV) One of the most important bands in black metal today, BaN finally ushered in an age of black metal that is now visible as an admirable bunch of bands attempting to innovate and experiment within the framework of the genre. But the reason why this band remains at the apex is that it does not recognize a framework. Cosmosophy, like most great music, is the culmination of a personal vision, namely a thematic exploration which is the 777 trilogy. As cosmic as it is visceral, and as grand as it is subtle, I refrained from reviewing an album to which I could not do proper justice given time constraints. Beware of trip-hop moments and other unexpected elements. Deathspell Omega – Drought (EP) (DsO – Salowe Vision) This won’t be the only EP in the list. My review for it can be found in the review section. Another black metal act that continues to evolve and consolidate its sound on every release, Drought received much less attention than it should have. A perfect monsoon release for us in the Indian subcontinent. Eryn Non Dae. – Meliora (END. – Hidden Lotus) Solid composition, a bleak and modern sound and a mature melodic structure has made this a treat to listen to. Another criminally underrated band, read my review for a slightly premature impression which should in spite of it’s hasty concoction convince the reader to give it a shot. Kayo Dot – Gamma Knife (Kayo Dot – Ocellated God) To quote the most interesting man in the world, Kayo Dot aren’t always metal, but when they are, you still can’t say for sure. Gamma Knife is a mix of heavy-as-fuck riffing, free jazz saxophone solos and certain indescribable moments that can only stem from the recesses of Toby Driver’s mind. This was released independently on bandcamp where it is available as an online stream in its entirety. Do pleasure yourself. Spawn of Possession – Incurso (SoP – Apparition) Though lacking the inhuman consistency of the band’s masterpiece and undoubtedly the pinnacle of technical death (or for me, any) metal Noctambulant, Incurso has its moments. And those moments will haunt you for quite some time. Be it Bryssling’s painfully exact technique, Muenzner’s impressive soloing or Erlend’s slap-happy bass (Rondum should’ve stuck to drums, Schonstrom is great but doesn’t come close), songs like Bodiless Sleeper, The Evangelist and the beyond-epic Apparition are way ahead of their time. With the promise of composing for a full orchestra on the next record by Bryssling, I would really like to see a band that can come anywhere close to such a full and cerebral sound. Krallice – Years Past Matter (Krallice – Years Past Matter) Krallice have always received mixed reactions, ranging from ‘oh-so-kvlt’ to ‘boringly repetitive’. Bridging this divide with a release that had song names as bad as the music is good (the song titles are all composed of the letter I, all capital), Mick Barr, Colin Marston and Lev Weinstein have created an aural juggernaut. This isn’t black metal anymore. Seeming more and more like Mick Barr’s chaotic vision of formative tremolo picked madness that is Orthrelm, Krallice have tempered aggression with structure, and a modern attack with traditional sensibilities, all of which makes it an incredibly dense record.
Bosse-de-Nage – III (Bosee-de-Nage – Cells)
I was drawn to this band initially upon seeing their track titles for the previous album – Marie Pisses Upon The Count, Van Gogh Cooks His Hands… something charming about the way they seemed to be going about this whole S&M thing. This album forgoes theatrics for pure musicianship and has given them a rightful place of their own on the borders of metal, if not within the capital where the junta congregates and worships its ageing and irrelevant Gods. Amenra – Mass V (Amenra – Boden) Sometimes, the painfully slow can be palpably exquisite. Amenra isn’t that well known a name in metal perhaps, but definitely one of the towering giants of the sludge scene. Returning after four long years to release a full length with just four songs to the fans’ initial disappointment, the intensity and merciless doom-tempo sonic attack spanked the living fuck out of doubters, and added new members to the ‘Church of Ra’. Solar Deity – The Darkness of Being (Solar Deity – Towards The Horizon) Initially ambivalent to this sneakily experimental approach to black metal, this was a grower. A major one. Though by no means a perfect release, this is the kind of egoistic output that merits attention and not impatient refusal, though it will stand its ground irrespective of what ensues. ‘Towards The Horizon’ is one of the best things I’ve heard in Indian rock music this year. The bassline kills it br0. Gorod –  A Perfect Absolution (Gorod – Birds of Sulphur) Smart, quick and ruthless, this album is a cornucopia of demented melodic riffing. You cannot possibly ignore the unrelenting grooves, the effortlessly executed sweeps and the insanely catchy melodic lines acting as strong and stable leitmotifs. Tech death done right. Are you listening, progenitor of Autotheism? Honourable mentions: Limit Zero – Graveyard Constellations (managed to impress highly in spite of personal bias against djent while reviewing, must be really fucking good) Nachtmystium – Silencing Machine (managed to finally release an album I really liked) Ihsahn – Eremita, Enslaved – RIITIIR, Gojira – Explosia (I haven’t listened to these enough)

