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Twisted Metal: A review

In a scene where promoters are few in number, sponsors are non-existent for gigs, and bands almost always play for free, it only makes sense to follow the DIY model if metal needs to survive in India. We’ve seen so called ‘event management companies’ run by a bunch of college kids mushrooming in multiple cities, and even large scale events like Bangalore Open Air are adopting the crowd-funding model. Success has always been a big question mark, but one gig that followed the same approach and reaped multiple benefits was Twisted Metal.

Organized by a bunch of bands who got together and decided to test the waters. Twisted Metal was conceptualized as a gig that would feature a variety of metal genres with a sort of ‘twisted’ line-up, and that would be arranged from scratch by all the members themselves. After weeks of planning, the show finally kicked off at Pebble Jungle Lounge in Bangalore, on the 24th of August. The venue was open-air, and the sound set-up was perfect, with acoustics being very apt for metal bands. The gig started about half an hour later than scheduled, and Neolithic Silence kicked things off that evening.

neolithic_silence1Their set had a mix of covers and originals, and set the energy perfectly for an evening of good, heavy music. I’d have to make a special mention of drummer Yadhu, who played with a back brace- just
recovering from an injury, and still, turned out to be one of the best performers that evening. Neolithic Silence has come so far over the years, and this new line-up is one of the best things to have happened to the band. Doom descended on the venue some minutes later when Djinn and Miskatonic got on stage. When I watched them for the first time more than a year ago, I was confused, like many others around me, about why the music was so gloomy, and why the riffs weren’t faster. Over time, I have begun to understand their style a bit better, but I also notice a lot of newbie’s looking at perplexed as I might have back then. They have gotten a lot tighter- drumming has become crisp, vocals have moved into a more comfortable zone and of course, bass and guitars stand out as heroes. As I mentioned in one of my previous reviews, it would be great to have visualisation along with their set to experience their music in a more holistic sort of way.

Live Banned were up next, and had hinted about a metal version of their usual crazy set. Many of us were curious, but also slightly doubtful about how they would fit in. But boy, they proved us wrong. live_banned2They were easily one of the heaviest acts that night! And they did more than just add distortion to their existing songs. Escher’s Knot vocalist Abijith joined them to add the gutturals for “Death Dance”. They also did their customary medley-of-songs thing, with a lot of popular, recognizable metal riffs. It was one surprise after another, a burst of energy and in all, an absolutely killer set. All bands need a lesson or two from these guys about stage presence and crowd engagement! They also had some mental costumes and black cloaks to accentuate the madness. The altered line-up was brilliant- with Yadhu playing the drums instead of Dheeru, and Siddarth on guitars, instead of on keys. Though all bands were fantastic that night, Live Banned was easily everyone’s favourite- simply because they put up something that was completely unexpected, and blew everyone away.

lucidreamsWe returned to sanity with Lucidreams and some old school heavy metal. I had last watched this band at a Sunday Jam gig, and they weren’t very good back then. But with a new and improved line-up, they have made it worth sticking around for 20 years! Very Dio-inspired, their music is quite a nostalgic trip. They played some new material from their upcoming album ‘Bollocks’ and it was very impressive. They also played a cover of “Holy Diver” and also Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” (they moved into a region that’s pretty much monopolized by Bevar Sea) and did a pretty good job too! Their song patterns are traditional, with long and melodic guitar solos, but the emotion that comes through is quite intense. Vocalist Vineesh is all Ronnie James Dio in his mannerisms and singing style, but far from being an imitation. Lucidreams was another welcome surprise that evening, and I’m really looking forward to watching them more often.

bhoomiBhoomi. What a fucking awesome band. I don’t usually use profanity as an adverb, but at the moment, I can’t seem to find anything that’s more of a superlative than that! These guys have been around for a long time now, but their music never gets boring or repetitive. They too played quite a few new originals, and their growth as a band is so evident in the songwriting and the melodies. The band has an infectious energy on stage and guitarist Tony stole the show that night. Bhoomi was my personal favourite at Twisted Metal.

