Metal Wani

REVIEW: Burn The Water Debut E.P. 'Eschatological'

2012-03-05T21:03:00.001+05:30

Attack Attack, Design the Skyline, Brokencyde et cetera et cetera….. The list goes on with bands heaping crap over crap. Goes for all supposedly metal records that seems to be recorded in a discotheque when a dance party was actually going on. These are the insects that have forever tainted the music industry and shall continue to do so. Layering crap over crap doesn’t or rather ever cancel each other out. For crap be it small or large is still crap in all its purity.

Burn the Water - Eschatological E.P rides on a central them which according to the band is:
“A concept album with 7 tracks which illustrates the life of a girl (From the Second World War era) who is suffering from a mental disorder imagining herself to be an angel who can curb the holocaust by her prophecy and alter the apocalyptic condition of the world. The story epitomizes her thought process as she sees the worsening condition of the world and tries to find her escape to the heavens which she imagines to be her real place. The end is yet unknown but the story remains…”

As pretentious as it may seem and on top of the added fact that this ‘female and the impending doom centric ‘theme has been tried out by several others (Protest the Hero’s Kezia comes to mind) tags the entire concept derivative.

Now onto the more, yet brief individual dissection of the songs. The first two tracks sets the ‘boring as **** theme of the album into light. The former one an incoherent whispered rambling sounding more like wiping your ass with toilet paper than what it had hoped to be. The latter being some random warmongering sound excerpt from a Hitler (another Monster idiot of the 20th century) speech. Now comes on the actual first track “Yes, today is DOOMSDAY”. Starts off with what seems like a very placid palm muted riff that’s been put on a loop the entire track, except for some disturbances (other boring riffs) that come along the way. The drums sound good..Why??? (Cause they are programmed).

The lyrics in the song? Yes the lyrics in the song. They just go to show of the ever pervading problem of rhyming just for the sake of rhyming.

“Separate your foes
And rest your toes”

I go like wtf?? I guess she (the protagonist) was either walking way too much or the setting was in someplace where people did all the fighting with their toes. With such mediocrity in written format I fail to see behind the ‘so-called’ abstraction in the lyricism. Ah well. .. Now onto the second actual track which is also the longest one “The Scene”. Undoubtedly another well crafted snore fest furthering your already heightened sense of boredom. Starting off with some electronica(the only thing that sounds clear in the album probably cause it was never recorded and was directly mixed in) you are bombarded by dull instrumentation and vocals.

Next track “The Escape” is well your escape or better, your laxative to some really bad constipation. The production of the track is deplorable as usual yet the interlaced melody and harmony of the track saves it from being an entire chore. The track proves to be rather decent even if its kinda filler track. The cringe worthy harsh vocals almost spoils the fun at the end though. More like the dude was wearing a balaclava while recording his vocals.

Next is the 2nd part of the ‘sound of toilet paper meeting mr.ass’ mentioned earlier, nothing more. The final track “The World (Outside)” sort of features guest vocals (to bored to find out who actually the chap might be, sadly found out that it was there in the track title..Silent allure or something)…

Well some real vapid riffing, awful and overbearing random electronica, ‘beggar’ sound vocals, cringe-worthy lyricism and programmed drums culminates in one fine mountain of forcefully induced apathy for an album. Although they have ideas, and there is no denying that, the execution and production makes the whole album a chore to listen to. Effort was found sincerely lacking resulting in a rather tedious listen. There is no excuse for mediocrity, let alone even worse.

*NOTE: The review is not for burying the band alive, just trying to kick start the band into revving up themselves several notches up and release something of quality worth. They have a future beckoning and they’d better start reworking now.

RATING: 4/10

Listen To BURN THE WATER Here

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Reviewed By,

Nishanth K.S.

Team Metal Wani

INTERVIEW: Himalayan Black Metaller's WEIRD ANXIETY

2012-03-03T21:08:00.000+05:30

Weird Anxiety's music can best be defined as progressive-dark metal, a music genre truly unique in itself. WA's music is so different that no other band on the entire globe fits in this genre. A blitzkrieg on the drums, Neanderthal growls and screams mixed with guttural grunts, pig squeals and howling, mellow and groovy bass-lines, poly rhythmic riffing accompanied with melancholic, ambient melodies and surreal keyboard tones filling the entire spectrum. This is WA's sonic kaleidoscope.

1. Welcome Himalayan Black Metallers. How is it going?

Weird Anxiety: It’s a pleasure to be on Metal Wani.Well, we are sitting behind the curtains;waiting for our turn, lest The Plot Thickens.

2. Weird Anxiety was formed in the winters of 2003 in St.Edward's, Shimla and started off as a 3-piece Acoustic band. The band had a split in 2005 then Weird Anxiety re-grouped in the summer of the same year with a new lineup but remained as a 3-piece till 2007. Tell us more about this roller coaster journey.

Weird Anxiety: With every line up change theband lost something, left somebody behind. But when you have a vision, youwon’t stop even if it takes to walk a mile alone. The band released its demotapes with just one guy overboard and its debut E.P. as a six piece bandnevertheless, in this small journey we always knew why we were here. Thoseinitial years helped a lot in shaping our sound especially the acoustic cleanstuff which we would be throwing a lot here and there in The Plot Thickens. The initial times are always a bit tough for allbut nevertheless it was a fun journey throughout.

3. Weird Anxiety has changed many drummers till 2007. How difficult was it to find the drummer who posses skills which according to Weird Anxiety are important?

Weird Anxiety: The question was never about whether a guy would fit in or not. There was so much more to consider about. So it’s certainly not about skills alone, skills can be developed over time. We have had six changes for the vocalist over the years and all were excellent at their jobs but then there are people whom you can call upon as brothers and others only bandmates.

4. Progressive Dark metal is unique genre. Tell us how this genre was formed and why?

Weird Anxiety: It’s not about writing a fancyname for something you play nor about zeroing on a genre and then asking theother guys to write around it. As a band we have shaped our sound over theyears and this mish-mash of different elements was christened Progressive-DarkMetal as we could not fit in under any other umbrella. Weird Anxiety has somany musical dimensions and Act I Scene Ibeing a 3-track E.P. with more or less similar theme, showcased only thosedimensions which the particular song desired but not all. In this frame of reference, we were labeled in black metalprimarily because of the dark content. You may find The Plot Thickens to have ascended from its predecessor in terms ofthe entire musical sound-scape. As the drama unfolds with every album, the differencebetween what’s dark and what’s black would be starkly observable and eventuallyeveryone shall realize the magnanimity of the whole genre.

5. You guys started as an acoustic, and then became stoner post-rock/ambience and now prog-dark metal. Can we expect any other genres in future?

Weird Anxiety: Weird Anxiety has not changed over time; rather its sound has developed over itself gradually. The initial acoustic songs shaped the stoner post rock soundscape. The long instrumentals and ambient keyboard motifs were the building blocks for the progressive structuring. Whether it be 9 years back or anytime in between, we never thought of writing music by thumb rules. Writing music in strict realms would just be too mechanical, after all music is sonic poetry which needs a natural out-flow, let’s leave it like that.

6. In 2006, Hitesh independently recorded the first two demos of the band named 'Lamp Black- The true color of God' and 'The Pain and The Possessed-Things never change' as A and B-sides of a magnetic tape with no other copy of the demo ever made. The demo tape and the writings of the band were destroyed. Why?

Weird Anxiety: At times you get stuck in a thought and the idea won’t let you get over itself. It happens a lot while writing lyrics or music, one thought keeps on lingering and eventually you end up running around the same tree over and again. Similar to primitive farming techniques where the old crop is burnt to make way for the new one, we generally destroy all our old writings. This way we are left with nothing to look back to and ensure that we start from scratch and innovate something different every other time. Else all the albums and all the songs would start sounding the same.

7. God Still Hates Me (from your E.P) is Progressive-Metal rendition of the same song featured in the demo Lamp Black- the true color of god. You had destroyed the demo for some reasons then why this rendition?

Weird Anxiety: Every song has it hues; somehow we felt that clean vocals couldn’t justify the lyrics nor the music. So the song was changed over and again, countless renditions were made and eight years after writing the first riff of the song, finally it was released the way we thought it was appropriate.

8. Hitesh is the only founding member from original Weird Anxiety line-up. According to you, what’s the difference between old and now days Weird Anxiety?

Weird Anxiety: Well it has only got better. With time you start sorting out issues which makes the whole ride a bit streamlined. Somewhere down the line you decide whether you want to look good or you want to sound good. The responsibilities start increasing and once you realize it’s not all that glossy as it seems in the beginning, one gets turned off in a way. A lot changes over time but most importantly, now we feel more matured and organized as a band. We are clear regarding what all we have to do. There were times when we didn’t even have full practice gear leave aside professional instruments and today we are in process of setting up our home productions Himalayan Records and Studios. Nevertheless, creating good music was all that we dreamed of and that would never change.

9. What are your lyrical themes?

Weird Anxiety: Every story starts with so muchto say, and maybe that’s why Weird Anxiety was formed – to convey what we foundimpossible to say otherwise. Poetry is just as potent-an instrument, as musicwhen it comes to expression. For us they go hand in hand. The mountains havealways left us in awe for we feel more creative in their midst and hence,nature has always been an integral part of our writings. Once in a while over acup of tea, pondering over life, human psyche, perspectives, mythology,folklore and psychology especially criminal; penning down these random thoughtsinto lyrics and structuring evening jams into songs, that’s Weird Anxiety foryou.

10. Few members are still in college and few are doing their job. How do you guys manage?

Weird Anxiety: Where there is a will there is away. Long back we had already foreseen, this situation would arise andaccordingly we had all the planning done beforehand. We use recordings, writtennotations, basically anything and everything that might aid. Although it’s notas easy as it was when everybody would be together jamming in one room still wehave managed it pretty cleanly. There are always some problems here and thenbut then; it would be too monotonous otherwise.

11. In Maid of the Mist, your vocalist did a suicidal scream. Was that an effect or real? Can we expect something more like that in future?

Weird Anxiety: Well Mr. Anupam Roy, the producerwould be in a better position to answer this. But to put up plainly, it was notan effect and any audio geek can make out the difference. The suicidal screamsor howling as it is generally known is quite different from other guttural stylesand so it sounds quite different but for the record it’s sung exactly as itsounds. It’s considerably more difficult and different than other gutturalstyles and maybe that’s why it is not used as often. If it sounds so unreal fora human, we just might take it as a compliment.

Coming on the latter half of thequestion, there were three songs on the E.P. but the screams were only done inone, why? Because the song required it, for the ambience to develop as wedesired. It’s not a skill peepshow where one can just pull out anything andthrow at the song rather we believe in doing it artistically. To cut short, yeswe would if a song requires but again there are other, so many differentguttural styles you might just be amazed listening to once you come across The Plot Thickens.

12. Recently Weird Anxiety signed with Six Inch Nails record. How did this entire thing happen? Why Six Inch Nails instead of others?

Weird Anxiety: As an artist, what one can really do is make music and if the effort is sincere things start falling in pieces. We never followed the industry practices simply because we don’t intend to derail from the main reason for which we are here. Releasing your debut without a label would be just another instance. But our management realized the need of a label for a better distribution and so this whole thing went about. We re-released Act I Scene I collector’s edition on March 1, 2012 to commemorate the release’s first anniversary. The CD pressing would be done on limited stock.

Six Inch Nails is one of the leading metal labels in the sub-continent and it is an honor to be associated with the label. In SIN Records we see a trustworthy partner and maybe that’s why SIN Records over the others.

13. You are working on your official video of Maid of the Mist. Tell us more about it.

Weird Anxiety: Maid Of The Mist is a descriptive song and the idea of portrayingthe entire concept through a video would have been a bit tedious had it notbeen Dev Sharma from DS-Graphics. Aftercountless brainstorming sessions his team had the whole screenplay laid out.Then suitable locations were zeroed in which included some really hard to reachplaces and some of the densest forests of the Himalayas. We went lucky for itsnowed generously this time. The shooting was completed in the first week ofFebruary and overall the shots have been amazing. The editing of the video isunder progress and we intend to release it in March as part of the Act I Scene I first anniversarycelebrations.

14. You guys were formed in 2003 and released your first E.P. in 2011. Why such a long time?

Weird Anxiety: How can you expect a plant tofruit the day you sow the seed? You face all the problems in this world whenyou are in for realizing your dreams. Again we don’t and won’t release stufftill we are personally fully content and confident with whether it takesdecades for us to be satisfied. There would be songs that were lengthy and weare in a habit of literally dissecting each and every bit of the song to ensureintricacy in the detailing. That justifies the delay.

15. Coming back to your upcoming album 'The Plot Thickens', it will be recorded in 2013 and you already released your album art and tracks list. Don’t you thing it’s too early to reveal these things? What’s the strategy behind this?

Weird Anxiety: Well, artists have intentions notstrategies. A lot of people were curious as to what we were cooking so we gavea sneak-peak into the album. There was certainly no strategy involved, thesethings can’t make your album sound better. As earlier mentioned we take ourshare bit of time for writing music for we are in no hurry so, we keep sharingour album updates to cater to people’s curiosity for the forthcoming release.

16. Any last words for your fans/readers?

Weird Anxiety: Stay Weird, Stay Anxious.

P.S.: Weird Anxiety have released Act I Scene I collector’s edition underSix Inch Nails records to commemorate the E.P. first anniversary and if youguys want to add this special edition piece to your list of collectables, youmay order it online by clicking HERE.

Listen To WEIRD ANXIETY Here

Interviewed By,

Vikas Khokher,

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Judas Ancestry Singles 'Black Heart Bleeding' & 'The Forces of Nazarene'

2012-02-28T20:55:00.002+05:30

Judas Ancestry is a 6-piece Symphonic Blackened Death Metal outfit hailing from the mystical town of fogs and mists - Guwahati. Formed in Christmas Day of 2010 and then reformed in May 2011. Ever since its inception the band started to channelize it's efforts in creating music which sounds evil & dark. The bands beliefs are well described through it's songs and lyrics.

Judas Ancestry are :

Sandeep Sarmah - Lead Vocals
Rhittick Gogoi - Guitars
Sumon Saikia - Guitars
Rohil Talukdar - Bass
Hillol Choudhury - Keyboards
Shantanu Baishya - Drums

Black Heart Bleeding :

The intro reminds me of some old Gothic music, something like Theater Of Tragedy, The song is well produced, with a few glitches. Here is the breakdown to the song -

Vocals :

Instead of Screeches and Fry vocals, you hear some old school growling. Interesting, as not many bands of this genre do that. The clean vocals around 2:30 is something that would certainly remind one of Cradle Of Filth and the Dani signature screech at 3:50 is surely something borrowed from CoF. Nice use of reverb in the vocals, makes it sound deeper and of course adds the element to the Dani screech in the outro.

Rating - 9/10(Really impressive)

Guitars :

Clearly Black Metal. The alternate picking notes, the sudden changes to the riff, the guitar tone, everything is classic Black Metal. The panning at around 2:05 is something many bands use to create that stereo sound, and its very well done to be frank. 2:14 to 2:45 surely sounds a lot like Melodic Death Metal. One thing missing in this would be the bass. I wish they put the Bass up by two notches, that would take away the raw sound though, but would make the song more heavy. Though the intro bass part was awesome.

Rating - 7.5/10

Keys :

The only thing common to Black Metal and Melo-Death would be the use of keyboards. An excellent intro to start with, the arps were haunting. The keyboard solo didn't start off well, but once the guitars backed it up, it sounded really good. Overall a a good performance on the keys.

Rating - 7/10

Drums :

Nice use of the double bass and the snares. The drum track sounded a something like a basic metal style, no use of fancy techniques. The cymbals would have needed a little more volume, as in some parts, it was being over shadowed by the guitars. The blast beats were perfect. The outro drum part was pure timing and technique, not any amateur stuff.

Rating - 8/10

The Forces of Nazarene :

The intro sounds like something from a early Black Metal bands, the soothing element was nice, until the mayhem suddenly starts. The riff is pure Black Metal again. But there are a lot of riff changes in the middle, which is very impressive. A superb arrangement to be frank. Here is the breakdown to the song :

Vocals :

The vocals start with something that one can relate with early Deicide or Bolt Thrower maybe. Powerful growls, with nice reverb, makes the sound more deep. Something that really needs some mentioning is the part from 3:04 to 3:26, the deep growls along with screeches, something we have seen many top class band to do. The female vocals in the end certainly reminds me of Cradle of Filth, a very good ending to a wonderful song.

Rating - 9.5/10 (Flawless)

Guitars :

The riffs were carefully arranged to perfection, no where to criticize them, not a single bad patch in the whole 6 minute 44 seconds song. Unlike the other song - Black Heart Bleeding, this song has a lot more variation and is more inclined towards Black Metal. The bass could have been a little louder. The guitar solo was very nice too.

Rating - 10/10 (The part from 3:04 to 3:54 is masterclass)

Keys :

Excellent keyboard intro again. Awesome use of the keys, even though the guitars are tearing your ears apart, with the razor sharp riffs, the keys added the element of calmness, inside the storm. The backing keys sounded somewhat similar to CoF's "The Death Of Love" with its heavy patch. The arps were simply mind-blowing. Hillol did a wonderful job with the keys during the female clean vocals in the outro.

Rating - 9/10

Drums :

Only one word for the drums - Killer. Shantanu knew what to do and how he had to do it, in every single part of the song. Even though there are so many tempo changes in the song, he handles it effortlessly. Nice double bass technique. The cymbal hits were over-shadowed by the guitars in major part of the song, but the snares and bass sounded perfect. This is one talented drummer Judas Ancestry have got.

Rating - 10/10

Listen To Judas Ancestry Here

Reviewed By,

Abhiraj Das Ghosh

Team Metal Wani

INTERVIEW: Groundbreaking 'Sinister Violence'

2012-02-25T20:46:00.000+05:30

On thy verge of Metal music in thy woods ov Darjeeling evolved a bunch of teens who called themselves Sinister Violence. They have been playing, headlining gigs and winning competitions all over and has an undisputed wins of 13 Major National Competitions including Himalayan Rock, North-Eastern Rockers, Solasticate, Blossom Fest, Launchpad Zonal Winners etc......

Here goes the Exclusive Interview with groundbreaking Sinister Violence:

1. First of all hails from the Metal Wani Team. How you guys doing?

Sinister Violence: Infernal hails, we are doing well. Thank You.

2. What does the name Sinister Violence actually mean? Reason for the name?

Sinister Violence: The name was chosen after a long discussion between us so we came up with a name, their is no story behind the name. We had to keep a name according to the genre we are playing, to give it a darker impression and to create a darker atmosphere we chose this, so here we are :). Well according to us Sinister Violence means "Diabolical Bloodshed". It may be something else to the another person, well different people has different view and ideas

3. Which band(s) influences Sinister Violence the most?

Sinister Violence: The major influence/inspiration would be our very own band from Darjeeling "Mantra". They have paved the way for a better tomorrow with their melodies and have improved the standard of the Darjeeling rock/metal scene. Our music or rather we have been deeply inspired by international bands like Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Behemoth, Carach Angren, Ancient, Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage and more.

4. Sinister Violence has won many competitions, including The Great Himalayan Rock Contest, Channel V Launch Pad (Zonal Winners), North Eastern Rockers etc and has been headlining in many gigs as well. What is the reason behind your success?

Sinister Violence: Yeah! We have been through many competitions like as you mentioned The Great Himalayan Rock Contest, North Eastern Rockers, Channel V Launch Pad and I mean the bands are really awesome who comes and plays their music. Well as to be successful you need to be good at what you do and the credit of success goes to all the members who put in all their hard work to make the music darker.

5. Sinister Violence has recently installed a new drummer 'Thupden Bhutia' who formerly played for 'Psychotic Suicide'. What would you like to say about him?

Sinister Violence: We have been thorough many lines up changes till date and yes, talking about our new drummer he is great at what he does. I mean it’s difficult to get a skill full drummer like him these days. He is awesome.

6. You guys have been in the scene for quite many years as now and has studied the scene and supported. Which is your favorite local metal band(s)?

Sinister Violence: We have not actually studied the scene because we are in our own world creating music (laughs) but Yeah we have supported the scene and will continue supporting :) . Well mmmm! All the bands here are kick ass its difficult to choose one but some of our favorites are like our bothers of If Hope Dies, Sold Out (Bleed Six) and the extreme metalers of Darjeeling, Grungy Morphins 'The Gorkha Metal Warriors'

7. Your song 'Lordess Ov Destruction' had been featured in a black metal compilation album called 'Asian Black Metal Evilil Demiom'. What is the song 'Lordess Ov Destruction' actually about?