Ishaan Kumar’s Apocalypse List: Top 10 Metal Albums of 2012

OK, so the world hasn’t ended, which only means that there will be more metallicious albums in the coming years. This year had its fair share of hits and misses, with quite a few letdowns and surprisingly, not a single power metal album I heard managed to enthrall me enough to make it to my top 10. Maybe I haven’t heard enough, who knows. However, here is my list. Again, I haven’t heard every album released this year so this list may not be to your agreement, and that’s absolutely fine. 10. Circus Maximus- Nine (Progressive Metal|Norway):  Four years since their 2nd epic release ‘Isolate’, Circus Maximus released a more emotive album this year. The riffs are less fiery and more brooding and plaintive, and the the entire album is one beautiful thought-provoking piece of music. Vocalist Michael Erikson continues his great run of high-pitch control and the music is a lot more calculated, to the point where the very heavy Dream Theater influence clearly shines through. A perfect balance of heavy and soft music, mixed together in one great homogenous release. Track Pick: Burn After Reading

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  9. Marduk- Serpent Sermon (Black Metal|Sweden):  Mortuus leads the hate charge yet again on this sonic fist to the face. The tremolo lightning raids are there, interspersed intermittently with haunting chordplay and the beats are a lot more varied than any previous release by the band, ranging from blasts, to the D-beat to even slow waltzes. The music is well structured and crafted, creating pockets of light only to accentuate the overall darkness surrounding them. Forward Panzer Division!! Track Pick: Coram Satanae

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  8. Swallow the Sun- Emerald Forest and the Blackbird (Melodic Doom Metal|Finland):  After a not-so-great 4th album that shares its name with a piece of teeny-bopper fantasy literature, these Finnish masters of Gothic Doom have made a bit of a comeback with this haunting new album, based on a Finnish bedtime story. While this release is less replete with heavy palm-mutes, the soundscapes the band creates with tremolo/arpeggio harmonies and chords is just masterful work. The mood of the music changes smoothly from hope to despair and back to hope, covering all the other emotions in between. The vocals have a greater presence of clean singing and they fit perfectly like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle. Lastly, any band that can make Anette Olzen sound good (she guests on ‘Cathedral Walls’) gets a tip of the hat from me. Track Pick: Labyrinth of London (Horror part IV)

Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest And The Blackbird

  7. Hour of Penance- Sedition (Death Metal|Italy):  Fast and abrasive, chaotic yet structured…that’s how Hour of Penance’s music can be summed up. The band’s mantra of music at the speed of light continues on this album. None of the magic has been lost. The vocals are more powerful than ever, the drums just slaughter everything in the path of the beats and the riffwork is akin to the beauty that a Jackson Pollock painting exudes. A proverbial jackhammer to the head, in a really glorious way. Track Pick: Deprave to Redeem

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  6. Destruction- Spiritual Genocide (Thrash Metal|Germany):  2 albums in consecutive years and both are awesome pieces of music? How? Only this deadle pioneering trio of teutonic thrash can answer the question. A groovier approach to their music, yet the band hasn’t compromised relentless aggression. This album is everything you love about Destruction and more. And a song with Tom Angelripper as guest vocalist can only sound even better than a regular one. If anything at all, the band sounds fresher than they ever have in terms of music. Track Pick: Legacy of the Past

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  5. Aeon- Aeons Black (Death Metal|Sweden):  Bludgeoning riffs with sadistic growls that are tied in with masterfully hate-filled songwriting, Aeon’s sermons of anti-Christianity continue on this tasty album. No worries of dumbing down music here, the structured chaos has only been taken a notch higher. If you want a truly delicious serving of heavy riffs and groovy-yet-relentless blast beats, this is the band for you. Track Pick: I Wish You Death