Threinody was the final act at Twisted Metal, and there couldn’t have been a better way to end the night. It was all about pure thrash (and there was nothing threinodytwisted about that) that came with some restricted moshing (venue rules… bah!) and loads of vigorous headbanging. This was one band where the audience enjoyed their originals as much as their covers. Whether it was “In Extremis” or “Phobia”, the crowd was charged up all through the set. They interrupted their set to hand out free shots, and everyone held up their glasses to pay tribute to their ex-band member who passed away some time ago. For one of the few times, Threinody got to play their setlist entirely, without having to cut down to accommodate other acts. They were a powerful way to conclude the show. (They are also responsible for my broken neck, by the way).

The gig had an attendance of around 230 people, which is fairly good going by Bangalore standards. It was a relief to not have sound issues, and what was even better was that the show started a little behind schedule, but eventually settled into the pre-fixed time table. All bands had enough time on stage, and nobody had to compromise in any way. The show ended on time, and there were no glitches. The bands were happy, the crowd was happy and the weather Gods were happy too- they didn’t play spoilsport that evening. In all, the DIY model worked for these bands in their first attempt. This isn’t a surprise though, considering all the members have played at so many shows over the years, and their experience has taught them lessons that they implemented.

Overall, Twisted Metal was a success story, and kudos to the bands for pulling this off. Now how about a second edition?

 

Bangalore Open Air 2014 line-up announced

The third edition of the much talked about Bangalore Open Air returns and this time sees yet another Teutonic thrash band, this time it’s the mighty Destruction. The line up also features  Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ and Italian death metal band Cadaver Mutilator.

Supporting these bands will be The Down Troddence, Bangalore’s mighty old timers Threinody Kolkata’s Armament and Girish and The Chronicles.

The festival is set to take place on September the 13th, 2014, at Counter Culture, in Whitefield, Bangalore.  The ticket on pre-sale cost Rs. 2000, up till August 10th. From August 11th till the the day of the festival, the tickets will cost Rs. 2500.

Having made its mark in the last two editions, BOA promises to be a hell of a festival for metalheads, and one would not want to miss out on this. Bangalore Open Air has our support and it deserves everyone of yours too! See you all there.

Insurrection V.3 – A review

After months of anticipation and last minute changes, the third edition of Insurrection finally took place on Sunday, 15th June, at Bak Bak Bar in Bangalore. Organized by Sound Awake, the gig promised a diverse line up including an international headliner- Underside from Nepal. It was an exhausting gig, in a positive and negative sense, but mostly worth our while.

After a two hour delay, the show started with Analyzed Consequences getting on stage and struggling with technical glitches. The opening backing track kept stopping because of the loose connections and the unstable stage. That got them off to a (literally) shaky start, but they powered through their set. Though labeled a djent act, they were more modern progressive metal. Despite being an instrumental outfit, they managed to keep the audience just as involved. Unfortunately, the brilliant guitar solos were almost inaudible to those away from the stage, and the china cymbal was too loud, often drowning out the rest of the instruments. But Analyzed Consequences was one hell of a tight act, and surely is a band we need to watch out for.

Bad Taste went up next, and left a bad taste in all our mouths after their set. The bass was out of tune, and the band as a whole seemed unrehearsed. I was expecting something better from Charlie and his new lineup, but was disappointed. Thankfully, Grossty followed, and as always, they were so much fun! Sudden surprises with “Rasputin” and ‘koothu’ beats added the entertainment quotient to the evening, but even their regular stuff livened up the venue, with the audience shouting “TV is full of crap” along with the vocalist. They got my vote for band of the evening, for sure.

Sound glitches continued during Djinn and Miskatonic’s soundcheck, delaying the already delayed show by a few more minutes. Drummer Siddarth capitalized on this and kept the audience entertained with a couple of drum solos. It was great to see Djinn back in action, but I felt that they shouldn’t have been made to go on stage soon after Grossty. The two bands are at the far two ends of the spectrum when it comes to energy levels (in terms of genre, and not performance). Organizers should have considered this when putting the running order together.

Next up was Threinody– Bangalore’s very own old school thrash band. Theirs was a short and tight set with a mix of their popular originals like “In Extremis” and “Surrender to the Blade” along with a cover of Kreator’s “Phobia”. Guitarist Josh has been replaced by Siddarth Kamath, and though the latter did a fab job, I missed the guitar richness that Josh added to Threinody’s sound. Siddarth Naidu is a great frontman, and though very casual, he always makes it a point to personally thank some people in the audience, and this time, even called bassist Narayan on stage to wish him for his birthday!