Sinister Violence: "Lordess Ov Destruction" the name itself tells the whole story. Lordess Ov Destruction is actually referred to Maha Kali as she goes on slaying the heads of people and creating mayhem, but in the certain verses of the song you can notice on lyrics "Fear Hate and Destruction, Lordess Ov Destruction, SIX SIX SIX". Well some think the song is related all to Satan but its actually fearing Satan and the wrath of Maha Kali. Everyone fear's Satan, everyone hate's Satan and Satan causes Destruction. The song gives a brief idea about the wrath of Maha Kali and Satan. To quote the song its like "I have seen the future....and you die"

8. Sinister Violence not only plays black metal but plays black metal with a bend of grind, groove and death. How do you define your genre as?

Sinister Violence: Yeah! We don’t play full black as to say but try different things with mix of a grind, groove, death, black and dark symphonies. As to define our genre you can call it "Symphonic Blackened Death"

9) Gangtok witnessed Violence for the second time on 28/01/2012. It was an event hosted by the well know event host The Alpine Attitude. Anything regarding the fest?

Sinister Violence: It was a honor for us to play such a great show with awesome bands like Dream Diabolic and DamagEra(Damage Era). The uprising metal bands such as Dwelling for Aeon and Eyestill and The Alpine Attitude has always been great in holding musical events and partnering metal gigs, a big thanks goes to them.

10. You guys are planning for a E.P release by next month. Anything you would like to share about your upcoming E.P? What is the E.P Entitled?

Sinister Violence: Of course, the drum tracks are already completed for our upcoming EP "Diabolical Wrath Ov Violence" We are releasing a set of six songs and will be hitting the studio this month for the completion. Also we are shooting our first music video and will be releasing it pretty soon.

11. Sinister Violence was short listed for as the opening act for the Metallica tour in India and was voted maximum by the fans but due to personal reasons you guys couldn’t play the so. How do you guys feel about it?

Sinister Violence: Well mmm you can call it a complete BAD FUCKING LUCK for us. But we humbly thank all the violent heads who supported us. Thanks to all who made it an afford to reach us to the top and thanks for the maximum votes.

12. Anything you would like to say to the readers of the Metal Wani?

Sinister Violence: It was a great pleasure for us when we recently played in Gangtok. We would like to thank all our brothers and sisters of violence, who makes themselves present to witness violence in which ever place we go out and play. We are coming up with many gigs in future "Get Ready to Get Baptized in Violence" and do buy our E.P which we will be releasing next month. Love and Respect. Keep supporting us.

Listen To SINISTER VIOLENCE Here

Interviewed By,

Nirvigya Chehtri,

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Dark Moon Eternity Single 'Illusion'

2012-02-24T20:59:00.000+05:30

Today we have Noida based 5 piece Metalcore band Dark Moon Eternity (DME) on board. After listening to their latest single Illusion, I don’t think Dark Moon Eternity has any idea about what it wants to do with its music. It tries to mix Metalcore, Melodic Metal and mash ups of few genre's, but the resultant product sounds way too much like it is trying to please way too many people, and thus would wind up pleasing very few except the later section of the song which justifies the sound they claim.

Song starts with a pretty descent riff and then you get to hear some blast beats. Plus points you notice are the variations in vocals which sound promising and metalcore riffs thrown towards the middle section. Production is bad and what add to the misery are the drums which are programmed pathetically. It sounds flat and fluctuations in the sound are another concern. Riff's sometimes sound cool and the next moment they sound overshadowed by other instruments.

Towards the 3 minute mark, you get to witness an amazing melodic line followed by guitar solo. Song lacks the arrangement since few things come from nowhere especially the melodic line. Compared to first segment of the track which sounds blatant right from the start, the later section of the song is phenomenal as the melody casts an ominous atmosphere in the general vicinity followed by an awesome jizzed out guitar solo. It’s perfectly executed and the track ends on a better note.

I like the way few cool riffs are thrown here and there. Hats off to immensely skilled guitar duo, they are the strong pillars of the band. The haphazard and random songwriting isn’t the biggest problem, however in terms of quality; the vocals are at bottom of the barrel. DME needs to work immensely on song structure and arrangements. Melody in metal is always appreciated but it has to be done in such a way so that the arrangement doesn’t go haywire.

Dark Moon Eternity has started on a good note and with more practice they are surely going to get better. The band claims to revolutionize the Metal scene in India through their music which indeed sounds exciting. I wish them all the very best \m/

RATING: 6/10

Listen to ILLUSION Here

Review By,

Owais 'Vitek' Wani

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Agnostic New Single 'Maggot Infest'

2012-02-22T21:00:00.000+05:30

There has been a lot of developments in the North Eastern states of India in recent times(in the genre of Metal obviously) and one thing that is common among all these bands is - "No Stupid Breakdowns, Raw Hard hitting Metal." Something that is very rare these days. One such band is Agnostic.

Agnostic is a five piece Pure Death Metal band from the mystical town of Guwahati comprising of :-

Deep - Vocals
Hemen - Guitars
David - Guitars/Backing Vocals
Nitu - Bass
Mitul - Drums

They released their new single - Maggot Infest recently and judging by the tight sound they make, this band has a bright future.

Vocals -

Agnostic describe themselves to sound like Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, and in fact, the vocals does sound like George Fisher(a.k.a. Corpsegrinder) of Cannibal Corpse and sometimes like Karl Willets of Bolt Thrower. The vocals are raw, and powerful, no fancy techniques, just pure extreme metal vocals.

Rating - 8/10 (A little variation may be be refreshing)

Guitars -

A nice bass-line, nice guitar patches, add to the heavy vocals. The riff of the song is surely inspired by Cannibal Corpse and early Deicide. The guitar solo sounds something like what Mr. Jack Owen would have played for sure. In short a classic example of brutal assassination of the ears.

Rating - 9/10 (Sharp and tight)

Drums -

To add to the heavy guitaring and vocals, there is a hell lot of no non-sense drumming going on in the background. The snare and cymbal hits, the rolls, the bass drumming, Mitul is nothing less than a drumming machine to be frank. The drumming was flawless all through the song, not a single bad patch.

Rating - 9/10 (I don't think the track will sound as brutal as it does without the drum track)

To sum it all up, the song - Maggot Infest, is a short and sweet track, containing a lot of heavy sounds. It surely has my vote. A band definitely to look forward to in the near future.

RATING: 9/10

Listen To Maggot Infest Here

Reviewed By,

Abhiraj Das Ghosh,

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Schism Debut Single 'The Hanging Sun'

2012-02-21T21:08:00.000+05:30

'Winds of Change’.. Hmmm.. An interesting concept . Very relevant when it comes to metal too. Metal in its rather recent past has seen several such gusts of air blowing over the scene. Gushing in new genres with one sweet stroke and then ripping them apart after their rather short visit. So bands pretty much have a tough time staying afloat and relevant. With the millennium we’ve seen a zillion genres taking birth and then dying off prematurely. Metalcore for one has been battling for life and is barely seeing it through. All the genre-bashing riff raffs aside the fact remains this is very much a genre of metal.

Schism(for some reason they remind me of tool) a 5 piece band from Chandigarh has just about released their debut single titled ‘The Hanging Sun’.

Schism(Genre : Metalcore) Is:

Saransh Sharma(Vocals)
Akshay Kashyap(Rhythm Guitar)
Kishor Singh(Lead Guitar)
Casan Bassy(Bass)
Savy Singh(Drums)

The Lyrics: Yes the regular fare, the song starts off with a catchy arpeggio with a meaty rhythm riff to carry it along, and the double bass thumping away in typical Metalcore fashion. The vocals sound like Trevor Phipps of Unearth which IMHO was never out of the ordinary and so is Saransh’s. The singing pattern also sounds very similar to Jake of August Burns Red fame. In fact the breakdown just past the 3:00 mark sounds sounds straight off an August Burns Red record although breakdowns were known for their variety.

The highlight of the song is without doubt the last 2 minutes, which features a clean sung section and a blistering solo by Kishore. And full marks for the production which is pretty much at par with the international stuff. The later stages of the song prevents it from descending into mediocrity. Although very derivative (Listen at the 2:09) of August Burns Red, it still is a very good listen for its good riff-age and tight execution. Hope they infuse more variety in their further releases, for they’ve got oodles of talent just waiting to be tapped.

RATING: 7/10

Click Here To Listen To SCHISM Single THE HANGING SUN.

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Reviewed By,

Nishanth K S

Team Metal Wani

INTERVIEW: Energetic & Aggressive 'ZYGNEMA'

2012-02-19T21:04:00.000+05:30

Zygnema is a 4 piece Groove Metal/Thrash Metal band from Mumbai (India) which won accolades in their home country as well as beyond with their 'In-your-face' playing style, strong socio-political lyrics and thunderous on-stage presentation. They started off competing at competitions and soon gained repute of a full-fledged performing band months within their formation. Their forte lies in the ability to create piercing and paced riffs and yet hold on to the groove and thrash element in their song-writing.

Their notable achievements were –

1.Wining the Rolling Stone Metal Award 2011 for - Best Band and Best Song (Popular Choice)

2.Co-headlining alongside with Firezone (Netherlands) and Dead City ruins (Australia) at Metal Asylum Festival-DUBAI,UAE on November 06th 2011.

3.Co-Headlining with Tesseract (U.K) at Springfest 2011, IIT Kharagpur, Calcutta on 24th Jan 2011

4. Represented India at Yamaha Asian Beats 2010 Global Final at Bangkok Thailand and won Best guitarist at the Global finale.

5. Played 2 shows in Germany-Osnabruck at Rosenhof and the Bastard club-Jan 7th and 8th 2011.

1. The amcha brutal band from 'Amchi Mumbai'. How are you guys doing?

Zygnema: We are doing great. Thanks a ton for having Zygnema on Metal Wani.

2. For the fans old and new, how would you define the 'Sound' of Zygnema?

Zygnema: Heavy metal with solid heart pounding heavy grooves mixed with elements of thrash metal.

3. Your songs focus mainly on socio-political issues. Any specific reason for choosing this as the lyrical theme for your songs?

Zygnema: Our songs are based on real-life scenarios, be it inter-personal or socio-political and we believe in passing a positive message through what we make. Music is a universal language after all .We dream of clenching our people together making them a massive cluster of incorruptible Rock with a `Take no Shit’ Pride. It’s a minor contribution from our end towards making where we live a better place.

4. The live performances of Zygnema are adored and cherished. Share your secret guys!

Zygnema: There is no secret man. It’s just that we all love to let loose on stage and any form of gig, be it a club or open air, carries a lot of emotional value for us. We enjoy every second on stage and we feel that while performing the band energy/vibe connects with the audience. They have to be given a dose of your energy level so that we all can be on the same energy level.

5. Your full-length album 'Born Of Unity' gathered lot of critical as well as popular acclaim. What is it according to you guys that separates the album from the rest of the releases in the same/similar genre?

Zygnema: India has a huge list of talented musicians and bands who have managed to get their sound and song writing in place. A lot of people can identify Indian bands just by listening to their songs which is a great start. All the releases in the past 3-4 years have sounded kick ass and different from each other and all I can say is that it’s going to get even better. Our Album mainly focuses on inter-personal or socio-political with a strong message which is complimented by catchy hooks and a lot heavy grooves.

6. Every band has their distinct sound which is a result of specific gear. Tell us about your gear/kit?

Zygnema: Yes I agree that a lot depends on the gear, but a dedicated sound engineer can make you sound even better, so full credits to Akash for being our backbone. Sidharth uses a Dean Dime shadow ML guitar and a Ibanez RG series 2EX1 model along with a Pod X3 bean. Ravi uses an Ibanez SR 304 4 string bass with a Boss GEB-7 Equalizer. Mayank has a bunch of cymbals Sabian, paiste etc and iron cobra double bass pedals. We are definitely looking to upgrade and improve our sound so yeah; we will soon have some new toys to play with.

7. Which bands - Indian and International - have influenced your music and playing style?

Zygnema: We all have grown up listening to Pantera, Sepultura, Meshuggah, Death, Opeth, Machine head, Old Metallica, Decapitated etc. So it’s quite natural to be inspired and influenced by them.Pin Drop Violence, is one band from India that inspired us a lot. Not to forget great bands like Bhayanak Maut, Scribe, Undying Inc, Demonic Resurrection, Devoid, Inner Sanctum etc who are still around and will continue the legacy of Metal in India.

8. You guys have toured a lot -India and beyond - any funny /weird stories to share?

Zygnema: There are too many crazy incidents. Being followed by pimps in Thailand asking whether we need BOOM BOOM aka sexy time for the night and then you facing 2 drunk guys on a crowded street who enjoyed playing around with a electric laser gun . Even the Tuk tuk (Auto) drivers in Thailand have a whore menu and they will take you through those lanes where they have their scene sorted..We might include a few moments on our DVD. So you guys might have to wait.

9. Forming a band in a mainstream music driven country is never easy. Tell us in brief the struggle that went in making Zygnema the giant band that it is today?

Zygnema: Calling us a Giant band is a misquote. We should keep that to the likes of Metallica, Pantera, Maiden etc. We are just common guys making music and spreading it as much as we can. Still, it was a rough journey to get the band from scratch to whatever stage we are at right now.We definitely have managed to send a wave across the country and will continue to do so. Struggle is one thing which goes hand in hand with any other band in this country who believe in the D.I.Y scene. Financial struggle is a bitch, rest all are memories we cherish.

10. Finally, your space - any message, new album leaks, teasers, grunts to your fans.

Zygnema: No album plans till the end of 2012, but yes we are writing and playing our new material .We have been playing two new tracks titled 'Endangered' and 'Shell Broken,Hell Loose'. We are almost done with our third track which is titled 'Invidious I'.This one is quite different from what we have been doing. We have used a little bit of Latin/basso-nova groove in heavy metal. Hope our listeners like it.

Thanks a ton to all our friends, followers well wishers and families for supporting us through thick and thin. This journey wouldn't have been so unique without your support. Thanks to the Metal Wani team for featuring us. Cheers!!

Interviewed By,

Varun Kodo

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Jagged Surge Debut EP 'Surge Bruiser'

2012-02-15T21:00:00.000+05:30

With the Metal albums and E.P's releasing all over India, you do not get much to hear the Classic Rock stuff. But Jagged Surge, the guys from Bangalore have come with there brand new E.P Surge Bruiser, which is a mixture of Classic rock and Heavy metal. The E.P has total 5 tracks from which one is an Iron Maiden cover.

Into the Blue is an instrumental which is the first song from the E.P, A perfect song to start with. You can say that happy notes are being played in this song. The song is full of joyful music. You will enjoy every part of this track.

The second track from the E.P is Hell Hound. The song has a clean starting which takes off with some amazing guitars and bass notes. Vocals are good and their is a room for improvement. The most interesting thing about this track is the guitar solo which sounds phenomenal and has that out of the world vibe. Very nicely arranged song.

After Burner on the hand starts with an intro which sounds more of a Black sabbath inspired. 6:41 in length and still this song holds your ears so well. The small solo after every chorus makes this song even more catchy. Best part of the song is the main solo with palm muted guitars which then leads to the final chorus. Amazing track, Full of music. While listening to it you cant stop yourself from moving with the song.

The Army of the Snakes is the heaviest track and my favorite from the E.P. Starts off with clean guitars and lead notes. You can find a small amount of Metallica element in this song. You can clearly hear the galloping and double bass in the whole song. The song is a mixture of awesome solos, evil laughs, double bass, in short full of energy. From the start the song makes you bang your head!

Futureal is a cover of One of the Best Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden. The best thing about this cover is the addition of more riffs which are not present in the original Iron Maiden song. They tried to cover the song in there own way and they are quite successful in this attempt. Personally when any band prefers to cover any song, I always feel they should play in their own style and try to recreate magic in their own way. To some extent Jagged Surge achieved it.

Surge Bruiser is a pure blend of Classic rock and Heavy metal with amazing guitar solos and thumping basslines. These are the songs that need to be played if you’re leaving for work in four minutes and can’t bare the thought of walking out the front door, or if you want to go and burn off those Tim Tams and simply cannot haul your big backside out of bed. Sadly production is not upto the mark and what adds to the misery are the drum lines and vocals which sound flat and incomplete. Although song structure and arrangements are elegant but it fails to justify two or more listens. These guys really need a proper sound engineer to mix and master their tracks and most importantly understand their sound. A pretty interesting debut by Jagged Surge and their future material is surely going to be an interesting feast to look out for.

RATING: 7/10

Listen To Jagged Surge Here

Reviewed By

Tanushree Khajuria

Team Metal Wani

INTERVIEW: Rock Machine 'Indus Creed'

2012-02-12T19:40:00.000+05:30

Rock Machine. Yes,that is what they were originally called back in 1984 and were one of theearliest bands in India to tour every corner of the country. Until 1988 theywere a cover band influenced by legends of the 60's and 70's like ThinLizzy, The Who, Deep Purple , Van Halen, Rush, Santana, White Snake etc.Around 1988 they hit the road and launched their first album, "Rock and Roll Renegade", whichleft its indelible mark on the Indian rock scene. In 1993, their music video of"Pretty Child", from their second album "The Second Coming" won a pan-Asian MTV Video Music Award and wasranked no. 9 amongst MTV’s top 100 videosof the year. The same year began to experiment with Indian instruments liketabla and sarangi and adopted some alternative sounds. Then, at the height oftheir popularity, they did the unpredictable by renaming themselves INDUS CREED!

Yes folks, today we have the pleasure of having INDUS CREED on board :-)

1. Hello. How is it going with you guys?

IC: Hi there. It’s goingreally well. We’re about to launch our new album, so we’re mighty stoked aboutthat.

2. How did Rock Machine happen?

IC: Rock Machine happenedwhen Mahesh Tinaikar and Mark Selwyn found each other, then recruited a fewother guys—Ian Santamaria on vocals, Aftab Currim on rhythm guitar and SureshBhadricha on drums. That lineup changed a year later to Uday Benegal on vocals,Jayesh Gandhi on lead and rhythm guitar and Mark Menezes on drums. That’s whenthe band also added keyboards to the mix via Zubin Balaporia. That lineupremained until 1992, when Mark Menezes left. The drummer’s chair saw a coupleof changes after that in Bobby Duggal and Adrian Fernandes but the rest of theguys remained until the band’s break up in 1999.

3. What forced you guys to re-name the band? How did you come up with thecurrent name Indus Creed?

IC: Nothing—or noone—forced us to change the name. We wanted to try to take the music beyondIndia’s borders and our manager at the time, a British guy called RussellMason, thought a name and sound change would make sense with those ambitions.We came upon the name Indus Creed after a slew of some really bad ones. Alcoholcan be counterproductive to the creative process sometimes.

4. ROCK AND ROLL RENEGADE hailed as India's all original Rock album of theyear. How did you guys hit people’s mind at your very first attempt?

IC: We just wrote a bunchof songs and recorded them, plain and simple. We didn’t think about what othersmight like or what would make commercial sense. We just did what we wanted todo. We’re still doing that.

5. Indus Creed released its first album under its new name, which was self-titledand recorded in Los Angeles promoted by Channel [V] and MTV. Any special reasonto release it in L.A.?

IC: We didn’t release itin L.A., we just recorded it there. We were looking for a bigger sound andbetter production for the kind of music we were making. Los Angeles was theright place to do as they make a zillion rock albums there every year, so thestudios—and expertise—is high.

6. In 1992, Bobby replaced Mark; in 1995, Adrian replaced Bobby. In 2010,Jai Row Kavi replaced Adrian. The band has replaced the drummer thrice. Unpredicted period of 13 years. Wasit intentional or mutual understanding?

IC: We asked AdrianFernandes to come in and replace Bobby Duggal. Jai Row Kavi never replacedanyone—he joined the freshly regrouped band in 2010 after a band hiatus of over10 years. Fresh recruit; not a replacement.

7. MTV flew Slash down to India to share stage with Indus Creed in Bangalore in1996 at the channel's relaunch as MTV India. SLASH!! Did you ever imagine you will have this privilege?

IC: The privilege wentboth ways J I’m kidding (…or am I?). No,we couldn’t predict an event like that. But then in the music biz you can’tpredict anything at all. The possibilities are endless.

8. 1997 (when Indus Creed shut the door) to 2010 (reunion) —a really longunproductive period of years. Please shed light on those 14 years hiatus?

IC: Not unproductive atall! Jayesh Gandhi and I moved to New York in 1999 with our newly born Indorock & funk band Alms for Shanti. We played the bejeebers out of the NYCclub scene and North American festival circuit for 8 years with a kickassmulticultural band. Zubin and Mahesh spent those years independently guestingwith a bunch of bands even as they honed their studio chops.