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  4. Enslaved- RIITIIR (Progressive Metal|Norway):  Soothingly powerful is how I would describe Enslaved’s music. This album is no less. Creatively written ambient sequences pepper the otherwise fast and abrasive extreme parts and yet both fit right into the same context. Keyboard player Herbrand has been given more clean singing opportunity and he has used it to the fullest. Every song on this album is an anthem. Track Pick: Roots of the Mountain

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  3. Wintersun- Time I (Melodic Death/Folk Metal|Finland):  8 years is a long time to wait for a new album. And to make the fans believe its releasing that year, every year of those 8, only to delay it further is even worse. But when it finally releases and is everything you hoped for and more, it is a celestial feeling. And this very celestial feeling is captured by the musical charms of Jari Maenppaa. The album is one gigantic song, one can say, being an ambient and haunting experiences that transports you to a land of frost and snow, where time itself stands still, only to let it pass on this album itself. All I ask for now, is some more ‘Time’. Track Pick: Time

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  2. Mors Principium Est- …And Death Said Live (Melodic Death Metal|Finland):  5 years is not a very short waiting time either for a new album. For Finland’s melodic death metal saviours Mors Principium Est, this album being released is a feat of its own. After having almost disbanded, the band has stuck to their belief in their music and have releases this masterpiece of an album. The formula is the same at its core, just a new form of it. The riffwork is melodic yet aggressive and unbridled, the vocals are well-maintained growls and the drums are a delectable set of varying tempos. The haunting keys and added sound programming add another epic dimension to the music. A truly fitting name for a band who’s name itself means ‘Death is the Beginning’. Track Pick: Birth of the Starchild

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  1. Carach Angren- Where the Corpses Sink Forever (Symphonic Black Metal|The Netherlands):  Never has such ingenuity in songwriting resulted in such creative music as this Dutch trio have generated. With their minds set on telling spectral stories, this new album is a concept within a concept. A story of 7 ghosts of war being plagued by immoral ends ravage a World War II executioner as he gets ready to execute 7 soldiers. Each song is a horrifying story of war schizophrenia. The band’s music is homogenously amorphous, with each song written as a symphony. Vocalist/guitarist Seregor’s emotive shrieks echo despair and anger like no other band, Ardek’s haunting keys and symphonic strains are married perfectly to the stringwork and Namtar’s crafty drums march on with groovy, intelligent and shape-shifting grace. One of the most creative forces in metal ever, there is a really bright future that lies ahead for this paranormal powerhouse. Track Pick: Bitte Totet Mich

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Gear up for New Year’s

What better way to end the best year for metal in India than to party with your favourite bands? Inner Sanctum and Bevar Sea are back together to host the best (and the only) metal end of the year party. We bring you the very kick ass folk-thrash band from Kerala, The Down Troddence. They’ve just finished recording their debut album and we can’t wait to check it out!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jj37KEQofU To complete the line-up we have, for the first time in Bangalore, the excellent heavy/power metal upstarts Gaia’s Throne all the way from Pune. Get your shred on! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZsaAaIWvLY The event will also feature excellent art courtesy Scribble Bandit, Acid Toad, and many more! Five hours of non-stop metal! First 50 to enter the venue to get a free poster! Date: 30th Dec 2012 Gates open 4:30PM Entry: 300 with free beer Venue: No Limmits, on Magrath Road. Opposite Garuda Mall, above Nalli Silks

Review: The Indian Metal Festival, 2012

The great metal weekend has just wrapped itself up. In a once in a lifetime occurrence, two major international bands headlined two major metal festivals, happening in the same city and at the same time, at different venues. Some headed for Testament at NH7 Weekender in Bangalore, and the rest, like me, chose to attend the Indian Metal Festival, headlined by Gojira.