Mumbai’s Albatross were up after Threinody, and also had a very short set. There were technical glitches again, and the speakers kept going off and on, causing quite a bit of distraction midway through their performance. They’ve played a couple of times in Bangalore, but somehow, have always been restricted because of a lack of time. They again had an abbreviated performance of only about four songs, and that was very disappointing. And it probably angered me a lot more when the band after them, Final Surrender, got to play for almost an hour! Though I do understand that the concept of favoritism shouldn’t exist between local and outstation bands, I expected there to be fairness in terms of time allotted to all the bands too. Final Surrender brought out some decent metalcore, but did not work on how they sounded on the P.A. The drums were ridiculously loud, and the bass occasionally competed with that. Though the people immediately near the stage seemed to be having a blast, the band sounded unbalanced outside.

Underside ended the night with a set that mostly comprised of their originals. They wasted no time in between, and were high on energy throughout. Sadly, people started trickling out by the end of the night, but that didn’t stop the band from delivering.

On the whole, Insurrection was a decent gig, but with very bad time management. I expected there to be chaos because of the last minute change in venue (from Ion Bar and Kitchen to Bak Bar Bar), but things seemed to be going smoothly. Sound problems seem to have become a given at most gigs, so it would help if there were fewer bands and more time allotted to each. That way, each of them gets to play for a decent amount of time, and in case of issues cropping up, nobody compromises too much. The turnout was fairly good (236 attendees, to be precise) and it was a relief to see that things aren’t looking that bleak just yet. Finally, three cheers to Sound Awake for keeping the scene alive, without the genre bias!

Watch out for the new ‘Videos’ section on Headbangers India! Footage from the gig and more… Coming soon!

Underside to headline Insurrection V.3.

Sound-Awake is back with the third edition of Insurrection, their heavy metal themed series of events, which made its debut on the 1st of December 2013 at Ion Bar and Kitchen. With its sophomore edition, it featured bands like Neolithic Silence, Shepherd and Dark Desolation.

This event boasts of a pretty awesome line-up with Underside (Nepal) headlining the night.

The poster (designed by Pramanik Studios) is out and the line-up is given below:
1. Underside (Nepal) – groove/thrash metal
2. Albatross (Mumbai) – horror metal
3. Threinody (Bangalore) – old school thrash metal
4. Djinn and Miskatonic (Bangalore) – doom metal
5. Bad Taste (Bangalore) – grind/gore metal
6. Grossty (Bangalore) – grind/ gore metal
7. Analyzed Consequences (Bangalore) – djent/ progressive metal
8. Final Surrender (Bangalore) – progressive metalcore

The event will be held on the 15th of June, a Sunday at Ion Bar and Kitchen. Tickets are priced at INR 450 at the gate and early bird passes priced at INR 350 will be available with the bands and certain outlets which will be announced in due course. Art work and customized items will be sold by a host of art vendors which again will be announced later.

Details and developments surrounding the gig will be posted on the event page. RSVP here.

 

Headbangers India is happy to be associated with Insurrection for another edition of the show.

Threinody release new single

Thrash metal act from Bangalore, Threinody, have just released a recording of their new single “Surrender to the Blade”. “Surrender to the Blade” is a wicked tale of a psycho doctor who does almost anything with his scalpel to earn a quick buck.
You can listen to it here:


The band has also just released t-shirts with the single’s artwork, which has been designed by graphics whiz Kiren Bagchee, an old friend of the band’s, now based in California. You can check out his art here: https://www.facebook.com/kirenbagchee
To order your t-shirt (and check on sizes available) get in touch with the band on their official Facebook page.
The tshirt costs Rs. 550 only.

Gig Review: EVILUTION II- Uglier, Heavier, Louder

After a very successful first edition, ‘Evilution’- a Bangalore metal gig that’s now turning into a property of sorts, returned with a second version. This time, it was supposed to be “Uglier, Heavier and Louder”. But sadly, more than anything else, it was a massive disappointment. And no, this wasn’t because of any of the bands, or the organization. As you read on, you might figure out why I label it this way.