9. Indian music channels Like MTV and Channel [V] provided a brilliant platformat right time. Do you see eye to eye with me in this matter?

IC: Eye-to-eye? Ofcourse. Let’s shake on it too.

10. After Its reunion Indus Creed officially geared up in October when theyheadlined Harley-Davidson's Harley Rock Riders Concert at HRC Mumbai. A realbig comeback in Indian rock history. How did it feel to burn the stage onceagain after 14 years?

IC: It felt great! Theamazing turnout (lines going around the block) and the love we were given wereindescribably energizing and validating.

11. "Top of the Rock" was put on heavy rotation by MTV after enthusiasticviewers’ response and was aired back-to-back along with GnR and Nirvana etc. Tellus what is this song all about?

IC: The lyrics say it all,my friend :)

12. Uday, you being one of the mainstay of the band since its formation, which periodwas/is better/your favorite? RM or IC?

IC: I was one part of four other longstanding members from 1985–99. I’m one ofthree of those original members in the current lineup. That said, we can’t naila favorite period. Each avatar and time period was special and invaluable inits own way.

13. Which other rock/metal acts does IC praise that has emerged from Indiansoil?

IC: There are a lot ofreally good bands on the scene these days. Not necessarily harder stuff. I loveacts like Sridhar/Thayil and Menwhopause. Pentagram is still pounding it outhard and mighty—big ups to them—and Shaai’r & Func really push theprogramming envelope. Barefaced Liar have a pretty good sound too. I also loveSoulmate, the amazing blues band from Shillong. I’ve never been a metal-head butI could never ignore the talents of bands like Scribe and Goddess Gagged.

14. Indus Creed is few steps away from releasing its firststudio album in 17 years and Zorran is helping Mahesh with guitars. You must beexcited. How would it be different from rest of your works?

IC: Yes, we’re veryexcited! It’s been a while since we wrote and played together. Zubin, Maheshand I are now enhanced by the talents of Jai and Rushad Mistry. There’s alegacy of history coupled with an unabashed desire to keep moving forward.That’s reflected in the songs, the sound and the performance. Listen to thealbum and come watch us play—you’ll know what I mean.

15. Thanks for your time Indus Creed :) Would you like to say fewwords for your beloved fans. The space is all yours.

IC: Sure! Join us on Facebook at:www.facebook.com/induscreednow, Twitter at: www.twitter.com/induscreednow and Own Website at: www.induscreed.net!Hopefully you’ll buy the new album when it’s out (soon!) and tell your friendsabout it. Of course, we really hope you’ll dig the music. But come watch usperform—it’s what we love to do most.

Interviewed By,

Pallawi Sharma

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: The Circle Project - Section 1: Elektronik

2012-02-10T21:15:00.001+05:30

The Circle Project is a collaborative musical project conducted by a small Germany based Post Rock label known as Oxide Tones.The members consisting this project are The Eternal Twilight, a duo Noor & Abbas hailing respectively from Mumbai, India & Rawalpindi, Pakistan, The Echelon Effect, a one man London based drone/ambient project & Apta, another one man project from Manchester,UK.

Tracklisting:

1.The Eternal Twilight - The Child(Apta remix) (4:58)

2.The Echelon Effect - What Makes Us So Uncommon(The Eternal Twilight remix) (8:56)

3.Apta - Like You Woke Up Too Late(The Echelon Effect remix) (6:27)

As apparent as above,the bands complemented each others compositions by remixing them. So, its kind of strange anyway. Post Rock itself is quite strange & bizarre,isn't it?

The first track 'The Child' is composed by Indo-Pak duo The Eternal Twilight,& mixed by Manchester based Apta. Chilling background ambience is replenished by astute mellotron, basic yet detailed beats & bizarre noises.

Next track,'What Makes Us So Uncommon' is composed by David Walters who is the only member of London based The Echelon Effect & it is mixed by The Eternal Twilight.Another typical mellow,rejuvenating post-rock piece,clean chiming guitar,calm mellotron vibe & ethereal whispers build up this fantastic instrumental.

Closing track,'Like You Woke Up Too Late' is composed by Manchester based one man project Apta,& mixed by The Echelon Effect.Predictably,another vibrating,soothing instrumental full of discrete echoing melodies & steadfast beats.

All in all,a perfect E.P./Split,collaborative effort,whatever you call it,but its definitely worth a listen.Recommended to each & every post-rock fans who dig bands like Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, Amethystium, God is an Astronaut & all that.

Rating: 7/10

Listen To The Circle Project Here: http://soundcloud.com/oxide_tones/sets/the-circle-project-section-1

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Reviewed By,

Szakk Scorn

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Lamb Of God "Resolution"

2012-02-09T21:11:00.000+05:30

LAMB OF GOD are a groove laden thrash band with a more temperedpost PANTERA sound, influenced by Southern blues and the 80's thrash and posthardcore/metal core scenes. Hard work and relentless touring finally payingoff, LAMB OF GOD scored a major label deal with EPIC RECORDS(2004-ROADRUNNER/EPIC consolidated deal) and unleashed the bands break throughrelease ASHES OF THE WAKE. Since the second half of the last decade, LAMB OFGOD has unleashed two more releases on EPIC RECORDS including SACRAMENT andWRATH. With their latest release RESOLUTION, many in the metalscene ask, now with a major label support will LAMB OF GOD take risks andevolve past the faceless PANTERA/SLAYER clones for a musical evolution orrehash the same Southern core/groove??

Well the answer is pretty much simple. With Doomsday ahead, Lamb Of Godare known for destroying everything which comes their way and when we have RESOLUTION to start the journey thenthings do get exciting. A word 'Consistent' is what defines Lamb Of God recordswith blistering riffs, crushing solo's, eclectic drumming, thumping basslines and throat ripping vocals from last 12 years. Musically 2011 was wonderfulwith brilliant records by Machine Head, Mastodon, Anthrax, Megadeth etc soexpectations were extremely high since RESOLUTIONis the most anticipated record of 2012.

WRATH was a fantastic record and did carry thelegacy of hardcore LOG sound to some extent. I personally liked Wrath since itwas no nonsense record and direct 'in your face' sound from the beginning tillthe end but what lacked was the feel which was missing when it comes tomasterpieces like AS THE PALACES BURN andASHES OF THE WAKE. Expecting thechange in direction and keeping their roots in mind, I start my RESOLUTION journey as follows:

The first surprise element came in the form of Straight from the Sun,which is dark, sludgy, doom metallish track like a shot of whiskey and aquick drunken kick to the teeth. Thumpingbass-line, slow pounding drums with Randy screams "set me straight for the sun" just paved a way for one of thebest intros by LOG. Desolation, on the other hand is the first heavy asfuck track from this album. The moment you hear first few seconds, a classicLOG sound slays everyone. It resembles Wrath's 'In Your Words' to some extent.Randy's vocals sound more brutal with crazy thrash driven riff followed byChris's insane drum work is simply phenomenal.

Ghost Walking startsof with sweet acoustic guitar lines and in a matter of few seconds we haveclassic thrash riff thrown by Mark Morton. It’s surely one of the best songswritten by LOG in a long time. What makes this song more interesting is theguitar solo by Mark Morton. It’s probably one of the best solo from the entirealbum. Kinda reminds me of solo in Wrath's 'Grace'. You just can’t ignore Randyscreaming out the words as follows:

"You lived through hell, now you're trying to die

The skin is healedbut your bleeding inside

Shots fired just to numb the pain

There's no one left to save"

Guilty on the otherside is another speed metal assault. Right from the first second it justexplodes with blast beats and fret burning riffs. This song will remind you of earlyLOG sound. The Undertow comes as a surprise to me since it revisits At The Gates sound. Influenced by ATG,LOG just crossed all barriers and experimented with Randy's one liner's “I fight the constant undertow” which issurely going to be screamed loudly when this track is played live. This songends with an epic solo by Mark Morton and not to forget the way Randy ends thetrack with insane vocals. The Number Six is the 6th track from thealbum. This song is the first track which is melody driven when compared toother 5 tracks above. There are very few moments in this album where you findJohn Campbell bass-lines going to explode like a pipe bomb and same is the casewith The Number Six. Pretty much sound similar to Wrath along with MarkMorton's brilliant guitar solo.

Barbarosa is a darkacoustic instrumental which has got nothing new to offer. It would have beenbetter if they would have skipped this track since the album has many tracks. Inviktusand Cheated on the other hand are full of chaotic riffs with catchyhooks. A pretty simple yet effective LOG sound. Randy's skills are againclearly highlighted on Cheated. Insurrection, according to the titlelooks like a political track. With spoken words by Randy Blythe and MiddleEastern inspired strong harmonic riff makes this track the highlight of thisalbum. The best guitar solo on this album is present on this track. The themebehind this track has a direct link with the Cover Art of Resolution. Terminally Unique is another grooveladen track with epic sweeping evoking a more sinister tone. LOG has crossedthe boundary with most of the tracks on this record without compromising theaggression. Similarly the other two tracks Visitationand To the End are full of crazygroove laden riffs and sweet solos. Both are full of catchy hooks.

Now comes the final track of the album King Me. Lamb of God has always experimented a lot when it comes toconcluding the chaos. Yes it’s surprising when we think of kickass LOG soundwith orchestration. It’s strange yet phenomenal. This track stands out amongthe rest and gives you chill’s when you hear Randy screaming “King Me is killing me”. This is how aconcluding track should be and LOG as always have recreated that magic. Thisone is surely going to be into one of the best outro’s of the album along with Reclamation from Wrath, Vigil from As the Palaces Burn and Remorse Is for the Dead from Ashes of the Wake.

Songwriting is phenomenal and one of the main highlights of the albumwhich raised the bar when it comes to other LOG album’s are the guitar solo’swhich are all over this record. Not just one or two, but each and every solo isbrilliantly executed. Randy’s vocals and John’s rumbling bass lines add to thedestruction. You just can’t ignore Chris Adler technical drumming. Every record,he raises the bar of LOG sound as always he is the list of the best drummer inheavy metal history.

LAMB OF GOD's"RESOLUTION" communicates at best within the relentless straight upthrash of the first few tracks, guaranteed pit anthems as the rest of thisentirely too long release is rehashed and predictable riff o'rama. It’s by far the most technicallyproficient album by LOG. Its solid, ambitious, bone crushing, jaw breaking,filthy motherfucking Lamb of God at its best. One of the best releases of 2012and another career defining album by these Virginia dudes.

Devil Horns Up, Its EVIL LAMBOF GOD \m/

RATING: 9/10

Reviewed By,

Owais 'Vitek' Nabi

Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: Virgin Creep Single's 'Becoming A Prisoner' & 'Fallen Out'

2012-02-08T21:29:00.000+05:30

Change is always good. Be it in your life or in your music. It was just few days back that i had scavenged my collection of music for some 'mainstream' rock/metal bands and realized how amazing you feel listening to the stuff you heard few years back. All the memories and moments attached,even people, come back to life before your eyes.

The era of Christian Rock/Gospel Rock was booming a couple of years back when bands like 'Skillet' and 'Fire-flight' got the music to the forefront and made it mainstream. The scene sure had its share of 'herd-following' bands which rose and fell like the Disney-roller coaster and honestly didn't even last for a week on billboard charts. But my point here is , surely this kind of music - be it the aggressive brutality of August Burns Red or the melodic worship of Skillet - is definitely the kind of music every music fan would want to revisit after a spell of the 'current trend'.

A more recent band from this barrack is Virgin Creep - a very unique name. They released their 2 song E.P. which i got to review and I had mixed emotions. Firstly because the vocals are a combination of Scott Stapp of Creed and Shawn Periera of BLAKC(India) and secondly because it reminded me of the phase in my own life which had the oncoming of this kind of music. The 2 song E.P. is short indeed but surely has quite some potential if harnessed in the right way.

The first song Becoming a Prisoner is a easy listen and quite enjoyable. With a constant semi-acoustic guitar riff underlying nicely and periodic distortion layered on top , the song is a perfect mainstream number to be aired on the radio on a Saturday night when you are in 'high spirits'.

The another track Fallen Out which is my pick of the two has a very very strong '3 Doors Down' influence with the opening riff. But few seconds in the song and you can get the melody and it fits sweetly in your head. The song also has some 'whispering vocals' which add to the flavor, quite nicely done i must say.

Considering the weak points - production value is something i constantly point out in all the Indian bands. Unfortunately it is the same for Virgin Creep. The production needs much tightness and tracking of guitars and vocals is really not up to the mark. Like the screamo parts in Fallen Out sounds way off. So also the bridge in 'Fallen Out' is musically sweet, but bad production value makes it sound really something else. But quite honestly, if marketed and promoted properly the band has what it takes to add a fresh act in the mostly 'heavy' music scene - add the 'hit with chicks' brownie points because this music is exactly what girls love.

Conclusively, Virgin Creep is a band you would love to hear after a long tiring journey without much effort in catching the melody. On the musical front, i would like to see them live -hopefully with a full length record.

Rating: 6/10

Recommended For Alternative Metal, Post Grunge Fans.

Listen To Virgin Creep Here

Reviewed By,

Varun Kodo

Team Metal Wani

INTERVIEW: Bone Crushing 'Albatross'

2012-02-06T21:01:00.000+05:30

"Where bone chilling stories meet bone crushing metal", Yes folks, these are the words which defines the Horror Metal dude's from Mumbai. Today we have Albatross on board and recently we interviewed the founder of this bone chilling band Riju Dasgupta who wanted to marry his love of literature with his other love - Metal and hence Albatross was born.

1. Albatross began as a studio project by bassist 'Riju Dasgupta'. How were the other members filled in?

Riju: This current lineup has come together after many changes. I’ve knownBiprorshee for around two decades I think (we were in the same school) and Jayfor half that period of time. They’ve both been really close friends and weremy first choice when I decided to put a lineup together for this band. We’vebeen unfortunate with our guitarists in the band, before now. Vignesh andNishith auditioned when one of our many lineups fell through, but are anintegral part of our lineup now. I would go as far as to say that everyconsecutive lineup has been better than the one before, and this one is milesahead of all of our previous avatars. Hope this dream run continues.

2. Horror Metal is something new for India and no Indian band has played this kind of music before. How has been the response to this new form of music?

Riju: Haha, people either loved or hated Dinner isYou, but so far I’ve heard only two bad reviews for ‘Uncle Sunny At theTavern.’ At the risk of sounding like Slipknot, let me say- I don’t give a fuckhow the music is received as long as we’re happy with the end result.

3. We know you are a great follower of King Diamond. Apart from King Diamond, any other influences in your music?

Riju: Too many. I won’t even list inspirations ofother members as that would be longer than this interview. I’m personally ahuge fan of Wolf, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Iced Earth, VestalClaret, Briton Rites, Manowar, In Solitude, Ghost, Celtic Frost, Venom,Metallica, Slayer, Queensryche, Enforcer, Triptykon, Queen, Candlemass, BlindGuardian, Demons and Wizards, Helloween, Bruce Dickinson, Halford, Annihilator,Slough Feg, and Indian band, Rat King. All of these bands have had someinfluence in the music that we make. And this is just around 1/5^thof the list.

4. 'Dinner Is You' was an amazing E.P. You are coming up with "Kissing Flies" which is a split record with Albatross and Vestal Claret. How did the entire process take place? Can you throw some light on it?

Riju: Phil Swanson, thevocalist of Vestal Claret, knows his metal better than anyone I know of. Once,I linked him to a youtube video of ‘In the Court of Kuru’ and asked for hisopinion, and the next thing I know he’d asked me to make a split with VestalClaret. As a fan of his, I was floored. He sings for half the bands I listento. Vestal Claret is an awesome band, and this split is going to blow minds.

5. Apart from Vestal Claret, Murari Vasudevan of Rat King, Niklas Stalvind of Wolf and Sahil Makhija of D.R are also part of ‘Kissing Flies'. What was the idea behind featuring them?

Riju: Like I’ve said before, I’m a metal fan firstand musician second. These are three musicians we have a great deal ofadmiration for, and it was an honor having them on our album. You’ve all heardNiklas’s voice shatter glass in Uncle Sunny At the Tavern. Wait till you hearwhat the others have done.

6. You performed with NERVECELL and DEVOID too. How was the experience with Middle Eastern Giants?

Riju: Nervecell are one of the biggest death metalbands in the world and you know why when you see them annihilate the stage.Everything about that tour was a lot of fun, except for the fact that we suckedas a live act back then. Some of those performances were downright bad.

7. Coming back to Dinner Is You, It was mastered by Andy LaRocque. How was the collaboration with Andy LaRocque? Is his working style different from others?

Riju: Knowing how much King Diamond means to me,working with Andy is still something that I haven’t been able to stomach. He’sthe nicest and friendliest guy, and it was a treat working with him.

8. Albatross also played a tribute gig at Kyra, Bangalore titled "XXXMas". How was the experience sharing stage with your friends Bevar Sea and One of the best and oldest Metal band from India, Kryptos?

Riju: Considering those two bands are probably my favorite Indian acts, great! It’s amazing how they’ve kept the old schoolscene alive down south. Definitely one of the most fun trips ever.

9. Just a week back you released a new single "Uncle Sunny at the Tavern" featuring Niklas Stalvind of Wolf. How has the response been till now?

Riju: People seem to love it so far. And it’s byfar the worst song on the album.

10. We have been anxiously waiting for your new EP "Kissing Flies". Tell us something about it which your fans are still unaware of?

Riju: I think I’ve pretty much said all that can besaid at this point. It’s an album which you either love or hate. It’s verycinematic, very atmosphere driven, very theatrical and yes, very metal.

11. You and Biprorshee Das were featured in Demonic Resurrection All Stars Gig. Was it an important gig for you to share stage with DR or just a gig like others?

Riju: I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervousbefore a gig as I was then. DR’s music is totally not my cup of tea consideringhow fast it is. I was struggling to keep pace with their riffs…but at the endof the day it was a lot of fun and a hugely successful gig. Getting up on stagewith some of my closest friends after all these years was a really awesomeexperience.

12. Thanks a lot for your time Riju. What you wanna say to our reader's/your fans? The space is all yours. Scare the shit out of everyone.

Riju: I’ll let Uncle Sunny do the honors:-

"Listen to my words, for they will serve youwell

By entering this town, you’ve opened thegates of Hell

Heed my words, I tell you no lies

This town is dying, and where there’sdeath…there are flies"

Interviewed By,

Vikas Khokher

Team Metal Wani

GIG REVIEW: Trendslaughter Fest II 2012

2012-01-31T21:06:00.000+05:30

March 2011, on same day as the festival of colours - Holi,Trendslaughter Fest debuted in the Bangalore scene. Unofficially titled as - Khoon Ki Holi, it was meant for the hardcore Metal fans and whodidn't feel homely to the ongoing trendy music. Headlined by Orator fromBangladesh, supported by Gore Grinders - Gorified, Thrash sensations -Culminant, Stoner Doomers - Bevar Sea and the legendary Dying Embrace, the giglived up to its promises with around a 200 turnup.

Just about 10 months later, Trendslaughter returned, thistime bigger and better. with the Japanese Thrash/Black Metal giants - Abigail,headlining the show along with Cauchemar from Canada. Supported by Djinn andMiskatonic, Dhwesha, Gorified and Dying Embrace.

Djinn and Miskatonic -

A bassist, a Drummer and a Vocalist. That's all you see whenthis band takes stage, but don't judge them by their lineup, these guys knowhow to Doom. Comprising of Gautham Khandige on Vocals, Jayaprakash Satyamurthyon Bass and Siddharth Manoharan on Drums, the band opened the show. The crowdresponse was good and they got better and better with each song. Their songWeird Tales got the everyone headbanging. Sadly the crowd didn't build up bythe time they ended, which is sad 'cause they deserved a better response.

Dhwesha -

A band who's songs are sung in vernacular language, yes,Dhwesha, the newest kid on the block. Mixing Old School with Kannada lyrics,these guys earned the respect of the crowd at XXX Mas held on 24th December,2011, and had a lot of expectations from the crowd. And they didn't disappoint.Releasing their demo - Yuddhabhoomi on tape, which is really rare these daysbut is as Old School as it gets, the band debuted a couple of songs and playeda set to impress all. There were a few issues with the sound as their guitarshad a tone which did sting at times, but a killer performance nonetheless.

Gorified -

If you want real Gore and you are in Bangalore(rhyming was notintentional) then Gorified are the real deal. Consisting of Charlie and Gani,the two man army, along with a little help from the drum machine, delivered somebrutal, sick music to the crowd. Charlie was in full form, his vocals werepowerful than any of their performances in 2011. Gani on the other hand madesure he gave his partner full support and played flawlessly throughout theirset. The ambiance of the crowd was set and headbangers were getting their doseof some real neck exercise.