As soon as I reached the venue, I had an intuition that I’d made a mistake. Two wheeler parking was about half a kilometre away from Manpho Convention Centre, and was priced at an exorbitant 100 rupees, with no security guaranteed. A man in a suit was handing out parking tickets, which was ridiculous in more than one way. But that unpleasant surprise was just the beginning. The venue was shoddy, with no impressive backdrop or even a stable looking stage. I felt a tinge of embarrassment to think that a band as huge as Gojira would have to play up there! But we all just kept our fingers crossed that the sound would make up for it. The second shock came our way when the gig, which was supposed to begin at 1PM, was pushed to 4PM. And as expected, the opening bands had to cut down their time on stage. To make things worse, Escher’s Knot and Agnostic did not play at all. Gutslit started things off at the Indian Metal Festival, but they struggled with sound issues, and despite it, put up a good show. Eccentric Pendulum also went up for a hurried 20 minutes, (in place of an hour, as they’d been promised earlier). At this juncture, I would like to pose a question to all gig organizers around the country. Why do you always compromise only when it comes to our local artists? Do you realize the amount of practice, among other things, that these bands put into making a good show? Why do you always make them pay for your lack of good organizational skills? It’s about time that Indian artists get the same quality of sound as international acts, and also, the same amount of time on stage. If your gig is running late, then work things out, but without making our artists be the ones to give up on something. IMG_9809 Now, continuing with the review… After not watching Agnostic and Escher’s Knot, the international co-headliners, or opening acts… however you’d want to address them, came on stage. Flayed Disciple went up next, and they killed it! They were the second highlight of the evening, after Gojira. Tight and super heavy, they played a set that roughly lasted 40 minutes, ending with their death metal version of ‘Angel of Death’. Bloodshot Dawn took over after them, and were fairly good too- especially their drummer/ vocalist. They won over the crowd though, and the band members showered the audience with t-shirts and high fives. Xerath followed, and though their dramatic opening was followed by an unsatisfactory beginning, (due to some sound issues, again), they settled in quickly and put up a tight set. The vocalist couldn’t help but remind many of us of Soilwork’s ‘Speed’ Strid. After they wrapped up, Mario’s drumkit was unveiled, and Gojira’s set up began. Thankfully, not much time was wasted, and the French prog/ death metallers invaded the stage. They sounded powerful as they opened with “Explosia” from their newest album L’ Enfant Sauvage. They played a perfect mix of the old and the new, and here’s a picture of their setlist: Gojira setlist But the band didn’t stick to this, and surprised us with a couple of unplanned songs like “Love”. Another highlight was the fantastic role-switching act, when frontman/ guitarist Joe Duplantier took over the drums, and brother Mario Duplantier took over guitars and vocals. They didn’t seem out of place at all, and had the audience in a happy frenzy during this little interchange. The drum solo, the dedication to Pt. Ravi Shankar, their energy on stage, their interaction with the crowd and the “shukriya”s, and of course, their tightness as a live act showed us why Gojira is currently one of the biggest metal bands around the world. No goof-ups, not a single sloppy second… very few bands can brag about this! It was a mind-blowing performance, and Gojira saved the day for IMF. If not for them, and probably Flayed Disciple, I’m pretty sure that angry fans may have torn down the venue. The organizers- Sweet Leaves Events, also fucked up with issuing media passes, by making some webzines (like ours), purchase tickets, when letting in their friends and some other media companies for free. Favouritism? Well… when asked about it, the organizer says “I don’t know why I did that”. They also lashed back at criticism on Facebook by sending out an apology:- To all Indian Metal Festival Attendees, Firstly,However it was, we hope you enjoyed the gig! We’re sorry for the mediocre management. Involvement of many fucked up people who were more concerned about money than music led to many unavoidable problems. For the bands who couldn’t play, we are more sorry than we could express.Agnostic,we had called them all the way from the north east because we wanted to expose the brilliant metal scene up there.We could have got well-known metal bands too to increase out footfalls,but we wanted to g All in all,we understood where we went wrong,and we shall definitely put up a better gig the next time.ive you guys a chance to go on a big stage to show your talent.To show the obnoxious metal scene how you guys are so passionate about the ‘metal’.But the situation and the politics that happened at the last moment,we were just helpless.We hope you forgive us and we shall surely try to get you guys a bigger gig the next time. Up the horns \m/ P.S. For the critics, it’s easy to criticize on a social networking site,but it’s really tough to do something like the Indian Metal Festival. See the post here. IMG_9932If it’s “really tough to do something like the Indian Metal Festival”, then why attempt it in the first place, do a bad job, and then point fingers at others and play the blame game? It only seems like the team behind IMF tried to bite off more than they could chew, and then pushed the blame on others, without taking the onus for whatever happened as one crew. Rumors float around about how the international acts, including Gojira, cut down on their setlist to accommodate the Indian bands, and if true, it’s amazing that they did that. We wait for the day when event organizers here learn a lesson or two in professional event management, and learn to respect our artists, the fans and the media, because without them, you wouldn’t have an event to run in the first place. IMF scraped through thanks to the bands and the decent turnout, but dear organizers… learn this. If you don’t get your act together, you’re going to lose the little support that you’ve been getting. And if you think you are a blessing to the Indian metal scene… well, we’re sorry to burst your bubble, but you are not. Bands and fans can stand together, like they always have, and do a better job than you have been doing. PHOTOGRAPHS BY: Subhramani S.