The gig started a little late, with Progressive Death/ Thrash band Ontologus going on stage first. Those of us who watched them soundcheck realized that they sounded much better then than when they actually began their set, mainly because we were only able to hear them through the stage monitors. Despite this, they put on a good show, playing some of their originals and also threw in a cover of Megadeth’s “Dread and the Fugitive Mind”. Yashaswi was impressive on the guitars and vocals, but unfortunately, he unofficially announced that it would be his last show with the band. I’m looking forward to what they have coming our way next, especially after their trademark vocal and guitar sound changes.

Djinn and Miskatonic went on stage next, but their set was plagued with sound issues. They started off slightly shaky, particularly because the vocals were a bit off-key initially, but they settled in soon enough. Just when the punch began to kick in, the guitars went off, and some minutes later, it was the bass. Midway through, we could barely hear the vocals, and these multiple distractions made the crowd a little fidgety. I’ve watched Djinn and Miskatonic from their first show here, and I have to mention that I have seen a steady improvement with every gig. Sriram has definitely upped the on-stage energy level of the band by quite a bit too. They have just released their album ‘Forever in the Realm’ and you can pick it up here.

Shepherd was up next, and this was their first show* without vocalist (now ex-vocalist), Mahesh. Vocal duties were shared by Deepak and Namit, who did a pretty good job. Deepak took over the more screechy style of vocals, and Namit handled the singing. They surely looked like they were having fun, but in comparison to their earlier shows, this seemed more like a casual on-stage jam. And this primarily because they were lacking in the stage presence and interaction that a frontman brings into the equation. But apart from this little flaw, they were still tight, as they’ve always been.

Thrashers Threinody got ready to go up next, and finally, Ion Bar and Kitchen looked like there was a serious gig happening. Prior to this, the audience was sparse and scattered, but Threinody managed to get people together. During the previous edition of Evilution, the band cut their set short to give Albatross time on-stage, and this time too, they did the same so that the outstation bands, i.e. Orion and Fragarak, would not run out of time. Threinody played only three songs, and sounded louder than any of the previous bands. Though it started off being a plus point, it only got more jarring as the show went on. But they were tight, powerful and yes… fucking awesome!

Orion- the Mumbai based Progressive Death metallers were up after Threinody. They took a while to get their sound in place, but things began to get uncomfortable because the clock was ticking, and we were nearing the hour for the Bangalore live-gig deadline. The crowd had, by this time, reduced to a shameful 20-30 people. Orion was interesting, especially with their mix of growls and clean vocals, resonant of some Opeth and Soilwork. But by this time, the sound issues were troubling the band a great deal, actually causing them to restart their first song all over again. The output was so distorted on the speakers that it was actually getting slightly annoying for those watching. The guitar melodies weren’t audible to us in the audience, and sudden spurts of sounds from the instruments on stage didn’t make things any better. I don’t think I can comment on this band because of all these problems, and I am hoping they will play a longer and less troubled set in Bangalore soon.

Fragarak faced similar issues, but they powered through those 10 or 15 minutes trying to make the most of their time on stage. Again, vocals were not heard, except to those in front who didn’t need to rely on the microphone for that. Bass work was commendable, but now and then, Fragarak messed up their timing. I can’t tell for sure why this happened, and whether the on-stage sound contributed to this or not, but the drums seemed out of sync with the rest of the band more than once. By this time, Bangalore cops had arrived and the pub authorities were creating a ruckus in front of the stage, forcing things to stop. So after a short and unsatisfactory set, the gig had come to an end.

Coming to why I called this gig a massive disappointment, there were three main reasons. Bad sound, pathetic turnout and of course, Bangalore cops and their stupid deadline rule. Every band who played at the show suffered with bad sound, and this also wasted a lot of time. The turnout was shamefully low, and there definitely wouldn’t have been more than 120 people in total, including the floating crowd. In fact, I think that is an overestimation as well. What was worse was that by 9.30PM, people started trickling out, and it was just a handful of those who stayed till the end. Bangalore cannot call itself the metal capital anymore. It’s such a disgrace that the metal community is so vocal and active online and on Facebook, but when it comes to attending a show and supporting the bands, there’s hardly anyone! And added to this is the problem with our police, their irrational rules, their unrealistic deadlines, with only the aim to collect as much bribe as they can, and cause hell for the rest of us.