Cauchemar -

Touring all over the world, the duo of Annick Giroux andFrancois Patry joined by Ganesh Krishnaswamy and Deepak Raghu from Bevar Sea,took stage to showcase their unique style of NWOBHM mixed with Traditional Doomand French lyrics. They started off with a calm track and then build upmomentum as they went through their set-list. A power packed performance with aDark touch to it, mostly because of the language they sing in. But whatevermaybe the reason, they made sure no one gets bored in the show, whether theyunderstand the lyrics or not.

Dying Embrace -

The oldest Extreme Metal band in India, tagged as the Godsof Indian Metal, these guys hail from the time most of us were learning nurseryrhymes. They took the stage, burned it up, blowed some ear drums and made sureit stays brutal and Old School. Vikram growled like a 18 year old, he neverseems to get old. Jimmy, well if you ask Joe Satriani to play Metal, then hewould sound like Mr. Jimmy Palkhivala. He came on stage, no fancy processors,just a Line 6 amp and a BC Rich Ironbird, and showed everyone he meansbusiness. Not a single false note or missed note. Their normal set came to anend when Vikram announced that they are going to debut their new song - TheAscendance Of Namtar, and out came a Ibanez 7-string. The track was mysteriousand confusing to start with, but with passing of each second, you'll know thatyour being hypnotized by these veterans. Heavy as Hell, they ended their set ona high, setting up the mood for Abigail.

Abigail -

Over 70 releases in their two decades of existence and theystill call themselves underground. The legendary Japanese band performed a setof 15 songs and a special song with Vikram on the vocals and Annick fromCauchemar on the bass. Which each song, the crowd got into a mosh and hardcoreheadbanging was the least you can expect. Jero churned up some solos that wouldremind one of early Kirk Hammett, Yasuyuki on the other hand maintained a verymodest profile, singing and playing the bass. Youhei, their drummer, was almostovershadowed by these two performers, until their song - We're The PussyHunters came. Youhei showed what he is made of, with a constant bass drummingand snare hitting that can give even the bestest of drummers a run for theirmoney, and the madness continued till the 15th song. He was like a drum machineall through the show after that. After their set was over, the crowd wantedmore, so in came the announcement, Vikram Bhat and Anick Giroux join Abigail onstage for their song - Rocking Metal Motherfucker, a killer performance to enda killer gig.

Conclusion -

Trendslaughter Fest 2012 was indeed the Biggest, Baddest and Cultestshow of the year \m/ If the gig was measured in Richter scale, it would havegiven a reading high enough to destroy the Earth. I would give it a perfect 10.

P.S.: Thanks What's The Scene for the pics :)

--
Reviewed By,
Abhiraj Das Ghosh

INTERVIEW: Mighty Black Metalers 'ANTIM GRAHAN'

2012-01-28T21:05:00.000+05:30

When you walk in the infernal fields of the darkest, the darkest becomes your spirit. Such in the infernal fields treads these Black Metalers. After interviewing with awesome bands from India, Metal Wani goes International. It was quite obvious for us to choose a band and we finally chose one, they have recently shared stage with the might VADER in the latest season of SILENCE Fest. They are the Black Metalers from Nepal ANTIM GRAHAN Yes! You heard it right :) It is the season of winter and winter is embraced by the black metal lovers. So here it goes!!

1. First of all, infernal hails from the Metal Wani Team. How have you guys been?

Antim Grahan: All Hails from us!! We have been doing very good, thank you!

2. Regarding about the band's name. How did you guys come up with the name? Is there any reason behind the name?

Antim Grahan: Well the band's name just happened when one of the friend of the guitarist of the band randomly came up with Antim Grahan when they we discussing about one. No any specific reasons behind that but it just sounded right for the type of music that we wanted to play.

3. You guys have released your latest album "Putrefaction Eternity" which has got lots of death metal stuffs and Djents. Is it just tastes for the AG’s fans or will the band continue with the same genre which has been viewed in your latest album?

Antim Grahan: "Putrefaction Eternity" was more of an experimental project for us. We wanted to play something different then what we were playing. And I do get this questions asked a lot if we are shifting genre, but we are not. We are still very much playing music in the veins of black metal and the future works would be like wise.

4. Antim Grahan plays black metal and like you guys have performed with corpse paints and blood paints. So is there any reason(s) behind the paints that Antim Grahan does?

Antim Grahan: We don’t actually play with corpse paint as such. We did have couple of set done with blood stimulation paints because we wanted to give out a darker outlook to it but I don’t think we would ever go with full on "Norwegian" corpse paints.

5. You guys have recently shared the stage with the might VADER. So how was your experience? Anything regarding the fest? Do share us some!

Antim Grahan: It was incredible! I mean Vader has always been such a major influences around the world for all the metal heads and we are no different. So to be playing with such legend was an absolute honor.

The fest was called "Silence Festival 2011", a yearly event done by Mr. Bikrant Shrestha. This is one of the biggest fest happening in the country along with "Ides Of March" and "Nepfest".

6. What inspires you in terms of lyrics and themes?

Antim Grahan: In terms of lyrics and themes, it has always been regarding the darker netherworld realms and fantasy. Last album "Putrefaction Eternity" was however totally different. But overall we tend to dwells in amidst the dimensions of mournful pathways and sorrowful ungodly worlds.

7. How do you manage to write such brutal and diabolical music?

Antim Grahan: I don’t know if we have been able to write "brutal and diabolical music" as of yet as much as we would have wanted, but i guess its more of hard working guys in the band who tend to push forward for more twisted form of creativity and create as darker music as possible.

8. Are there any plans of a release in 2012?

Antim Grahan: Yes. We are working on a new album as we speak. So maybe by the mid of 2012, we could come out with our 6th studio effort.

9. Antim Grahan has got really good fans in far off places, a huge number of fans even in India. So do you guys have any further plans playing in India?

Antim Grahan: Last time we played in India was in Hydrabaad with the mighty DECAPITATED. And the crowd there were fucking amazing!! It would be an honor to play in front of all out brothers and sisters back in India once again. Any suitable invitation to play there would be most gracefully accepted.

10. Anything you would like to say to your fans in India and the reader of Metal Wani?

Antim Grahan: All we could say from AG is, thank you all very much for your undying support. You guys were absolutely amazing the last time we saw you. Hopefully we will see you guys very soon once again and together, we shall unleash hell!!

Click HERE To JOIN Them On Facebook.
Listen To Antim Grahan HERE

--
Interviewed By,
Nirvigya Chettri
Team Metal Wani

REVIEW: If Hope Dies Debut Single 'Dictum Meum Pactum'

2012-01-27T20:45:00.000+05:30

When you are a band in a stagnant genre, you have to accomplish something that sets you apart from everyone else. You have to rise above the generic aspects of a sound that is all too familiar to everyone and present something both fresh and original. If this isn't done, then the band will just become another lost to a sound far too duplicated by countless others. Thankfully If Hope Dies doesn’t lie in the same zone. These dudes from Sukuna, Darjeeling formed If Hope Dies somewhere in mid 2010 with the aim of making unique music. Recently they have released their 1st official track Dictum Meum Pactum which is available as free download from their Soundcloud page.

You have to understand that If Hope Dies musical spectrum is vast, you get to hear Deathcore sound mainly which is fused with unexpected Metalcore, Experimental and groove riffs. The first thing that will catch your attention is the intro which sounds like a rip off vocals from some pop track fused with distortion. Strange yet sweet, as you hear the vocalist screaming SHIT, the riff is thrown in with meshuggahish style drumming. In no time you witness the variation in their sound and double bass patterns are on your way followed by pretty descent breakdown.

Aakash on vocals has done a great job. From growls to deep screeches, you will also get to hear pig squeals which are appreciable. Clocked at almost 6 min this track is straightforward experimental metal which leaves you with no option other than headbanging. The variations after every 2 minutes are the main highlights of this track. Towards the middle section, you get to hear some metalcore sound from the band with clean vocals which I personally felt it quite well with the riff and the solo after it. There is a room for improvement and I am sure the vocalist will keep that in mind. The outro sounds good with another breakdown thrown at you followed by pig squeals. It’s crystal clear deathcorish approach.

Lyrically they need to improve on certain aspects of writing and also need to work on the arrangements. The production is surely weak but that doesn’t stop the band from giving what they desire to. Right from drumming to fret burning riffs, intense bass-lines and vocals, everything sounds good. The track tells you all you need to know about the band’s ferocious attack. The result is a track of maxed-out, rumbling brutality that still manages to capture a significant amount of atmosphere and subtlety amidst its bowel-loosening grooves. Dictum Meum Pactum is distressingly heavy, undeniably inventive to some extent and the pits will go nonstop to just about every minute here, and I think that is exactly what they were aiming for.

Recommended for Deathcore, Experimental Fans \m/

Rating: 8.5/10

INTERVIEW: Brutal Death Masters EXHUMATION

2012-01-25T20:56:00.000+05:30

The band we are showcasing today has produced very limited music but are really enviable. They are seen once in a blue moon but with cataclysm, the band came into being in the streets of Mumbai in 2002. Brutal drumming, groovy riffs and ear shattering growls made them THE BEST BRUTAL DEATH METAL ACT In Indian Metal Circuit which is as true as steel. The band that blows everything off your mind which comprises of four vicious elements out of which we have the chief element here with us today.
Let us welcome Mumbai based EXHUMATION front man Aditya Mehta

1. Hello Aditya, we welcome you to our kingdom tonight. How you doing?

Aditya: I’m doing great, thanks! Yash and I have finished another song for our black metal project Solar Deity and we’re very happy with the way things are going!

2. That's fantastic. Well first and foremost, we want to know all the ins and outs of Exhumation?

Aditya: There aren’t too many intricate details that might excite your readers, haha! To me, the work of a band is all that matters. In Exhumation’s case, our biggest achievements are the three releases we’ve put out. Among The Dead, For Personal Consumption Only and Consider This – these releases are what I will always be proud of.

3. How did Exhumation actually start?

Aditya: Some things exist purely for no other reason than because they have to. The same reason why my blog/webzine Mehta Kya Kehta is there, the same reason why my black metal band Solar Deity is there. Because they need to be there. Because there's nothing else like them. There had to be a proper death metal band in Mumbai and Exhumation became that band.

4. Out of sight is out of mind. Exhumation has not performed for a long time. Do you think it’s true in your case? :P

Aditya: No, I don’t think it is, otherwise you wouldn’t have sent me these questions ;) I get bored of bands that are always in the news. I don’t give a shit who finished which part of the recording of their next album or who ate what for breakfast – fuck that shit and don’t be seen or heard till the album is ready. I don’t like things being hyped – I like to be surprised with good music. Really, that’s all I care about.

5. In 2003, Exhumation broke the ice when you performed at Death Fest and you guys flung yourself into it body and soul. How was the response you got?

Aditya: I think we got the biggest response ever when we released the single ‘Among The Dead’ on Walpurgisnakht in 2005 without any hoo-ha hype or any fucking announcements. We just put the brutal death metal out there and it blew people away. Then we released the first album (or EP, whatever you want to call it) track-by-track. We kept hitting people with one song after another, all unannounced, with zero hype.

Even when we were coming up with ideas for For Personal Consumption Only, we decided it was gonna be very different from Among The Dead. FPCO was out-and-out blasting on a split with some other bands, and we surprised people again. No formal announcements, no big talk… we just put that brutal motherfucker out there. So yeah, the ice had already been broken because people were familiar with the songs.

6. Mortuary formed in 1998 was your initial band and you played thrash metal that time. What made you jump to the death metal style?

Aditya: The extreme nature of the music sucked us right in… we were going mad banging our heads listening to Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Morbid Angel and Deeds Of Flesh… these are still on my list of favorite bands… such powerful music, man.

At that time, there weren’t any brutal death metal bands in Mumbai… and we knew without really discussing it that this is the kind of music we all wanted to make. We wanted metalheads to listen to our music at home and feel thrilled knowing that it was an Indian band making them go insane, and we did it!!!

7. Aditya, you write lyrics right? "Absolute Power Now" is all about forced sex, rape and blowjob which is phenomenal :p. What inspired you to write such lyrics?

Aditya: Oh yeah, it’s about forced sex… forced blowjobs, violent rape and brutal anal sex. My personal life inspires me to write stuff like this, because I can’t have sex the normal way. I mean, if a woman offers me sex, I find it boring. There has to be a challenge and a sense of achievement.

These days I don’t even have erections unless I fantasize about raping a woman. If a woman takes her clothes off and says, “Do whatever you like,” I’ll lose my erection, I swear. What is the fun in that? She should say, “No, Mehta… my ass is really tight,” and then I’ll feel motivated to do something. Y’know what, I’m going to publish all the lyrics on my blog/webzine Mehta Kya Kehta so that everyone can read about my rape fantasies.

8. Hahahaha, this is crazy. Is it true Coshish's Hamza Kazi programmed drums for you? Why? And is it a truth that you parted ways with Yash and welcomed Viru?

Aditya: Yes, both the things are true. Hamza programmed drums for is because… he knows how to program them really well hahaha!

9. Your 2nd record "For Personal Consumption Only" released under Demonstealer Records was featured on International Documentary "Metal: A Headbangers Journey" titled Global Metal. A big success in the history of Exhumation, isn't it?

Aditya: It does feel good when your work is acknowledged, but for me the thrill was in conceptualizing the first two releases… we used to smoke clove cigarettes and blow smoke rings and throw crazy ideas at each other… I’ll remember the Among The Dead and For Personal Consumption Only days as some of the most precious moments of my life.

10. You released "Consider This" in 2011. A long gap after last EP "For Personal Consumption Only". What took you guys so long?

Aditya: FPCO was released in 2006 and Consider This came out in 2011, so that’s a four-year gap. That’s a pretty long time, haan? Well, I guess we all had other things to do…

11. Your singles like "Under the Knife" has pure death metal elements that made chaos among the exhumation fans in India. What were your preparations?

Aditya: There were no preparations… we just knew we had to make killer songs!

12. Exhumation has not played for quiet a long time. Is the band in the evening of life? ;) Or you have some good news for us?

Aditya: “Evening of life” sounds hilarious hahaha! I have good news for you. I’m pregnant with twins.

13. We expected this brutal assault from you, hahahaha. Anyhow which Indian bands you like to listen to? Is their any band on Exhumations list, with whom you desire to share the stage?

Aditya: I'll tell you what's on Solar Deity's list. For several reasons, I respect bands like Albatross, The Riot Peddlers and Gutslit, and these are the kind of bands I want Solar Deity to play with. It doesn't matter if a band is death metal or black metal or even techno-pop and I don't care if bands sing about Satan or Ganpati or Shahrukh Khan; Solar Deity will align itself only with bands and people that are true to themselves and the music they play.

14. Would you want the readers to know about your other projects? If yes, go ahead, the space is yours!

Aditya: Oh yeah! My black metal project Solar Deity is gonna release a shitload of music this year and next year. Yash is the drummer and I’m the singer/guitarist and we have quite a few songs ready. I’m really looking forward to recording and releasing Solar Deity’s music and kicking ass with our black metal!!!

We exult to have you here with us Aditya. Thanks a lot!!

Thanks for the cool questions!!

Interviewed By,

Pallawi Sharma

Team Metal Wani

INTERVIEW: Undying INC - Colossal Figures in Indian Metal Scenario

2012-01-23T20:40:00.000+05:30

The year was 2003 when the four friends desirous of metalmusic set their journey to their dream. The dream of producing aggressivemusic. Worked hard, put their heart and soul, underwent line-up change also,but nothing could destroy their thoughts, passion and enthusiasm for metalmusic and perhaps that is what the band name stands for - UNDYING INC - "tocreate something that can’t be destroyed". Today they are colossal figuresin the Indian Metal Scenario. Exquisite drumming patterns, rumbling bass lines,insane Groove laiden Riffs and bone chilling screams. That’s how we describethe explosive sound of Indian metal heavy weights. Huge thanks to Undying Incfor agreeing to do the interview.

1. First of allwarm greetings from Loudblast Team.How have you been?

UI: - Infernal greetings to Loudblast! We’ve been good; it’sbeen a great year for us!

2. "Chaos Breed" that is whatthe bassist Reuben wanted toname the band initially. How was the name "Undying INC" conceived?

UI: - Yes, that’s correct. Our founding members bassistReuben and guitarist Biswarup were huge Entombed fans and considered naming theband ‘Chaos Breed’ after one of their songs, but finally settled on Undying Incas it fitted perfectly with the ethic of the band. Over many years Undying Inchas been about fighting the odds and creating indestructible heavy music.

3. In 2007, originalline up took to pieces when initial vocalist Amitabh and drummer Sangeet leftthe band following which Yuvraj (Ex-Nightmare On Elm Street) took his placebehind the drum kit and Shashank (Ex-Hollowcast) on vocal duties, completing thecurrent line up with original members Reuben and Biswarup. Since then sound hasbecome faster, brutal and technically proficient. How do you expressyour thoughts on it?

UI: - Undying Inc has always been about pushing theboundaries with its music, so the formation of the new line up acted as acatalyst to that change. It was the meeting of minds with a similar intent togo beyond the more traditional metal sounds explored with our respectiveprevious bands. When the four of us got together it was about stepping out ofour comfort zones and trying something more challenging.

4. Till date UIhas released Two EP's and two Albums amongst which "Aggressive World Dynasty" consisting of 12 skull crushing tracks was released at GIR, Delhiin 2010 where you guys opened forMeshuggah; who UI cites as its chief and major influence. Was that themoment of enchantment in UI's entire carrier?

UI: - Hell yes! Seeing Jens Kidman standing by the side wingsand nodding to the beat as we raged on stage was unfuckingreal. It’s the sortof thing every metal head dreams about when putting a band together, that oneday they would get to share stage with their idols. That was a moment we willcherish forever and of course we do look forward to more such moments in thefuture.

5. AWD was the most awaited release inthe Indian Circuit. It has been hailed as #1 Metal Album of the year 2010 by Rolling Stone India, RSJ,Headbangers India, Indian Music Revolution and IRMP3. Success had been chasingyou. You want to share it with your fans?

UI: -Absolutely. Though we don’t really agree that successhas been chasing us and it’s all been blood, sweat and hard work, we wouldn’thave had even this much success if it hadn’t been for our die-hard fans. Wethank each and every one of you for standing by us and feeding this machine.

6. In 2011, UIalso swept the Rolling Stone MetalAwards bagging 3 prestigious awards for AWD. Can you please throw light on all 3 of them?

UI: -What we were kicked most about was that we got thecoveted Critic’s Choice for Album Of The Year, that meant a lot to us, as itwas being judged by some of the most respected names in Metal. Besides, we alsogot Best Metal Vocalist and Best Metal Drummer as an icing on the cake.

7. Your music iseclectic mix of thrash, brutal death metal, Djent, progressive, tech metal, deathcore,90's Groove metal. But UI classifies its genre as Avant garde. How you guysmanage to incorporate so many genres all together?

UI: -We think that pigeon holing a band in today’s metalscenario is redundant and also not very exciting. Undying Inc is about ‘incorporating’ influences and ideasthat inspire us, the combined sound had to have the right elements of power& aggression. We never wanted to sit in any one specific sub-genre andexperimented with whatever sounded ‘right’ to us and more importantly soundedlike ‘us’. It’s a combination of 4 different individuals with different sets oftastes.

8. UI had theprivilege to open for Satyricon,Enslaved, Textures, Amon Amarth, Tesseract. Can you explain theexperience of playing with international bands in your words?

UI: -It’s always been a great honor opening for such renownednames. The pressure is a lot more to deliver at par with these bands as theyall set a high standard for themselves. We have always wanted to leave thestage having proved that metal from India is no less, that we can stand withthe best of them and hold our ground.

9. A personalquestion for Shashank "The ThroatShredder" with bone chilling high pitched growls being your trademark, from where is the current generated in "The Power House" when onstage?

UI: -All the food in my belly! But seriously, it comes from alot of practice, practice for lung and diaphragm control, vocal chords andthroat extensions, breathing exercises and then even more practice. One of thefirst things I was asked on joining Undying Inc was that I had to push myvocals to their very limit, so that I could be heard above such complex andheavy music. Also, I have actually had cases of ‘bleeding throat’ beforesettling on this vocal style.

10. Give us abrief showcase of "NorwayTour"?

UI: -It wasour first ever international tour playing 3 gigs in Norway. It was alife altering experience. Norway is an amazing place with amazing people, moreso in the case of Metal music. The ride to Roros from Trondheim through thepicturesque Norwegian countryside, ensuing mayhem at the gigs, standing underhuge burning hot stage lights on a cold day, selling out all the Undying IncT-Shirts we had, kids going berserk, sub-zero ride back to Trondheim at 2am,elk crossings, black beer, stopping for Hot Dogs and Beer, piss-freezing smokebreaks, hanging out with the guys from Torch. It was an Epic experience to saythe least. We can’t wait to go back and tear up the stage at Inferno.