Diamond Plate recruit new frontman,announce new album

US thrashers Diamond Plate confirmed the addition of Matt Ares to the band as their new vocalist and bassist, following the departure of former frontman Jon Macak. The band has also started working on the follow-up to their 2011 debut album, Generation Why?, which will be released sometime in 2013. The band commented: “Over the past few months we have been writing and demoing songs for the next album. During that time, we felt that the chemistry between Jon and the rest of the band wasn’t as strong as it needed to be. We decided to move on, and find someone that shared the same passion to create the music that we’ve always wanted to make. We wish Jon all the best, and we want to thank him for being a part of this band. We are extremely excited to announce and welcome Matt Ares into the band as vocalist and bassist. Matt has really been a breath of fresh air for us, and in the first two weeks of jamming with him we were able to create an entirely new batch of songs and finish demoing the second album. Matt’s voice and playing add new dimensions to our sound, and we can’t wait for everyone to hear the band now. Thanks for always supporting, and keep your ears open for a new Diamond Plate record in 2013!”

Megadeth to start recording new album soon

After the success of Th1rt3en, ace thrashers Megadeth are all set to record their 14th studio album. Frontman Dave Mustaine, who recently had problems with his vocals chords had the following to say on his official website: “Droogies, I wanted to check in with you as I get ready to start tracking my 14 Megadeth record. For some of you that are new fans; the word ‘Droogie’ may seem a strange way to start a letter, but it means ‘friend’ supposedly in Russian slang. I got the idea to call you that from watching ‘Alex’ from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ call his two co-conspirators that. So, now you know I ain’t calling you ‘druggies.’ Onward to the update. Last Thursday I went to see an ENT (ear, nose, and throat Doctor), to find out the status of the damage to my vocal chords that they discovered prior to my surgery, and my neck from after the surgery. I was told during the first MRIs that I had a cyst or something on my vocal chords, and I didn’t give it anymore thought, because the fusion was way more important. I still find it laughable that someone I know said I was a pussy while lying in an ER awaiting spinal surgery for contemplating cancelling the BIG 4 show in NYC. I guess the old saying, “You spot it – you got it!” applies here. Except I don’t want to offend our female fans by comparing this excrement to a body part of theirs. I walked away from the surgery, which was done after the concert (who’s the pussy now?) and was a complete success, thinking I had nodes or polyps or something, and I wanted to wait until a year after the surgery to go get checked, because I just didn’t want to go under the knife again that soon, if of course I had too. Thank God I don’t. Fortunately, if you can say that, my problem with my vocal chords is treatable, and it is just a matter of exercise, diet, and eating habits. I started drinking Aloe Juice, taking a tablet for my stomach, and I have to cut out some things I like. Coffee is one of things, but since I am not a cheerleader for overpriced – overrated Starbucks, like Thor and Junior, I am not taking this too hard. I am bummed about no chocolate (I love chocolate!), and tomatoes (no spaghetti or pizza), but I am loving this Countdown 20th Anniversary tour, and with the new record starting next week, singing is more important to me than ever.” This November and December, Megadeth will perform the acclaimed album Countdown To Extinction in its entirety on their US Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour.

Undergrind productions presents DIS-Organized

After a successful gig at Undergrind 2012 featuring Wormrot, Bangalore’s gore factory is back with another gig with a promising line up. DIS-ORGANIZED is a gig featuring some of Bangalore’s most underground extreme bands  and exciting new comers at the same time. The line up – GORIFIED (Death/Grind) ANORECTAL ULCERATION (Gore Grind) GROSSTY (Grindcore) PLAGUE THROAT (Death Metal from Shillong) DJINN & MISKATONIC (Doom/Stoner Metal) NECROPHILIA (Death Metal) THRASH – Thrash Metal NIHILUS (Technical Death Metal) The gig is set to take place at the Dugout Pub in Koramangala on Friday, the 16th of November. The entry includes a cover charge of Rs. 150.  See you there!