But kudos nevertheless to the team at A 91 Productions for having faith in the metal scene and bringing out gigs like these frequently, and keeping us alive! Next stop- Vehement Era!  Support the scene and show up!

*We apologize, this was Shepherd’s second show without Mahesh, the first was Echoes from Beneath, as correctly pointed out by Achintya Venkatesh.

Threinody releases music video for Existential Schism

Bangalore thrash metallers Threinody, who recently made a massive comeback at Evilution, have just released a music video for their single “Existential Schism”. Though the track by itself isn’t very new, and previously featured on their E.P. ‘Trimetallicthreinonide‘, the video footage seems to be more recent. It has been filmed at live shows and in their studio, and doesn’t feature their newest member- Josh Daniel.

Watch the video here:

Evilution: Gig Review

It suddenly seems to be gig season in Bangalore, with four continuous weeks of metal gigs happening in and around the city. The latest of these was the much awaited Evilution. The USP of this gig was that it was the comeback show for many older Bangalore bands- Threinody, Neolithic Silence, and also in a way. Bhoomi.

Killers Breed1

The show was to begin at 5PM, but earlier in the day, the Facebook event made an announcement about a surprise opening act- an Iron Maiden cover band, who were to begin at 4:30. So after hurriedly scurrying to the venue, which was again Ion Bar & Kitchen, most of us managed to make it on time for the first act- Killers Breed. Sriram from Djinn and Miskatonic, who also played guitars for the band, was supposed to do vocals as well, but throat issues forced him to step aside for a bunch of guest vocalists to take over. Killers Breed started off their set with “Wrathchild”, with Bharad (Witchgoat) and Mahesh (Shepherd) joining in for a dual growl attack. Sujay (Bhoomi) took centre stage during “Trooper” and boy, was he good! I started looking forward to Bhoomi’s set even more after this particular performance. The Iron Maiden cover band then decided to cover a Slayer song as a tribute to Jeff Hanneman. Bharad came back for their rendition of “Seasons in the Abyss”- a song that finally got the crowd pumped up. Killers Breed wrapped up their set with Biprorshee Das (Albatross) joining in for “The Evil that Men do”. Though he seemed like the perfect choice for the track, it was a tad bit disappointing. However, on the whole, Killers Breed had a great debut. The covers were well done, but the crowd reaction was poor. I didn’t expect such a weak response to an Iron Maiden cover band.

Neolithic Silence

Next up on stage was Neolithic Silence. I hadn’t watched them since the days of March Metal Mania, so I was eager to see what they had to offer. And cliché though it may sound, I was far from disappointed! The band is back, sounding very different from their earlier avatar. Their introduction was powerful, and once they started, I noticed that they had taken on an all new thrash sound. Suraj was particularly good on guitars, and Anthony’s drumming was super tight! Surprisingly, theirs was a covers-heavy set, with some Kreator and Sepultura thrown in. Siddharth (Threinody) came in for the Slayer cover- “South of Heaven” this time. His vocals were a little off time though, but on the whole, it got the audience headbanging and finally showing some life at the gig! Neolithic Silence suffered some sound issues however, and I don’t know if it was this that made Jayant’s vocals almost inaudible at times. But it was good to see Neolithic back in action, and better, by leaps and bounds, than they were before!

Dark Desolation

Black metallers Dark Desolation came up next, with some of the members adorned with face paint and spikes. It is a general tendency to instantly judge a band like this, but the band makes sure that the jokes take a backseat once they start playing. They are currently one of the tightest bands in the country and do perfect justice to their brand of atmospheric, speed-driven black metal. The vocalist of Dark Desolation stands behind the rest of the band, and though that takes getting used to, it throws the spotlight on the dexterity of the guitarists. They started off with some of their originals like “Dark Desolation” and “Apostatical misanthropy”, and moved on to more mood driven stuff like “Suicidal Ritual” (Besatt cover), “Incestuous catacombs” and “Cathecatical Somniloquence”. In my opinion, Dark Desolation was one of the best performances of the evening.