11. Metal HammerUK chose UI as the only other band to represent Metal from India on "The Planet Metal Vol.1 InternationalMetal Compilation" which was distributed to 125000+ readers worldwide.How was this ethereal feeling?

UI: - It was absolute honor to be featured in the world’spremier Metal magazine. We grew up having tried every trick in the book to getour hands on issues of Metal Hammer, which was so hard to find back then. Itmeans a lot to us, that we have a song out on ‘Planet Metal’ not only with anew breed of cutting edge metal bands from across the world, but with our very ownbrothers in Bhayanak Maut.

12. Any plans tosurprise your fans with album/EP soon in the future?

UI: -We have started on a bunch of new material and hope tocome out with a new body of work by the end of this year, but there are no concreteplans yet. We work on our songs until we have satisfied ourselves first, whichis more of an organic process and takes its due time. All we can say is thatthe surprise will not be pleasant to the ears, it’s gonna’ be a nasty one.

13. The LoudblastTeam is truly honored to have interviewed one of the Revolutionary bands ofIndia. Any advice to all the struggling Indian bands?

UI: - Stick to your beliefs, ignore the critics andscenesters and never give up! Your day will come! Also, our Undying thanks toLoudblast for the interview! Keep it brutal!

Check Out UNDYING INC @ https://www.facebook.com/undyinginc

INTERVIEW: Fusion Guitar Maestro Mr. RAVI IYER

2012-01-18T17:28:00.000+05:30

Ever since my mate Pallawi Sharma was asked to interview a Solo Guitar Artist, She was willing to approach this eminent fusion guitar wizard in Indian Music Scene who has been in the Rock circuit Since 1985. This is her first encounter with Indian Guitar Maestro. Finally when we asked him for the interview, he said OF-COURSE without any second thought and that was the wow moment for us. Being a big big David Gilmour and blues music fan, She was excited and bit nervous as well while framing questions for him because his influences and idols are legends like DAVID GILMOUR, JOE SATRIANI, SANTANA, ERIC JOHNSON, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, GARYMORE, JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, ZAKIR HUSSAIN, Mr. L SUBRAMANIAM and Mr. L.SHANKAR. He was born on 2nd June 1968 to do magic with percussion and guitar. It is quite shocking as hell to see how a formally trained Indian percussionist switched his instrument with guitar.

Here is the relaxed and intimate interview with the fusion guitarist Mr. RAVI IYER "The founder of “VAYU AND PARAVAYU along with Crosby Fernandes " from Mumbai.

1. Greetings from Loudblast Team. How are you doing Sir?

Ravi: Greetings to you all too….and yes, I am doing good….nothing to complain…haha…

2. We would like to know what first got you interested in music?

Ravi: Well, I come from a family with a strong background in Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, so by default I began my learning in music with Tabla at the age of 7 years.

3. You have revolutionized guitar playing in the Indian music scene. What was your source of inspiration? Who were your Godfather?

Ravi: As far as my Godfather, every individual, artist, my parents, my guitar tutors or whoever has taught me and helped me to improve in my learning of music has been my godfather.

4. You got your magical hands on percussion at the age of 7. You were a gold medalist in Solo Tabla in Inter School Music Competition. But in 1985, you picked up guitar and western music and began formal training in guitar and since then you have been performing to Live audiences. What was the turning point in your musical carrier? How has the entire process been?

Ravi: Yes, I did shift to guitar later after my formal training in Tabla, as I was growing up I got influenced by western music in my teens and eventually took a liking to guitar. Apparently, there was no turning point for me to choose music as I had anyways decided that music is what I wanted as my career.

The entire process has definitely not been easy as in those days music was was not considered as a main career, hence it was a struggle then and even now it’s a struggle since now there is too much of everything haha…..hence the struggle always continues.

5. PARA VAYU, influenced with blend of jazz and progressive rock was evolved From VAYU after its first release "Wings Of A Dream" in 2009. Why was the prefix PARA meaning BEYOND was used? Any relation with the sound?

Ravi: Para, which is the prefix added to Vayu, actually can be interpreted in many ways. It’s all subjective…..but I would say maybe it’s just an added expression of freedom or a superior layer above the atmosphere, since Vayu means wind. I also wanted to retain the name Vayu, and yes wanted a prefix that would also indicate the shift in the genre that we perform today as Para Vayu.

6. VRAVI "Guitar Fusion", your solo fusion project is a perfect mix of Progressive Sufi Jazz-blues fusion sound. Its fantastic. Please talk about it in detail?

Ravi: As I mentioned earlier, that I learnt Tabla at a tender age and later shifted to guitar as my interest grew in rock music. Over the years with my experiences playing live and my involvement with rock music etc….. I found myself actually going full circle and some force within me has actually taken me back to my Indian music roots. Everything just happened so naturally that I simply found myself extremely happy and peaceful playing fusion. I had a couple of ideas and compositions of mine which I wanted to execute, which involves my earlier learning of Tabla and of course the guitar. With all this I finally launched my solo fusion project called VRAVI-GUITAR FUSION in September 2011.

7. VRAVI also collaborated with variety of various renowned fusion artists at cultural fests and classical concerts be it Instrumentalist, Painter or Dancers. It gives chills to even think of it. How do you make it possible?

Ravi: As a composer as well as a performing artist, I always think of adding other elements to complement my music…. in other words it just boils down to being open minded to collaborate shedding all inhibitions.

8. PARA VAYU released its debut album Soul Alive in April 2009. What problems did you have to face during recording? How did you over come it?

Ravi: If all are aware or unaware, Para Vayu’s album Soul Alive, is actually a live album. So, the entire album was recorded in one take since it was one of our gigs at Blue Frog, the club based in Mumbai. Hence we did not even want to realize that the performance was actually being recorded to be converted as our album…..:)

We just let a sigh of relief after the gig was done and slept well after we mixed the album considering that we had not goofed up while playing live haha….

9. You are professional guitar player and your students profile range from school kids to businessmen. Soumitra Bhat, The Vocalist of PARAVAYU learned Electric guitar from you. Where are your academies in India? What is the criteria for joining your classes?

Ravi: Well, I have been teaching since 1990 I guess, but a couple of years back I wanted to give an identity to my institution and I called it SCHOOL D’ ROCK. I have students from every age group, and all walks of life. I always welcome all as long as they are passionate and dedicated to learn the guitar.

10. Rocking Raga-debut solo album featured some of classical Ragas. Very Interesting. Please share some links.

Ravi: Rocking Raga, was my first ever solo debut album which was conceived in 1999 and released around 2003 I guess. This album was a result of my inner urges to experiment with fusion.

11. You have scaled new heights and you are known worldwide as a true sample of magnificent fusion guitar player who has gone full circle to his roots, INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC. Want to express how does it feel?

Ravi: Oh, I must thank you all for the kind words, but well all I can say is that I have started learning again which I am happy about…. Indian Classical music is a very vast subject and the learning will go on forever till I am alive.

12. Any gig or concert coming up soon in future for fusion music lovers?

Ravi: Yes i have a couple of fusion concerts coming up....I am playing with Ustad Fazal Qureshi on 20th January 2012 in Mumbai for a private concert for invitees only ( this one is purely on invitees for Ustadji's concert ....sorry about that haha)

I have another one on 25th January 2012 at Swig (at Koregaon Park-Pune) with Para Vayu. This will be an unique unplugged tribute to Pink Floyd with Tabla and Indian percussion starting at 9 pm and i have my solo fusion set VRAVI - GUITAR FUSION performing at The Hard Rock Cafe (Pune) on 26th of January 2012 starting at 8pm.

13. It has been a fascinating interview for us. Last words for your lovers and musicians all across the globe?

Ravi: It was a fantastic conversation with you too. Thank you for having me on this portal and please accept my humble apologies in case my answers have not been to your satisfaction.

My sign off words for my lovers and musicians across the globe would be… “be true to yourself before portraying truth to others and never let money, success or fame rule over your inner self”

We are blessed to have you tonight. May God Bless You with unending chain of success.

Thank You :-)

Check out his Official Website: www.vraviiyer.com

INTERVIEW: Demonic Resurrection - India’s Best Extreme Metal Band

2012-01-14T20:51:00.000+05:30

The guys were just 17-18 years old teens when they formed a metal band and released their 1st album after 9 months of formation The Demonstealer in 2000. So rapid process, since then they have been kicking some serious asses, hyper guitars, otherworldly screaming, howling, ambient keys and technical drumming makes band as tough as nails. When guitars, drums, keys and voice come together in those elementary patterns the result is undeniable excitement. This band is the only Indian Metal Band to cross the boundaries and win the most prestigious award Globe Metal Award at Metal Hammer Golden Gods 2010, London. The recipients of these awards have included Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Slipknot and Anthrax. We are sure people have guessed the band by now today Loudblast have brought you. Yes it is The Demonic Resurrection.

1. First of all warm greetings from Loudblast Team. How have you been?

Sahil: Hey guys, I’ve been good.

Daniel: I’ve been great, working on music in some form or the other, as always.

Viru: Been busy spending New Year’s with my family. Got sick, recovered from it. No jamming, not seen my drum kit since quite sometime, etc, etc.

2. Sahil being the mainstay of the band, what had been the constant source of your energy during the several line up changes?

Sahil: For me this has been what I want to do my entire life, play and write heavy metal music with Demonic Resurrection and I’ve given myself no other choice in life and that has kind of ensured that I always keep going no matter what. I’ve also got to credit the amazing support I’ve received from my family, my girlfriend Deepti and my incredible band mates Hussain and Mephisto who’ve stuck with me and DR for the last 8 years now, also my new band mates Viru and Daniel for being equally committed to the band and sharing my vision.

3. Heavily influenced by Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and Cannibal Corpse, the band adopted blackened death metal or symphonic black metal as its niche. Which band you were badly influenced by and why?

Sahil: The primary tone for DR’s music has been set by me and later very strongly influenced by the newer members. When we started out I was heavily into Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Theatre Of Tragedy, Lacuna Coil etc and the first album has those influences, when Jp and Mephisto joined they bought newer influences mainly symphonic style of keys and more death metal oriented drumming whereas my own influences shifted to power metal so the sound on ‘A Darkness Descends’ was a good mix of that. With ‘Beyond The Darkness’ it was more experimental and spacey and then after Viru and Daniel joined you have ‘The Return To Darkness’ where the drumming has a mix of the death metal style and also my playing has been influenced by Viru’s own style which is Meshuggah, Textures, Sikth and a lot of those kind of bands. So I don’t think there is ever a single influence in the music it is a lot of different things.

Daniel: I think the sound of Demonic Resurrection is constantly evolving, as is evident with every album. This evolution is a factor of the combination of our musical personalities as they develop, so I think we achieve a combination of our respective influences, which forms the composite ‘Demonic Resurrection’ sound.

Viru: I have been listening to more of progressive new metal. I like that genre. So when we sit together and compose, it’s the combination of different music styles that everyone is influenced by.

4. The band released their 1st Music Video "The Unrelenting Surge of Vengeance" from their 3rd album "Return To Darkness" and received a U/A rating from central board of film certification and also received airplay from mainstream music channel VH1 with Youtube hits of more than 70K. Can you throw more light on the entire process?

Sahil: I think the music video was long overdue and we were able to do it thanks to Srinivas from Scribe who is also a film maker and made it possible to do the video on a realistic budget. The shooting part was very easy and so was getting the censor certificate. The funny thing is we got a U/A because they said I was spitting blood in the video which is not actually there. So that is quite funny and now with the indie music scene gaining momentum and eyeballs we’ve had good support from MTV and VH1 and they’ve aired the video. I also think being one of the first metal bands post 2000 to release a music video we definitely got a lot of attention, now every band wants to make a video.

Daniel: The actual recording of the video was wrapped up within half a day, and we’re indebted to Srinivas from Scribe for the production and the final product.

5. For 3rd full length Album "The Return To Darkness" world famous artist Michael Xaay designed the artwork who has worked for Nile, Behemoth and Vader. How had it been possible?

Sahil: This was all thanks to Mephisto who follows his artwork and just wrote him an email asking if he’d be able to do our artwork and he said yes and he also did it at an affordable price so it was pretty easy.

6. Formed in March 2000 the band disbanded after 1st release, reformed in 2001 after line up change,again disbanded in 2002 but the front man Sahil Makhija had enough energy to reform it in 2003 with new line up incorporating more melodic elements in 2nd album Darkness Descends (2005). In 2006 skin basher Dani made an exit following which Sahil Makhija took on drum duties and Pradeep Pande was added as Lead guitarist. In 2007 Viru joined as permanent drummer and in 2008 Pradeep quit with the advent of guitar prodigy Daniel Rego as lead guitarist. Since then the band has been stable and dynamic. What difference do you find in early DR and present DR?

Sahil: Well we never really disbanded because it was always people quitting and being replaced. I’d say the lowest point was September 2002 after our performance at I-Rock 2002 when it was just myself and Husain in the band and thankfully December 2002 we found JP and then Jan 2003 Mephisto. I think the main difference in the band from the start till date is just the natural evolution of the band, the members and the music.

Daniel: Guitar prodigy? Hahaha, thank you. I think the main difference you’ll find between the sound of earlier Demonic Resurrection and its present incarnation is just a product of the musical personalities of the new members, as everyone contributes in some way to the music.Viru: The band has been quite stable since 2007-2008. We worked on the 3rd album together, toured all around India and abroad, and now working on the new album. I think it is becoz Demonic Resurrection has finally found the right members who believe in the music that they make. We do have other commitments too, but still, we believe in the music and which is why it has been a great journey as a band so far.

7. Daniel Rego's musicianship is of high order. He was just 18 when he joined DR. He's counted as one of the best guitarists India owns. Who influenced your guitar playing at so small age?

Daniel: Thank you for the kind words. I’ve been lucky to have picked up the guitar when I was really young, and devoted myself quite passionately to it. As for my influences, it’s been a long list over the years, from Adrian Smith and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden in my earlier years, to more progressive-oriented musicians like Paul Masvidal and Daniel Mongrain, as well as many jazz guitarists like Kurt Rosenwinkel and Ben Monder, more recently.

Viru: Uncle Sam from Mahim :P

8. With the release of 2nd album, Demonstealer Records was born, an independent extreme metal record label launched by Sahil Makhija. Till date its the only label where major bands have been signed. You must be aware of all talented bands in India who deserve to get signed. Are you planning to sign any of them soon?

Sahil: The name Demonstealer Records was actually born with the 1st DR album but yes the label only really took off in 2005 with the 2nd album. I’ve currently shut my label to bands apart from my own because I really don’t have the time or finances to invest in it given the current state of the music industry. I do hope that someday in the future I can revive the label and give the scene the support it deserves, but at this point after running it for 6 years and just losing money I can’t do it anymore.

9. DR achieved global recognition when Sam Dunn, filmmaker of "Metal: A Headbangers Journey", "Iron Maiden Flight: 666" featured DR in his landmark documentary "Global Metal". How was this feeling?

Sahil: It felt great to be recognized after sticking to our guns for so many years, working hard, putting out good music. It was really a great feeling to represent our scene in this documentary.

10. Which are the other Indian bands DR likes and supports?

Sahil: We like and support tons of local bands, too many too name but off the top of my head, Kryptos, Acrid Semblance, Bhayanak Maut, Scribe, Devoid, Albatross, Undying Inc, Abraxas, Inner Sanctum, Noiseware, Goddess Gagged etc etc etc.

Daniel: I really like what Goddess Gagged, Inner Sanctum, Scribe and Bhayanak Maut do, musically.

Viru: Scribe, BM, Zygnema, Devoid and many more.

11. Sahil ,along with your projects and DR, when can we your fans expect your upcoming Studio Album?

Sahil: This is supposed to be my ‘musical’ year, 2012 that is. I would hope to release by September or October 2012 but my solo album is pretty collaborative this time so it might be a while I’ll know a few months into the next year when it looks possible.

12. We are overwhelmed to have your interview. Its been Demonic to have you on board. Thanks a lot. Any free advice for amateurs who follow DR and wish to play like them?

Sahil: The advice I can give anyone who wants to succeed is write good music, work hard, preserve, be professional and keep your day job.

Daniel: Do good work, devote yourself to your instrument and your music, and constantly challenge yourself.

Viru: Believe in yourself, practice regularly, and perform at any and every stage that you get. Cheers!

Check out the following links of Demonic Resurrection:

Official Site: http://www.demonicresurrection.in/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DemonicResurrection

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/demonicresurrection

INTERVIEW: Progressive Rock Giants COSHISH

2012-01-13T21:28:00.000+05:30

If we look at the city of dreams 'Mumbai', bands come up like weeds and go down the same way but some survive and live to tell the tales, Metal legends like Demonic Resurrection, Bhayanak Maut, Exhumation, Zygnema etc are true examples. They have earned the enviable reputation through the course of time. But when we talk about rock bands, Mumbai is considered as the best breeding ground for rock music and advent of Coshish was one of the best things happened in Indian Rock History. Thousand passionate youngsters form metal bands and aspire to become COB, LOG, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Metallica but only handful of youngsters choose their niche as rock. Today Loudblast Team brings you musically diverse progressive rock band Coshish.

1. First of all warm greetings from Loudblast Team. How have you been? Howz the winds of Mumbai treating you all?

Hamza: Thanks so much guys. Personally, I think we couldn’t be any better. The album recording is almost done and it’s sounding better than I imagined. Kudos to Zorran Mendonsa.

Anish: Amazing . Our album is in the process of completion. The spirits are high and we are sharing it .. the spirits that is.. make it loudblast ;)

Mangesh: We have been good.

Shrikant: Thank you so much Loudblast Team It feels great to be here. Album Recording, New Year, New Fans and so many things to talk about.

2. How and when did Coshish come into existence?

Hamza: Well as much as we’d like to make it “masaleydar” like a typical Bollywood flick, sadly it’s not :P. The band started out sometime in 2006-07 when Mangesh and Shrikant randomly met somewhere between Gorai Beach and Belapur. I still don’t know how that is even possible but let’s just go with it for now. They recruited a bassist and drummer and christened themselves as “Coshish”. They used to jam at some place in Sion (this was before jam pads existed in the city). Things weren’t really working out and they approached me to drum for them. I was busy with my last semester of Engineering then and I delayed the reply for a few months. In April 2008 I played my first show with them, shortly after which the bassist quit the band. Just for the records, I had nothing to do with his leaving :P. We hunted around for a bassist till October and found our Reggae-Funk-Master Anish somewhere within the vastness of Kharghar. For some reason he agreed to play only one gig cause we weren’t “prog” enough. However, the vibe at that fateful gig was so intense that he decided to stick around and boy, we’re happy that happened. So yeah, not a lot of masala but if you consider the distances involved (Mahim, Belapur and Gorai), we’re still amazed at how we all came together. Destiny, fate, co-incidence or Tool…who knows ?

Anish: We were all given Rings by these mysterious beings from a parallel universe. These rings were called the Rings of Good Music. None of us knew its significance since these rings would only work when they are combined. And one day 4 people from different walks of life and the bearers of the rings were combined and Coshish was brought into existence (sue me captain planet!

Mangesh: Someone has plans.

3. Porcupine Tree, Tool, Opeth, Blackfield, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest etc are your major influences. How precisely do you follow them?

Hamza: The best thing about our influences is that all four of us have some common influence (Tool, PT, Opeth, Meshuggah), but that is a very small part of our collective individual influences. Apart from these few bands, every member brings some other influence to the table that the rest of the guys are clueless about. So in a way we don’t really follow the influences. Sometimes though, for certain sections, all of us are in the same headspace and an influence may become evident. That however, is not something we do intentionally, especially when every member has a lot of creative freedom in the band. We rarely write each other’s parts.

Anish: It’s more inspiration than following. For me every band is like reading a book. You read it contemplate on it, ruminate and then move onto the next book. Of course you can return to book shelf anytime to want.

Mangesh: It has helped me understand how music has been evolving in me. Music is a celebration of emotions and there is so much to experience. A band has a potential to bring out a new emotion of sorts. I always wondered that there should be so much more to experience and then to offer in return. I have followed bands that do this.

Shrikant: My major influence is old school rock/metal music but Opeth, Tool, Porcupine Tree etc are some of the ‘common influences’. I think no one really follow the bands while writing new material. It’s more of what’s inside your mind that you want to talk about or communicate. I believe influences keep changing from time to time. It’s like different paths of life. The more influence change, the better you become.

4. Who are the Indian Artists Coshish has grown up listening to?

Hamza: The funny thing is that, the first band I ever watched live, was Split at Mood I when Zorran was playing for them. Incidentally, they recorded their album with Zorran in our jam room J, a month before we recorded ours. Apart from them there was Zero, Pentagram & Vayu. I used to attend a lot of Jazz gigs to watch my idol Gino Banks play. If there’s one guy who’s inspired me, it would be him.

Anish: Trilok Gurtu, Zakir hussain, Ustad Amjad ali khan, A R Rahman, Lucky Ali, Shankar mahadevan, Keith peters, Karl peters,Sivamani, Louis banks and all the unsung nadaswaram and chendai players that my ears have stumbled upon at carnatic music concerts. (The Indian Rock scene happened late, way past the ‘grown up’ stage)

Mangesh: I grew up listening to Old Hindi Classics. I was hugely inspired by Lucky Ali at one point of time. He has been a huge influence with his fresh sound and approach.

Shrikant: Well....mmmm....I always liked listening to old school hindi, pop/rock music when I was in school J I lived in a place where it was difficult to know about the ‘music scene’ or you can say the ‘outside world’ so I didn’t really listen to any of the Indian Rock Artists till I completed my 11th Grade. The first time I heard of Indian artists was when my elder brother, Shrijit gave me an Independence Rock CD which was a compilation of bands like Indus Creed, Rock Machine, Pin Drop Violence, Sceptre, Helga’s Fun Castle etc and I was like OH MY GOD! These guys are so damn cool :D

5. As we see the profile picture of the band's profile, the quartet in white seem peaceful. Does the sound of Coshish signify the same?

Hamza: Right on ! We’ll have to thank our photographer Bharat Kamath for that. Though “peaceful” can’t really be associated with us in terms of “heaviness”. Our music gets pretty heavy in intense parts, but yes our messages do contain a lot of peace, growth and spirituality. In fact our album narrates a story of this guy who’s on a journey to find his inner peace. To the uninitiated, it might sound cheesey, but all the members are into Reiki, Yoga and the likes and heck Mangesh even looks like Baba Ramdev.

Anish: White is calm but also the contrast, likewise for the music that we create

Mangesh: Peace is beautiful. It’s present in happiness and in sorrow. You need to calm down and look within. Life is just a shadow of what it can truly be without inner peace. This is something which we have forgotten about ourselves, to accept our present and to find the peace within.

Shrikant: Well, I think our music is like the journey of life. We fight so much in life for something that we always need and the moment it is achieved we find peace within ourselves J This is why the color White and not Black because after all the aggression, ultimately you attain peace

6. Why did you guys chose Rock over Metal, when today Metal has overshadowed many genres?

Hamza: Honestly, we don’t differentiate between rock and metal. There’s no real demarcation. Even in our music, songs like Mukti and Maya could be termed as metal whereas Who Kho Gaye, Bhula Do Uney, Behti Boondein start off really soft and have a lot of double bass and full on riffs towards the end. What do we term them as ? Even Tool, Porcupine Tree, Pain of Salvation, Isis can’t be termed as metal or rock. The aim should always be to make great music irrespective of the genre or classification.

Anish: Every genre has a primal goal to communicate. And we believe progressive rock is our medium of communication.

Mangesh: We are only communicating. What we speak and what you listen is where genres are born. I only care about the message you are free to choose your genre.

Shrikant: Rock over Metal? Is it? I don’t know. I would say we are progressive but the rock or metal thing is debatable because it’s all about the feel in every song. We don’t really think so much about the genre. It’s all about what we feel and what we wish to say through our songs.

7. Although your music is influenced by PT, Opeth, Blackfield, Tool etc, why did you guys prefer Hindi language over English?

Hamza: Ah the Eternal Question ! There’s actually a scientific reason behind it. However, it’s far too complicated for even us to understand let alone explain, so we’ll just go with Mangesh’s version.

Anish: We believe that our lyrics must be equally competent when compared to the compositions. Hindi is a beautiful language to exercise the lyrical vastness. It’s challenging but the results are appetizing.

Mangesh: As I said the message is all I care about. I never really gave much thought about the language, I just wrote the songs. Although, it’s challenging to write in Hindi, the kind of stuff we speak about. It has opened up a new facet and it’s amazing to see how beautifully it delivers once it shapes up and takes form.

8. Coshish was featured in NDTV and also on several radio stations as Radio One, Big FM and Radio Mirchi. How does it feel to be interviewed by such a common medium of communication that reaches every person out there in the corner, ?

Hamza: The thing is, when most bands start out, the aim is just to make good music. Interviews and TV features are all just byproducts. So it does feel good to come on TV or go on air with a radiostation but the intention behind those is primarily to promote the music. Also, a band is better off not letting the interview business become an ego booster.

Anish: A little nervous, as we have to be careful with what we speak and convey on the microphone. God bless the rehearsals. But at the end it feels good to hear our voice heard by the masses.

Mangesh: Interviews are important affairs through which we can speak to our fans and also reach out to new listeners. Communication is good in any form be it radio, TV or Newspaper. That’s about it with interviews.

Shrikant: It’s quite fun because you get to talk about the band and share things about the band that people or fans would really want to know.

9. The songs of Coshish are lyrically very strong and have human emotions. They convey strong social messages which are delivered beautifully through their lyrics. Who is the master mind behind the strongest part of your music?

Hamza: What I like most about the band is that the lyrics and the music complement and do not compete with each other. The lyrics are poetic but incomplete without the music to create the mood. Similarly the music on its own will not convey the seriousness of the message without the lyrics. It’s like watching a movie without a background score or without dialogues. No silent film puns allowed. So technically we don’t really have a particular aspect that you can pick out as being the strongest.

Anish: Mangya (Mangesh) is the lyrical Kingpin of all our songs. As far as music is concerned it’s an amalgamation of efforts carried out by everyone in the band to make every composition an epic.

Mangesh: We get a lot of attention for our lyrics and I am glad about this fact. Strong lyrical content makes the music formidable. Writing a song is a painful process because every word is chosen to make sense beyond its literal meaning. So instead of writing thousand hollow words you write one word that brings out the essence of them all. These few words have more power and edge. They weave a story, a tale of thousand experiences frozen in time and then bring them to life when you resonate with the emotions they behold.

10. Hamza is pursuing his MBA, Mangesh works with Furtados, Shrikant played with Albatross but parted ways with them, because of his hectic schedule and Anish is a Voice-over Director. What is the secret behind the epic chemistry between all the members?

Hamza: I think it’s the immense love and respect for the band and the music that keeps us going. We do have conflicts and confusion especially during song writing but we make it a point to sit and resolve all the issues we have. In the words of Danny Carey, “we put the music before our egos” and schedules :P

Anish: An urge to evolve.

Mangesh: We are four very different human beings. For me it is a difficult affair to balance the act amongst us. I like to have my space and don’t really appreciate any intrusion when I want to be alone. Having said that, we also know each other very well and have slowly learned to find our space. There is immense love in what we are doing and the efforts made by all to make this band what it is today is simply huge. I started the band but I was blessed with all the others which completed it and I could have never imagined for anything better. We all know the potential of this energy “Coshish” and how huge it is.

Shrikant: In a scientific way, it is a mixture of 3 Chemical Elements CO + SH2 + I ;)
Well, I take it as a family. You love the band, the music and the fans, I mean it is like a joint family which keeps growing and evolving.

11. Rehne Do, Raastey, get crowd singing along with Mangesh. What other songs does Coshish love to play in every gig?

Hamza: Woh Kho Gaye, Maya, Mukti, Behti Boondein are usually included in our set.

Anish: Hum Hain Yahin is one groovy song that I personally love to play at any gig. Very peppy and crowd friendly as well.

Mangesh: I love “Behti Boondein” it’s simple but strong. Maya and Mukti are other songs which our fans have really appreciated across different age groups.

Shrikant: Hum Hai Yahin, Maya and Mukti.

12. The most memorable gig Coshish has ever witnessed to date?

Hamza: My top 3 would be 1) Our gig at VCET College where some 400 people randomly started singing the chorus of Raastey after a power shortage ended our performance. 2) Playing to around 10,000 people at the finals of IIT Madras in the OAT. 3) The SIES College gig that had about 2,000 people in attendance cheering on for more. You can find some video links here.

Anish: For me it was the Blue Frog gig along with our pals and band members from Paradigm shift. I won’t hesitate to say we got the best stage sound (thanks to Zorran Mendonsa for taking control of the console and churning out the best sound both on stage and for the crowd)

Mangesh: VCET was special where the crowds went nuts with the Raastey chorus. I cherish memories of that gig a lot.

Shrikant: VCET College, Vasai and SIES College, Nerul.

13. Which other Indian Rock Bands you like and listen to? Any metal bands you appreciate?

Hamza: I think Exhumation and Scribe would be right up there for me. Apart from those I like Inner Sanctum, Abraxas, DR, Something Relevant, Split, Paradigm Shift, Goddess Gagged, Fire Exit, The Circus, Faridkot, Escher’s Knot, Zygnema, Blakc, Motherjane, Pentagram and many more.

Anish: Indian Ocean, Avial, Motherjane, Junkyard groove, Thermal and a Quarter, Skinny alley, Discordian. The metal ones include Zygnema, Devoid, Infernal wrath, Scribe, Goddess Gagged.

Mangesh: I think Scribe is one band I have been in love with as far as I can remember. Recently, Goddess Gagged have been sounding simply awesome.

Shrikant: Lot of bands for sure. Scribe, Avial, Motherjane, Indus Creed, Sifar, Paradigm Shift, Pillbox 666, Junkyard Groove, Zygnema, Infernal Wrath and many many more.

14. Read a recent update on page that Coshish is working on its debut release with New Zealand's Zorran Mendonsa. Would u like to share this hot news with your fans?

Hamza: Like I mentioned earlier, the album is sounding way better than I expected. I mean we all had really high expectations from Zorran, which is why we waited for 2 years for him to find time. But I think he’s blown us all away. It has a lot to do with him being influenced by our influences. So in a way, all of us knew exactly what we wanted and we were all on the same page thankfully. And yes we can’t wait for the mixing mastering to happen so we can release it for our friends and fans to enjoy.

Anish: The album will hit you before the Meteorite.

Mangesh: I would like to thank all our fans for their patience. The album is dedicated for their love and faith without which the circle is incomplete.

Shrikant: The album is going to be hot too J So you better buy it once we release it and experience the total package.

15. Well Thank You so much Coshish for the Interview. We appreciate it.

Hamza: Thanks a lot guys, this was quite an in depth and a very well researched interview.

Anish: Likewise, I must admit that’s the most exhaustive research any interviewers have made on us. Support good music.

Mangesh: Thanks a lot. Have a great year ahead. Thanks everyone for being patient to read through.

Shrikant: Thank you so much. It was great sharing our thoughts with you J Keep supporting and we will see you soon.

Check out the following Links of COSHISH:

Drum Cam of Mukti : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwzuKywkhlE

Drum Tutorial of Maya : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3XMFbw2sCk

Raastey Live At SIES : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v26NwqPS-CU

Hum Hai Yahin At Bluefrog : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG21492HXq8

REVIEW: Dark Octaves Of Sin Debut Single's BLASPHEMY and NOT YOUR SLAVE

2011-12-28T20:44:00.000+05:30

Today we have a group hailing from Chandigarh, who never looked back once they started the journey of music and didn't require much time to find recognition in the local scene. Well its none other than Groovy/Deathcore influenced Dark Octaves of Sin(D.O.S). Its clearly understandable from the bands point of view that they realized they have the potential to fuse genre's into one compact sound. Recently they have released two tracks Blasphemy and Not Your Slave. And I was anxious to check them out after they got shortlisted for Winter Rock Festival.

Blasphemy, right from the very first second we have a groovy riff which kinda reminds me of Chimaira. With riff's and drum patterns all over the place, vocals manage to raise the bar of the song. A pretty cool variation of growls and screeches by Ankit is indeed appreciable. Since I have heard a lot about them, expectations were indeed high as always, but I was disappointed since song loses the track towards the middle section. What really surprised me was an insane riff and bass line after the 2 minutes mark. Man that deserves an applause. The song picks up again after a slow breakdown. And we have double patterns executed quite well over the riff's. You have to appreciate the way the song is arranged. You can call it as Chimaira meets Lamb Of God. It has that melody element which was interesting.

Not Your Slave on the other side is filled with groovy notes with deathcore approach. Here you get to hear the different side of the band and band seems to be influenced by Suicide Silence and arrangement wise it reminded me of earlier approach of AILD. Vocals are perfect and its indeed great to have a band amalgamizing their sounds and come up with different stuff. Production wise its a pretty descent effort, although we get to hear lot of loud crunchy guitars, vocals sometimes sound flat. But considering their sound and approach I still believe they have a lot more potential and can come up with more creative work. Outro of this song is phenomenal. Man I still have that riff galloping my mind. Amazing work indeed.

Dark Octaves of Sin is surely another band who can do wonders in Indian Metal Scene. Although structure wise they have done a great job but it fails to justify more than two listens. When a group from different backgrounds have the skill to mix many genres into one zone and come up with insane work then its understandable that there is something you get to hear which is UNIQUE and at the same time have the capacity to transform their sound into a zone which many bands tend to ignore. That's where I felt D.O.S lacks the punch. They need to work and I wish I had access to their lyrics because strong thoughts and sound can indeed help fans to understand the bands point of view in a precise way. After listening to both songs I honestly felt confused whether they have the same old sound which we been listening to from years OR a group with fresh ideas and innovative skills. Having won many competitions along with these 2 tracks, they surely have skill to beat the odd's.

Evil Dark Octaves of Sin \m/

Recommended for Deathcore, Metalcore, Groove Metal Fans.

RATING : 7.5/10

Listen to Blasphemy and Not Your Slave Here

REVIEW : Acrimony Debut EP 'False Vacuum'

2011-12-24T19:24:00.000+05:30

Insanely percussiveand Djent is what defines the Bhopal based 4 pieceDjent/Experimental/Progressive Metal band ACRIMONY. Finally FalseVacuum is out. If you don’t know the story by now, Acrimony are part of thenewest wave of everything trendy called 'djent' with Progressive influences andfinally giving us tinge of Indian Classical Style. According to the band,Progressive Metal best defines our approach towards our creations, but thenthere is the genre stretch we give to it, to include elements of ample othersub-genres of metal. With material of almost 30 min, we have 5 tracks on thisEP which I personally feel is nothing short of a full fledged Album.

Tracklist:

1. Showdown

2. Recede To Death

3. Smash 'em Good

4. Can't Sleep

5. Deceased

You have tounderstand that Acrimony use polyrhythmic/metric, syncopated grooves andextremely dense melodic structure, using synth and stratospheric vocals. Thisis basically what 'djent' is, but you cant ignore the way the composition isheavily progressive. Every band does it differently and Acrimony belong to adifferent zone. This is what you expect when the members of the band share acommon belief in "innovate what's in hand & invent what's not",so they kept digging & persevering until they could create somethingabsolutely original and convincing enough.

EP starts off withShowdown which is a perfect way to begin the assault. It sets the tone for mostof the other songs. I love how ambient and layered this band is. Bass solotowards the end and how song picks from towards the outro is simply phenomenal.Guitar playing by Samar Mehdi is spot on. Second track Recede To Death is thelongest track of the EP and one of the best tracks by the band. Amazing keys inthe beginning set the tone and you cant ignore the fact, the way band istechnically proficient. Simply awesome.

One the similar notewe have other three tracks with chugging rhythm and haunting clean riffs maketheir songs shine. Production takes the band to completely different level.From my first listen I was amazed by the production of this album. With theband having so many layers in their music, a bad production job could haveruined the album. Luckily the sound comes off the way music is meant to sound:pure and raw. The way band mixes their influences right from clean vocals togrowls and riff's and drums just leave an impression that these guys are surelya band who can give a run for the money compared to other bands in the samezone.

I loved the waygrowls and clean vocals are amalgamized. Mind you Deceased is a perfect closer.The entire EP may be one of the best pieces of progressive djent music everrecorded by any Indian band. The transitions are insane, and the bass justpounds through your speakers. The slap bass is also prominent in this track,highlighting the grooves during 'softer' sections. Vocal duo Gaurav and Dhairyaroast their lungs out on this and at the same time give us chills with highpitched variations. Its Samar who shines out among the rest with killer riff'sand bone chilling synth work.

Acrimony is loadedwith musicians who are all very technically talented, progressively influencedand proficient at playing their instruments. Gaurav the mastermind and creatorof the band, Samar, Dhairya and Yash are extremely talented musicians who hitevery note of each song with calculated accuracy. It's exceptional!! If your afan of the insane riff's, amazing vocals, and progressive flashes of geniusthan "False Vacuum" is for you! I love it \m/

Recommended To All Djent/Progressive Metal Fans

RATING: 9/10

REVIEW : Arihant New Single 'Why So Serious'

2011-12-22T20:41:00.000+05:30

Today we have a 3piece Technical Death Metal band on board who have managed to leave a mark onIndia Metal Scene. Well guys they are none other than our technical mastersARIHANT, hailing from North East India, and these bunch of guys consider theirband name as destroyer of enemies as a sign of Brutality and Unforgiveness.Along with technical aspects on board, they also experiment a lot with theirsound and have come up with their second single "Why So Serious"recently. After witnessing them LIVE at Strawberry Fields 2011, I am prettymuch excited to review their new single.

Let me first startwith the top notch production which indeed sound perfect. Right from the veryfirst second we have crazy riffs all over the place. On top of that we havedouble bass patterns and blast beats nailed quite well. Vocals are damn goodand you need to appreciate the variations in it. Right from growls to screechesthe band has it all from the first second. Bass lines rumbling all over andguitar lines are absolutely insane.

Lyrically the song isabout environmental related issues and the way its written is appreciable. Thesolo in the middle is kick ass and you got to appreciate the guitarist forhaving the passion to nail technical riff’s. Sadly the way I expected variationin technical riff’s one after another was missing. Drums to me sound programmedand the way it goes along with guitars is eclectic. The outro is another pluspoint of this song. Lyrics are quite interesting.

“Drought and flood with reason
A lesson we never learn
lets find a place for rest
but we can never hide”

One thing is noticedfrom them compared to other technical death metal bands from North East is howwell they understand their sound and the way band concentrates on songstructure and arrangements. They can work more and continue giving us insanestuff’s. This 3 piece band has immense potential and It was an honor to witnessthem live at Strawberry Fields 2011. I gotta say this song should justify morethan two listens because of its catchy riff’s and elegant vocals.

Thumbs Up ARIHANT \m/

RECOMMENDED TO ALLTECHNICAL DEATH METAL Fans

RATING: 9/10

Listen to ‘Why So Serious’ Here

REVIEW : Shadown Gunned Down Debut Single 'Ungraved And Martyrs'

2011-12-21T20:36:00.000+05:30

Hailing from Silchar, Assam today we are going to review a 6 piece Melodic Metalcore band Shadows Gunned Down. According to the band, they deal with lot of genres mainly Post Hardcore, Experimental Metal and so on. They recently released their debut single titled 'Ungraved And Martyrs'. I get psyched the moment I see band has two vocalist's so one can surely except lot of variation and diverse singing. Alright here we start the review:

So when you have a band who incorporates different genre's into their composition and utilize two different style of vocals then its surely an interesting feast. I liked the straightforward nature of the band members when I went through their profile. They claim they are trying their best to give us excellent compositions and rise up to that level which we metal fans love and want to feel.

The song starts with a whisper So Can We Start and then starts the hardcore riff's and double patterns executed quite well. Vocals are pretty tight and variation is pretty good from growls to depth screeches and then surprise clean vocals. Arrangement wise its indeed a great job done and their are alternate riff variations which goes from heavy to mid paced and then we have the catchy breakdown.

You have to appreciate the guitar lines which are crunchy but need better mixing and mastering. The riffs sometime sound out of place because of production metrics. But I would not consider the production metrics here since its a new band and I indeed love the sound of the band rather than blaming them about the production. Actually the lyrics make the song more interesting. They are divided into sections and delivered decently. It may not be the perfect way to arrange lyrics but certainly a good job done. Song structure is impressive and vocals and guitar indeed stand out along with drums. Drums are programmed and aren't well mixed at all. Its sounds flat, although the song will sound amazing if recorded LIVE with the drummer Aranyak Das nails the patterns the way it has to be.

Pretty interesting lines from the guys:
"This is my place to shed
Beneath the lies of my death
All creatures come ungrave me
Take me out of this slum crossness..."