Bhoomi

It was time for Sujay to get back on stage with the rest of the guys from Bhoomi in tow. They have always been one of the few bands to play some good old fashioned heavy metal, but even their set at Evilution brought out their new, more prog-influenced sound. Unfortunately, they took a while to set things up, so they didn’t play for too long. But it was a set of all newer songs, like “Obsession”, “The Last Resort” and “Illusion”. The band seemed to have quite a female fan following as well, with girlie squeals ringing in the air every time guitarist Tony played one of his solos! Sujay’s vocal range is truly amazing, and even the instrumentalists in the band are in full form. Bhoomi was fantastic, and I really think they should start playing more often now. We’ve had a long enough silence from them all this while!

Djinn and Miskatonic

Djinn and Miskatonic went up next. Quite a few of us had watched them just the previous week at Sonic Doom, but to many in the audience, their newer, heavier sound came as quite a surprise. In my opinion, they didn’t fit in well with the rest of the line-up, and this, primarily because their sound is not high on energy unlike the rest of the names on the bill. If you’ve heard Djinn, you’d know that their music is chunky, rhythmic and heavy, and this is perfectly complimented with the vocal style. Though they might have been out of place in terms of genre, they put up a good show nevertheless.

Threinody

“Thrash is alive!” “Thrash is back!”-  This was the gist of how people reacted to the band that performed next. I’m talking about Threinody, the act that most of us were really looking forward to that evening. I have even lost track of when I watched them last, but they are far from rusty! They are now a four-piece band, with Josh Daniel joining Premik and Siddharth on guitars, and Shreyas Kamath taking over drum duties. Threinody now sounds fuller and heavier than they did earlier, and it was great to have an out-and-out  thrash band on stage, ready to pack the punch into the second half of the evening. They started off with their originals, including the popular track “In Extremis”, and the crowd went berserk. Just after that, it was their turn to pay tribute to ‘Uncle Jeff’, but… the power went out. People shouted “Jeff is here!” and for a few minutes, people waited, chattering. But slowly, that died out, and people started trickling out. Apparently, the generator wires had been chewed up by rats, and we were all left at the mercy of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company for us to continue what had so far been a power packed (puns intended) Sunday evening. Soon, more than half the crowd had left, and only a few of us remained, waiting and hoping that something would happen. And thankfully, it did! The electricity came back, and Threinody stepped back, despite not having completed their set, to allow Albatross to perform in whatever little time was left. That was mighty awesome of them, and though we were all really disappointed that we didn’t get enough of the band, we’re hoping this will only be an excuse for them to play again, really soon!

Albatross

It was almost 11 o’clock, but I think arrangements had been made to push the deadline a little bit because of the power failure. That was when Albatross went up to conclude the evening with a short set, again. They don’t play in Bangalore too often, but they surely seem to be becoming a better live act with every passing gig. They managed to squeeze in a cover of “Holy Diver” soon after they began, and the vocals had me floored! Ronnie James Dio would be proud! Both guitarists- Vignesh and Nishith, were phenomenal, and the drummer Jay was also supremely tight! Bassist Riju also was dressed in his bloodied lab-coat and stood making menacing gestures at every break in and in between songs. “Uncle Sunny at the Tavern” seemed to be a crowd favourite, and if “Holy Diver” wasn’t enough to bring the few people from the bar up front, this did the trick. The thing about outstation bands is that you don’t get to watch them too often, and when you do, you certainly don’t want them to go off stage after a few songs. But circumstances were beyond the organizers’ control, and I think we just have to be happy about watching them perform!

In all, Evilution was a good gig. Sound issues were recurring though, and this became a little distracting after a while. Though the tickets were priced at an affordable 500 rupees, the turnout was lower than I expected, and I think the rain was an important factor in that. The power issue was unforeseen and one hell of a bummer. I wish that venues would be better equipped for this sort of an emergency, especially in a city where power cuts are rampant! But metalheads- guys and girls, you really need to start showing up for gigs! Don’t be there just to “support the scene”. Be there for the music, and become a part of the community! Don’t sit back, not involve yourself and then complain about the “scene” dying. Show up! And headbang!

We’ll see you next at Doom Over Bangalore!