Actually song is heavily influenced by AILD, Killswitch Engage etc and considering their variation in sound, they have to work more on it. Vocal duo Kuntal Dutta and Bipin Hojai indeed sound passionate and if the song was produced with appropriate care then the vocals would indeed sound kickass. They need to work on clean vocals because if clean and growls are amalgamized then you surely have something to look out for. Guitar duo Jeet Dey and Nairingdao Gorlosa have written good lines and pretty good solo's. Sadly the bass sounds flat and sometimes inaudible. I wish I could hear the bass lines clearly. The outro is pretty good and leads quite well to exit postion of the song.

I have come across lot of bands from North East India who have immense potential to nail the stuff precisely but lack the platform and somewhere in the list of bands you will find Shadows Gunned Down soon if they kick their ass and work more because potential is boiling all over them. I am sure these guys are gonna continue to give us. They surely have a great future ahead and next time when ever you enter a studio I hope they consider the production metrics and perfom LIVE drums. It will surely boost the sound and rest the band will deliver what they promise.

EVIL Stuff guys \m/

RECOMMENDED TO All Metalcore and Hardcore Fans.

RATING: 8.5/10

Listen to Ungraved And Martyrs Here

REVIEW: Death Human 2011 Reissue

2011-12-20T13:59:00.000+05:30

The moment any metal fans all over the world come across the word Death Metal, the first and the only thing which comes in mind is the legendary band Death. No one can deny the fact that the person responsible for creation of death metal, back to back groundbreaking records and leading death metal into previously unexplored territories is Mr.Chuck Schuldiner referred as The Father of Death Metal. Death was by far one of the most consistent and trailblazing bands in all of the genre’s history. He introduced elements of true progression that no other project dared to, ignoring trend after trend with each subsequent release.

2011 has been a great year with bands coming out with groundbreaking records but the album which I was specially looking for is Human Reissue by Master's DEATH. It mark its 20th anniversary via Relapse Records. The LP was entirely remixed by longtime DEATH producer Jim Morris and remastered by Alan Douches. To review this masterpiece album is surely not within my limited talent but there are few important points in this record which we need to look out for mainly for the production metrics.

Jim Morris : "This was an awesome experience for me. We were contacted by Chuck Schuldiner's intellectual property lawyer, Eric Greif, the former manager of DEATH."

Track Listing Disc 1:

1. Flattening of Emotions (4:29)
2. Suicide Machine (4:22)
3. Together as One (4:08)
4. Secret Face (4:35)
5. Lack of Comprehension (3:43)
6. See Through Dreams (4:24)
7. Cosmic Sea (4:27)
8. Vacant Planets (3:48)
9. God Of Thunder (Bonus Track)

Disc 2:

10. Flattening Of Emotions (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
11. Suicide Machine (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
12. Together As One (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
13. Secret Face (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
14. Secret Face - Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
15. Lack Of Comprehension (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
16. "Felt Good" - Studio Snippet
17. See Through Dreams (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
18. See Through Dreams - Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
19. Vacant Planets (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
20. Cosmic Sea (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
21. Cosmic Sea Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
22. God Of Thunder (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
23. Flattening Of Emotions ("Human" Demos)
24. Lack Of Comprehension ("Human" Demos)
25. Suicide Machine ("Human" Demos)
26. Together As One ("Human" Demos)
27. See Through Dreams ("Human" Demos)
28. Secret Face (Instrumental - "Human" Demos)
29. Vacant Planets (Instrumental - "Human" Demos)

Disc 3:

30. See Through Dreams (w/ Paul and Sean) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
31. See Through Dreams (Take 2) (w/ Paul and Sean) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
32. Secret Face (w/o Paul - 1/2 song) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
33. Secret Face (Take 2) (w/o Paul) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
34. Secret Face - Riffs (Rehearsal January, 1991)
35. Flattening Of Emotions (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
36. Lack Of Comprehension (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
37. Lack Of Comprehension (Take 2) (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
38. Cosmic Sea (Riffs w/ Drum Machine) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
39. See Through Dreams (Rehearsal August, 1990)
40. Suicide Machine (Rehearsal August, 1990)
41. Together As One (Rehearsal August, 1990)
42. Suicide Machine (Drum & Bass Tracks)
43. Together As One (Drum & Bass Tracks)
44. Secret Face (Drum & Bass Tracks)
45. Lack Of Comprehension (Drum & Bass Tracks)
46. Vacant Planets (Drum & Bass Tracks)
47. Flattening Of Emotions (Drum & Bass Tracks)
48. See Through Dreams (Drum & Bass Tracks)
49. Cosmic Sea (Drum & Bass Tracks)

The production of the original Human was a bit problematic for many listeners, and that's probably the key factor that will lead people to purchasing the Relapse Reissue of the album. But this masterpiece rewrote the book of Death Metal 2 decades ago and after listening to Reissue, this record will always with you not just for the sake of DEATH but as a groundbreaking record, since it was one of the very first progressive death metal albums, featuring many complex time changes, Reinert's complex and jazz-influenced drumming, and the insane dexterity and virtuosity of bassist Steve DiGiorgio making Human one of the first death metal albums to feature many bass lines that were independent of the guitar riffs.

There is one surprise in this reissue which made me go crazy. Death gave us their version of Classic KISS single 'God Of Thunder' which was earlier on Japanese release of Human and the At Death’s Door II compilation. Its quite interesting as well as hard to imagine a KISS song under a Death Metal label, but as absurd as the idea sounds, Death do it justice.

The bass guitar being virtually inaudible was the main thing people would say about Human. On the remix, the bass is at the perfect level where you can hear Steve DiGiorgio's ripping lines quite clearly and easily, but it doesn't overpower the guitars. The muddy guitar tones were fixed also, though the guitars still retain the low-end that makes the signature heaviness of the album. The drums are a lot more powerful sounding, and a lot more noticeable. In the liner notes, Jim Morris points out that Chuck probably wanted to give the drums and bass the backseat in the mix, but when Jim worked with Chuck years later on Death's final two albums, Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance, as well as the two Control Denied albums, he had a different approach and told Jim to give the rhythm section more prominence in the mix. He took all of Chuck's musical desires in the final two Death albums to heart when he was remixing Human, and it shows.

Human is hailed as one of the finest extreme metal albums ever, and with good reason. Even 20 years after its release, the album remains one of the best and most important masterpieces in the genre.

With RATING of 10/10, Human 2011 is the Human that Death fans had always wanted it to be. RIP Evil Chuck - the metal world misses you! \m/

RECOMMENDED TO Fans Of DEATH METAL!!

REVIEW: Scarface Debut Single 'Salvation Denied'

2011-12-15T19:40:00.000+05:30

Insanely percussive and groovy is what defines this Kolkatta based 5 piece Experimental/Hardcore Metal band SCARFACE. Its almost been 2 years since they formed the band under the name Lost Sequence and later changing the band name to Scarface. Well they claim their music is an amalgamation of many metal genres with lot of variations so I decided to listen to their single titled Salvation Denied which basically revolves around betrayal, not in love but its for people who seem to be leave behind vital things in the fast pace of life and repent later. Here goes the indepth analysis:
The song starts with explosive groovy riff and double patterns which are executed quiet well. Crunching groovy riffs with insane drumming is what makes this song memorable. The melodic verses and variations in vocals have As I lay Dying’ish vibe all over. Although as the song proceeds you get to here some clean patterns which makes this song interesting. Clean vocals is another plus point when it comes to mix the groovy riffs with thumping bass and double patterns. Bass lines are good and vocals are pretty good.

The band claims to be heavily influenced by Thrash Giants Megadeth, Metallica and Groovy dudes Lamb Of God and others. But somehow there are hardly any traces of the it throughout the song. As soon as you read the band is related to experimental roots one expects certain degree of crazy tortures through their variations, but thats were Salvation Denied disappoints. There aren’t much variations and the song goes little repetative towards the middle section although the solo part towards the end gives way to complete new direction. These bunch of guys have that skill of fusing in their influences in a specified direction. Unfortunately song lacks that punch of justifying three or more listens, but its surely an interesting feast where you get to feel the hardcore metrics fused with melody.

Important Points:

1. The song structure and arrangements is something they have to work on. With such a rock solid sound, sometimes bands forget to follow the direction towards which the song is going and to justify their variations, they need to work more.
2. With excellent production metrics, they have the capablity to fuse lot of ideas and concepts.
3. Lyrically they write about the grim of life. They have the ability to not only come up with killer tunes but also lyrically. Vocals are good and what makes them impressive is the fusion of clean lines and growls. He needs to work on growls since the way he expresses his words, emotions is something a vocalist need to possess.
4. Right from crunching groovy tunes to precise drums to thumping bass lines, Scarface is pretty much at the level where they can give a run for the money to those who lack the skill of innovating melody.
5. 2 years already in the metal scene, they really need to understand their sound. With so many line-up changes and shifts from genre’s has effected the balance of the band.
Its a great start by Scarface and I really appreciate the way they have come up with this crushing piece. They have already started their journey and its only a matter of time when we can see them nailing some insane stuff’s.I wish them all the best and I am waiting for their next single \m/

Rating : 8/10

RECOMMENDED TO Fans Of HARDCORE METAL & EXPERIMENTAL METAL.

Listen to SALVATION DENIED Here \m/

REVIEW: Dream Theater 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events'

2011-12-14T23:04:00.000+05:30

Dream Theater – a group known for the technical proficiency of its instrumentalists are out with their new album A Dramatic Turn Of Events which is something to be marvelled. After the driving force Mike Portnoy’s departure, fans are keenly anticipated to hear what this new incarnation of Dream Theater would sound like. This album is not only for its title, somewhat of a hint as to the events that occurred in the last 12 months, but for its milestone achievement.

Tracklisting:

1.On The Back of Angels (8:45)

2.Build me up,Break me Down (6:59)

3.Lost not Forgotten (10:11)

4.This is the Life (6:57)

5.Bridges in the Sky (11:01)

6.Outcry (11:24)

7.Far from Heaven (3:56)

8.Breaking All Illusions (12:25)

9.Beneath the Surface (5:26)

To start with first track “On the backs of Angels”, a composition which reminds me of ‘Image and Words’ track ‘Pull Me Under’. The drum intro is very similar to it. This song is not disappointing, what I would normally think of when it comes to a single.Petrucci riff’s are good and there is nothing new in it. Coming as a bit of a disappointment is Mike Mangini’s drum performance here. Although the drums were written by Petrucci, Mangini’s performance doesn’t feel like anything particularly excellent here. Rudess and Petrucci’s works will make you feel damn good. Myung’s bass is roaring throught the song. After listening to the entire album I feel ‘”on the backs of angels” is a weak track when compared to the other works to be followed.

Second track on the album “Build me up, Break me down” is very melodic. The hook at the end of the chorus is very interesting. It sounds so damn good where I know people will be singing their heart out live. Loved the way James did a three-layer vocal hook, which is insane. John Myung’s bass riff is insane and fits perfectly. This guy is a silent killer who always shocks us with his godly skills. Drums by Mangini sound good. Petrucci’s amazing solo followed by fucking insane orchetration work by Rudess owns.

Third track and arguably the best technical song ever by Dream Theater till date is “Lost Not Forgotten”. Its a fucking riff factory. there is a “Under A Glass Moon” vibe in the beginning and towards the end. Kinda feels like Jordan Rudess’s ‘Andelussion’. Twists and turns all over the song. According to John Petrucci this song has a unique part which is referred as ‘Tickle Section’. This is one of the best song from this album. This is the first track where i felt Mike Mangini nailed it right from the beginning till the end. LaBrie’s voice at its best, Goosebumps when he sings “I am not a mortal, I Am Just A Man”. Octavarium and Train of Thought vibe is all over it. A typical Dream Theater creativity.

Fourth track “This is the Life” is a ballad. I felt blessed when i heard Rudess’s cool chords and melodic movements. It propagates in ways that you don’t expect, the way the chords are modulating and moving. Labrie sings it so damn precisely and emotionally that you will feel the punch. The song ends with an epic short solo section and the opening guitar makes another appearance to leave us wanting more. Dream Theater never lets us feel to click the “NEXT” button. Another beautiful piece from the masters.

”Bridges in the Sky’’ which reminded me of ‘‘In the presence of Enemies,Part I’’,starts off with a weird fussy noise, throughout the guitar stays in baritone tuning with heavy technical riffing & hard hitting drums continue alongwith enormous sensitivity.The solo is very fast & eclectic & ends with the fussy noise of the beginning.

‘‘Outcry’’ begins with a slow tempo with pleasant keys by Rudess in the foreground,technical riffs from Petrucci continue with LaBrie’s prominent high pitched vocals.The rejuvenating synth-work, drumming & riffing in interlude add splendid textures to the song & as usual amazing shredding by Petrucci near the outro.

”Far from Heaven” initiates with ‘’Hourglass’’(Liquid Tension Experiment) like synth-work & LaBrie outperforms here, with intense emotion.

‘‘Breaking All Illusions’’, the longest song on the album which is written by John Myung, after 11 years, he has penned down stuff and trust me you guys cant ignore his godly effort. It begins with bright riffs & the intro goes deep, giving it a feel like ‘’Count of Tuscany’’ & ‘’A Change of Seasons’’. Lightning fast technical riffing & drumming continues till the halfway, then a godlike solo by Petrucci takes the song to the peak of eternity. The song ends with a typical Dream Theater like epic resonance.

Concluding track ‘‘Beneath The Surface’’ is probably my favorite ballad since ‘’The Silent Man’’(Awake). It begins with water drops in the background,then streams of aerial acoustic melodies & LaBrie’s soothing vocals continue throughout the song.A hovering keyboard solo by Rudess in the midsection gave me effing goosebumps.

Overall, A Dramatic Turn of Events turns out to be an extremely promising album by the progressive legends, even after the Portnoy disrupt. Although, Mike Mangini did a fair job, surely, a huge number of fans will miss the ‘’legendary force behind the DT machine’’,one & only Mike Portnoy dearly.

Rating - 9/10

Steve Wilson - 'Grace For Drowning' Album Review

2011-12-12T11:53:00.001+05:30

After a gap of 3 years, Porcupine Tree’s mastermind Steven Wilson is back with his second solo album ‘Grace for Drowning‘. His epic debut solo effort, “Insurgentes” was every bit as gorgeous sounding as the tantalizing bits of music which paved way to dominant atmospheres of darkness. Wilson’s creativity has always been around the golden period for music around late sixties and early seventies, when releasing an album became the primary means of artistic expression, when musicians liberated themselves from the 3 minute pop song format, and started to draw on jazz and classical music especially, combining it with the spirit of psychedelia to create “journeys in sound”. So better get ready because ‘Grace for Drowning’ is exactly in the same zone.

Track Listing:

Disc 1: Deform to Form a Star

1. “Grace for Drowning” 2:00

2. “Sectarian” 7:45

3. “Deform to Form a Star” 8:00

4. “No Part of Me” 5:45

5. “Postcard” 4:30

6. “Raider Prelude” 2:30

7. “Remainder the Black Dog” 9:30

Disc 2: Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye

1. “Belle de Jour” 3:00

2. “Index” 4:45

3. “Track One” 4:15

4. “Raider II” 23:15

5. “Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye” 8:00

Apart from Wilson on vocals and other instruments, he has collaborated with many musicians which includes Nic France on drums, Steve Hackett on lead guitar, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Nick Beggs and Trey Gunn on warr guitar, Theo Travis and Jordan Rudess and some jazz musicians. So when you have list of legendary musicians you have something EPIC to look forward.

The album is divided into two discs namely Deform to Form a Star and Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye respectively. First progressive assault starts with title track Grace for Drowning which sounds so damn beautiful that makes you feel dissolved and their you enter the world of Steven Wilson. A typical lullaby sound that paves way for goosebumps. Sectarian is an instrumental torn and twisted with riffs which reminds me of King Crimson. With 8 minutes of sizzling Piano work on ‘Deform to Form a Star‘ with breezing melodies and ‘No Par of Me‘ which reminds me of Blackfield sounding absolutely creepy leads to entry of some intense progressive feel and jazzy vibe. Rest of the songs from the 1st disc are delightful and all his influences from 70′s are clearly heard and cherished. Each song doesn restrict to one genre which for me is something only Steven Wilson can do perfectly. Nothing is out of place nor sounds average. Its one emotional roller coaster ride after another.

Second disc ‘Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye’ starts of with “Belle de Jour” and “Index” which makes you feel and enter the avant garde jazzy world filled with intense progressive moments. The best usage of mellotron on Track One(haunting to be precise) and finally 23min heavy “Raider II” is so intense, creativity to the fucking core and one of the best way to exchange the musical mammoth. The disc closes with title track which finally ends the 80 min+ epic feeling. Its melodic, its chilling, monumental, stunning and yeah its lengthy but you will never give a fuck about it because these are probably the 80+ minutes of life you will cherish. 20+ years into progressive music and influences, this album stands out with incredible musicianship. If you are a Steven Wilson fan or not, this album will directly go into you music list right at the top until you alive. Its truly remarkable without any fillers.

I’ve been anticipating this release for a long time and it really delivered for me. The 120 pages book looks beautiful and I haven’t gotten around to checking out the DVD yet, but I’m very very happy with the music. I actually loved hearing the elements of all of Wilson’s other “projects” on Insurgents and to some extent in this record too. Its a record worth listening more times to actually get the hold of what Wilson has created. To be precise, Its an adventurous affair.

Double thumbs up for another epic history created by Steven Wilson which will be cherished for years and years to come. Go ahead, buy the CD and trust me you will LOVE IT.

RATING: 9.5/10

Megadeth - 'Thirteen' Album Review

2011-12-12T11:52:00.001+05:30

Megadeth is back with their 13th studio album titled “TH1RT3EN“. Its the first album with David Ellefson since “The World Needs A Hero“. Now when you know the two original founders/pillars of one of the best thrash metal band are working together after a decade, you surely can expect choas. I personally beleive Megadeth has been consistently releasing amazing albums from last one decade as compared to other BIG 4 guys. Although Slayer “World Painted Blood” was an amazing record, it overshadowed Megadeth’s Endgame according to critics. Anyhow one important thing about Megadeth which every thrash metal fan knows is the current line-up, the best thrash metal line-up after Rust In Peace era. After Endgame gave a run for the money to most of the Thrash metal albums of 2009, i was anxious and excited about Thirteen. Alright lets start the track by track review now:

Tracklist:

1. “Sudden Death”

2. “Public Enemy No. 1″

3. “Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)”

4. “We the People”

5. “Guns, Drugs, & Money”

6. “Never Dead”

7. “New World Order”

8. “Fast Lane”

9. “Black Swan”

10. “Wrecker”

11. “Millennium of the Blind”

12. “Deadly Nightshade”

13. “13″

The album is produced by American rock producer “Johnny K” Karkazis. The band picked Johnny K rather than Andy Sneap(who produced Megadeth’s previous two albums) due to scheduling conflicts. So with a rock producer on board who actually took part in writing some stuff, i certainly expected some hard rock or mainstream rock tone.

Album starts off with Sudden Death which was released earlier this year. The insane guitar riff’s with solo’s rolling all over the 5 min mark. It will surely remind you of Rust In Peace and Peace Sells shades. Drover incessant drums from the beginning till the end and Ellefson bass shakes the ground itself. One of the best tracks of the album.

With Mustaine conjuring style, Chris plays a major role in nailing the tonnes of guitar riff’s, shredding and solo’s which outshines with ease. Not to forget Mustaine’s lyrical base and broooooooding snarling vocals sound insane. Great song and ending is kinda Hangar 18ish. Endgame’s “Dielectric Chaos” and now Sudden Death to begin the assault, wow whatta way to start the album isn’t it?

Then it goes to Public Enemy No.1 which is more like a hard rock song with tightly wound riffing with galloping tune. Lyrically its one of the songs where Mustaine mentions about the enemies he has made. This is one of the few tracks from the album which is totally an experimentation coz of Johnny K songwriting vibes from his hard rock background. Mind you there is a mindblowing chorus, snarling hardhitting vocals with classic megadeth bridge with thundering solo which will make all the Mustaine fans go crazy. If you like this track you will surely like the entire album, but if you don’t then you got 12 other songs to headcrush you.

Whose Life (Is It Anyways?) has a cool guitar lex, neat parts with trading riff’s. Another rock n roll kinda tune which may not please many of the fans but still manages to kick ass with indepth cinematic lyrics with Mustaine’s voice.

We the People again begins the Mustaine’s excellent skill of writing a political song. A neat groovy, funky riff attack and an awesome guitar solo in it. Lyrically its again a big slap by Mustaine on the political conflicts around the world. This song is surely one of the best tracks of the album which will remind you why you fell in love with Megadeth. With groove metallish Pantera kinda vibe, this song is sort of an anthem for We ‘The People’.

Then comes Guns, Drugs, & Money with cool double kicks in it. Its deceptively melodic hard rock as Johnny K was part of songwriting. Its another groovy different attempt by Thrash Giants and surely gonna please the listener if giving more time to absorb.

The comes my favourite of the album and probably one of the best thrash metal song of the decade Never Dead. Its a clear statement to all metal lover’s what thrash metal can do and most importantly Megadeth is capable of creating even after 25 years. Sounds with a very weird intro on snare drum with a military beat which i have never come across from Megadeth earlier songs and suddenly comes the crunchy riff attack with Drover nailing the double patterns as fast as fuck. Its a twisted, epic motherfuckin thrash metal composition since 80′s. Total riff assault by Mustaine and his partner Chris. Mega-fuckn-deth is gonna make you guys beg for more when song ends.

Then comes New World Order, one of the best demo’s which was written during Clash of The Titans Tour by classic early 90′s line-up. Ya you got me right, the rifftastic Marty Friedman and other guys on board. Its an interesting composition with half time feel during the lyrics which is kinda neat and backing vocals stands out. With 3 old compositions along with this one on board, i was bit worried about how the end product is gonna shape up although their earlier versions were good but certainly needed to be more polished and heavy. Excellent solo and sudden change is tempo half way through the song. But Mustaine and Co. have made an intense end product which ends up as a extreme violent motherfuckin assault.

As soon as you come across Fast Lane, you will remember and feel the intensity of High Speed Dirt from Countdown to Extinction album. Its fast as fuck with great flange sound in the beginning, guitars sound like a siren and double kicks are insane. Its one of the best way to make you go crazy and strictly recommended when you are about to start your car race with buddies(lol). Ends on a very tight solo with bass drum chops by Drover.

Black Swan is another awesome track from Megadeth mid 90′s experimentation. Starts off with a great solo, this song is broadly based on the lyrical concepts which Mustaine is famous for. This track proves shows why Megadeth is on top of their game and a straight forward note to critics why Mustaine is called a thrash metal ‘GOD’.

It leads to Wrecker, starts up and stops which is very cool. This song is all about a someone who wrcks everything they come across, everything they touch. Got some cool guitar riffs in it and along with Black Swan its another SOLID Megadeth track again.

Millennium of the Blind is another track from 90′s era. Its slow melodic track with neat guitar solo at the beginning. It builds up quite well and gets heavier and then again drops back to slow tempo. Its all about the leaders of the world, countries etc. involved in corruption so you got another SOLID lyrical song from Mustaine and Co. Its actually one of the coolest song from the album and surely gonna take you to another musical skills of Megadeth.

Next song is Deadly Nightshade, its got a cool bass riff in it which actually drives the entire song as you expect from one of the best underrated bass guitarist of all time David Ellefson. Very neat tempo change in the middle with solo on top of it makes it more deadly. Drover drum parts are very eclectic.

And the last song of the album is 13, yes its almost 6 min of his personal experiences, near death’s and fuck yeah its the 13th Megadeth album too. Its starts off with an beautiful acoustic guitar tune with mustaine painfully describing his poignant personal tale of his life. This song is surely a masterpiece for me. The BEST fuckin track of the album. The pain, frustration in his voice is clearly felt and there you go after 3 min it gets heavier with great solo’s in it. As soon as you are into the song you can feel the ‘In My Darkest Hour’ vibe clearly. Its one of the best Megadeth track from a long long timer. A perfect way to complete the album, rather it ‘summed up the arc of Megadeth as a band’. Conclusion:

So what about the final verdict????? Well Our Lord Mustaine, the creator’s words is the answer for all of you:

“Thirteen times and it’s been lucky for me

After everything, you still want me to bleed

Thirteen ways to see the devil in my eyes

Because I stood here thirteen times and I’m still alive”

Right from Peace Sells to the epic Rust in Peace and following albums, Thirteen is amalgamation of Megadeth entire catalogue. Its tight, crusing and insane Megadeth which is still kicking ass after 25+ years. There is no room for critisizing Mustaine’s vocals as he has delivered what we fans wanted. With Metallica and Lou Reed latest shit offering ‘LULU’ and Anthrax implementing more hard rock approach, Megadeth is still a band which has stayed true to their thrash, speedy roots and continuously giving us amazing records. Almost 3 decades, they are still invincible and still got balls to deliver what you want. Within BIG 4 they know how well they have been delivering which other 2 counterparts(Metallica and Anthrax) still struggle to. THIRTEEN is for you and you know Mustaine doesn’t disappoint coz its “Thirteen times and it’s been lucky for me”

RATING: 9/10

Machine Head - 'Unto The Locust' Album Review

2011-12-12T11:50:00.001+05:30

Hailing from San Francisco, MACHINE HEAD has efficiently inherited the Bay Area Thrash environment which gave us famous bands like Metallica, Exodus etc. MH as a group have always been under intense scrutiny since arriving on the metal scene in such unforgettable style with their debut album “Burn My Eyes“. 4 years back they arrived with a masterpiece, a Grammy nominated “The Blackening” that gave MH a new lease on life and a seat atop the American metal scrap heap which was quite simply the band’s best effort since its shattering 1994 debut, “Burn My Eyes”, and may even surpass that modern classic. It was a no-holds-barred, brutally heavy, uncompromising album, a labor of love on which every single note by Flynn and team. Machine Head is back with their latest offering “Unto The Locust” is a badass product as a band that knows exactly who they are as musicians and writes confidently.

The Track-list is as follows:

01. I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)
I) Sangre Sani
II) I Am Hell
III) Ashes To The Sky
02. Be Still And Know
03. Locust
04. This Is The End
05. Darkness Within
06. Pearls Before The Swine
07. Who We Are

As a MH fan as a soon as you press the PLAY button you know its a riff attack from the 1st second with insane drumming, thundering solo’s, thumping bass lines and brutal vocals. As we know MH has inherited a habit of writing long songs so i wasn’t surpirsed to see only 7 tracks on the list.

I Am Hell is divided into three parts which starts with a minute long choral vocals, chanting with classic hi-hat shots and suddenly in no time a thrashy groove and their comes the riff fest with mindblowing drums and rapid fire throat ripping vocals from Rob. 2nd section is devastating MH, its fucking technical and even when their is a transition into a classical part it sounds so efficient and insane. 3rd section with acoustic guitar lines sounds great. Mixed with killer Iron Maiden like melody in no time we can find these guys are in full form. Its jaw droping attack and complex arrangement makes it one of the memorable track to begin the MH feast. With amazing guitar solo you can feel The Blackening vibe all over.

Be Still And Know, the only track which is below 6 minute frame opens with a cool melodic riff which leads to a pounding groove as you expect from MH and then begins the insane carnival of multiple Solo’s. Rob and Phil are crazy shredders and definitly on fire. The middle section is heavy and sounds even more good with amazing drumming by Dave.

Each bass thump from Double D – Dave and Duce feels like a punch on the face. With epic intro in the form of I Am Hell and insane guitar duet’s oriented Be Still And Know gives way to Locust, a dark composition with clean atmospheric tone, mixed feelings which kinda relives the Metallica’s Black album moment towards the middle section of the song. Its no bull shit material, heavy as fuck with MH delivering indepth technical attack. With soft guitar parts and brutal shredding, it is one of the best track of the album.

The song ends with an amazing line:

“Tear the veil, the lies derail.
Purity ever will prevail.
Trumpets sound the shattered crown.
Halos of truth now they surround.
The charade comes down”

Now we reach the middle section of the album and its clear that MH isn’t gonna stop the murderous assault at all. Here comes the track This Is the End, with classical acoustic intro and then pounding thrashy groove. This song is the pure thrash metal feast. One of the best thrash material i have come across from many years. Chorus sonds so fuckin awesome that makes you raise the devil horns and say “Fuck Yeah this is the shit”. It has an insane moshpit written all over it. A memorable stuff from MH with finger breaking riffs and bombarding Drumming.

Darkness Within is an emotional ride. Fantastic vocals by Rob with pure emotional bliss. The lyrics are epic with “I’m just a broken man” coming out of Rob’s heart:

“Cause God is in his laughing tone,
Salvation is found alone,
Haunted by it’s melody,
Music, it will set you free.”

You can feel the pain, the desire and passion in his voice. Its dark and with amazing melody this one is sure to turn out an anthem for all fan’s. Its a song that is beyond the ladder MH has taken earlier and is surely gonna be a part of their setlist.

Pearls Before the Swine is one of very few compostion from MH which doesn’t have a structure. Transition from one section to another is weird although the riff in the beginning is so fucking heavy that will make you go crazy. The most fascinating thing about this song is Adam Duce’s bass lines which sound destructive with extremely talented Dave on drums. His fills on Duce’s basslines are daunting, absolutely picture perfect. It will surely take several listens to this song because of the transitions. The ends on a brooooooootal riff. Now you guys really got something to die for.

It finally leads to Who We Are, the concluding track from the album. It starts with a children Choir followed by a killer groovy rhythm section and there you get MH giving a chills. Rob singing with children choir???? God Damn, could you expect that from MH???? Fuck No, but here you find it and you will love it. Powerful vocals, sizzling harmonies, an intense fast riff in the middle make this one of the memorable moment to end an masterpiece. Ending the song with amazing vocals by Rob and choir by kids is sheer brilliance to the fucking core.

Conclusion:

TOTALLY MURDEROUS ALBUM \m/

After loosing the plot in late 90′s and with already 2 masterpeices(Through the Ashes of Empires and The Blackening), this is the third in the series which tears apart its predecessor, drives you crazy and makes you screaaaaaaaaaaaaam “MH has blown everyone’s fuckin mind”. The review is long but we cant fucking help it. This album is worth it. They should cherish the fact that this whole decade(2000 onwards) has been the best and band is in their finest hour. You have to love this album to the core. Rob himself pours out his words in the form of “This is who we are. This is what I am. We have nowhere else to go.” Its a pure headbanging feast, the best material you will come across from last few years.It has an “Album of the Year” written all over it.

RATING : 10/10

Elvish Mirage - 'Reflection in Flickering Hope' Review

2011-12-12T11:47:00.001+05:30

When you actually think of Shimla, you get a vibe of hills, dense yet insane natural surrounding which kinda gives you dark and ambient feel. It actually surprised me to see a progressive band whose compositions had that vibes and roots attached. After Himalayas’ very own Weird Anxiety epic debut EP, to some extent Elvish Mirage made me travel into that dark and insane vibe. 9 months of formation and composing stuff in a pretty different way yet true to progressive roots I found 2 tracks from EP titled “Reflections In Flickering Hope” very well crafted.

A Lullaby For The Soul – As described by band, it talks about a mother trying to put his son to sleep by singing to him about the beautiful things in the night but can’t resist giving away the contradictory reality of life. A good start, an intro which reminded me of Opeth. I was anxious to listen the entire track and thought Elvish Mirage is gonna give me some high dose of progressive injections. Being a drummer, personally I could figure out Stephen’s experience and skillful drum lines, Damn those bass drum thumps too were great. I felt clean vocals wern’t coming so effective as I expected. Respective guitarists were good. Stuff is when composed I beleive they should be certain portions which must be memorable but unfortunately it lacked here. Bassist seemed to be very much skillful. Very very effective composition and I was eager to drill my mind for the next song.

Tears of Solitude - It had some amazing guitar lines as compared to first song. As said it talks about someone who has been left alone in misery and is very close to few band members as they have seen their share of tragedies in life. Again stephen raised the bar and made me listen to some crazy drum lines. Vocals, guitars and bass were all tight and sudden changes in tunes made me feel relaxed and were very effective. Production wise a very impressive start and hats off to Shivam for some amazing sound engineering knowledge. Growls in both songs satisfied the kind of aggression and expressive vibe is required.

I wish I could see these guys live someday. Overall both were very good compostion, lyrics are very thoughtful and artwork too is very creative. The time I noticed Dream Theater as their major influence along with Opeth I was expected 7min+ songs to be beyond good. But I personally felt Elvish Mirage dissapointed me because they lack that talent of making 7 min+ epic songs which I am sure they will keep in mind for future stuff. Material is not much complex and I felt Opeth played a major role in shaping up songs. Both songs reminded me of lot of influences from Blackwater Park and Deliverance. Not much complex influence from progresive giants Dream Theater. A great start and “A Lullaby For the Soul” is in my playlist from the time I heard you guys. Wish you all the very best and I am eager to hear your new stuff’s.

RATING – 7/10

Chimaira - 'The Age Of Hell' Review

2011-12-12T11:42:00.001+05:30

Christmas is the grand festival celebrated all over the world and what makes the day more special and crazy is when an amazing band like CHIMAIRA plays in front of thousands of fans in their hometown to celebrate their completion of one decade as a strong outfit. Everyone remembers their masterpiece THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF REASON which received fantastic critical and commercial success. But one incident cracked the entire crazy atmosphere in the band. Half of the band members quit/retired within few weeks which we fans thought it will result in destruction of the great band, the band which has given us intense albums, kickass live performances, gained critical success throughout and musically immensely skillfull, they have got nothing to prove to the world. Thats where we fans went wrong. Mark Hunter, Rob Arnold, and Matt Devries decided to enter the studio with only half a band to record Chimaira’s sixth full length. After delivering murderous albums continuously from last decade, CHIMAIRA is back with a bang with their New Album THE AGE OF HELL which stands out among the rest and proves the point that band is at its best from the long time and got the ability of give a run for the money as always. The results are surprisingly not as grim as they would seem.

Tracklist:

1. The Age of Hell

2. Clockwork

3. Losing My Mind

4. Time is Running Out

5. Year of the Snake

6. Beyond the Grave

7. Born in Blood

8. Stoma

9. Powerless

10. Trigger Finger

11. Scapegoat

12. Samsara

The album is produced by Mark Hunter, Rob Arnold and long time friend Ben Schigel who actually recorded the drum tracks for the entire album too. With 3 new guys on board, i feel Chimaira didn’t wanted to take risk by including them during the songwriting process. So Mark, Rob and Ben went ahead with the entire record. Chimaira sound has been very intense and they always push forward. While Kevin Talley for me was the most intense and aggressive drummer than Andols Herrick, i still felt that they could pull out some really bone crushing drum work without Andols. Both the Ex- drummers have been a vital part of the bands sound and one of the main resource for the assault. Still i was bit reluctant about how aggressive and intense the drums are gonna sound. Plus all the guitar parts including the solo’s are composed by Rob. With high expectations like never before, i started my 50 minutes of Chimaira journey.

It opens with the title track The Age of Hell, a typical insane, annihilating side of Chimaira track to begin the pulverizing journey. Its bone crushing with groovy riff’s and eclectic drumming all over the place. Its pure thrashy assault and will surely remind you of their crazy Powertrip. It clearly signifies the band is no doubt at their best with just 3 guys on board delivering brillaint stuff.

Clockwork slows down the tempo slightly and gives us the melodic Chimaira missing since The Impossibility of Reason. Hunter’s clean vocals are so haunting with well crafted melodic verses by Rob sounds mesmerizing. The ambience post rockish feel makes this song more interesting along with the sampling, keyboard work by Hunter. Spiccuza is been with band from last 10 years and i personally never found anything interesting work done by him. His absense from the band has not affected or rather will never effect them. Hunter has actually used lot of synth, sampling lines which was totally missing in their sound from ages.

Losing My Mind is another melodic composition. A straightforward approach which sounds heavy but has nothing new to offer. Although Hunter clean vocals have improved immensely, this heavy melodic track is one of the weakest in the album which is totally overshadowed by other insane compositions.

Then comes the two insane tracks from the album Time is Running Out and Year of the Snake. Both the songs are heavy as fuck and have got crazy fretwork by Rob, ferocious drumming and picture perfect vocals. Not to forget the sweet breakdown in Year of the Snake which is old schoolish with Hunter versatality clearly signifying why he is one of the best frontman’s around. His crazy growls sounding perfect and elegant drumming makes this song one the best, heaviest and master-fuckn-peice stuff. One of the highlights of Time is Running Out is the melody which drives the song to its entirety. Hunter pours out his words as follows:

“How much more can I take

Sick of making the same mistakes

These memories have torn my heart

Now time is running out”

Beyond the Grave which shows Chimaira ability to fuse in genres like Stoner/Doom metal. Slow song and tempo rises in the middle with traditional Black Sabbathish feel to it. This song is different and makes it own identity in the album. Chimaira is always known for experimenting stuff and presence of this song in the album is freaking brilliant.

With almost halfway through the album and we already have many asskicking tracks i was anxious to find out how much more can a person take when Chimaira is at its best. Now comes Born In Blood, the pure headbanging feast, a track which is surely gonna create a huge crazy moshpit. With crazy growling by Phil Bozeman from Whitechapel and its old school vibe with crazy 6 string grooves, mindblowing drumming and throat ripping harsh vocals by Hunter, this song proves again the importance of Chimaira in Metal.

Stoma is the first instrumental of the album with a doom metal vibe. As the album was highly intense and tempo is fast as fuck, the change was required to slow it down and this track has got that punch. This leads to Powerless, another violent track with groovy riffs. Another melody driven song where Rob displays some amazing melodic lines and Hunter’s vocals add depth. This song has diverse songwriting attitude, something like a middle finger to the world. Guitars sound crunchy and its angry, vilent, venomous attack.

Trigger Finger is another epic track from the album. It was released as a single and received fairly good response from critics. There are many things which makes this song ‘EPIC’, the main source are the lyrics which are fantastically written, powerful grooves and absolutely fret burning work by Rob and not to forget the vocals which add more flavour and makes it an Epic track of the album. Some great lines are:

“There is a price to pay for freedom

There is a price to pay for bliss

What is it worth to you my friend?

What’s more important in the end?”

Scapegoat on the other side is a headbanging assault with neat chorus. Surely this song is gonna be the part of their setlist. Total destruction mode with violent atmosphere. Another track which showcases how Chimaira songwriting skills are at its peak. 808 drops is the highlight of the song. The second half of the album totally reminds us of their self titled album and Resurrection. This intense amalgamation really stands out and wipes out all the doubts about their songwriting.

Finally we reach the concluding track Samsara, Chimaira is fond of writing Epic endings always. Whether its The Impssibility of Reason ending track Implements of Destruction or the other track The Heart of it All, these instrumentals are written very cleverly. Its a classic Chimaira song which shines totally because of Rob perfectly written guitar lines, the melodies makes this song one of the best written stuff by Chimaira. The solo here mindblowing and probably the best solo written by Rob towards the end of any Chimaira album. Shining with its own identity , this is the perfect closer.

Conclusion:

After listening to album many times one can easily say that its one of the best album they have written throughtout their career. Top notch production and drumming by Ben is the main reason for this epic peice. Its a clear answer to all fans and critics who thought Chimaira will never be the same. They dont need 6 guys top record a masterpeice, just 3 were enough to create it. ‘The Age of Hell’ is the best focused album in their career and band is ready to destroy anything which comes their way. Its their career saving attempt and they are back with more intensity, confidence, craziness and with motto to kill everyone. It deserves 2011 Most Intense Emotional Metal record tag.

WELCOME TO THE AGE OF HELL \m/

RATING: 9.5/10

Cheisrah - 'OMG She's Here' Review

2011-12-12T11:41:00.001+05:30

Cheisrah, the moment you see this name one question arises. What does it mean and why did these bunch of guys from North-East and Bangalore choose this title!! Alright for those who are unaware of the meaning, its name of an evil Character from a Meitei (Manipuri) Folktale. I always felt bands from Northeast are damn good but they don’t get the right platform to showcase their talent. Here is the band ‘Cheisrah’ who experimented a lot on their Debut E.P. “Omg! She’s Here“. Lets get to the point whether these guys nailed the stuff eggjactly with some insane creative experiments which i expect from them or they are just another Metal band.

EP is recorded, mixed and mastered at Basement Tapes Studios, Bangalore. It starts with AFSPA which stands for “Armed Forces Special Powers Act” dealing with the crisis which are happening in Northeast. Its a total riff attack with pretty tight technical aspects covered. Eclectic polished riffs are the main highlight of the song with well synched drumming. Its a total poly-rhythmic assault and what makes it more interesting are the bass lines, unfortunately which are partly audible. Now comes the vocals which i feel the guy behind the mic has capability to tear the stage apart. The vocals are good with two phase method implementation of growls and shrieks. This song sets the path for the E.P.

Now comes Buried between The Lies, which is amazingly the melodic, groovy stuff on the album. With death-corish vibe, the arrangement is pretty good. Drums are pretty tight. The variation in vocals are good but the only thing which makes this melodic driven ride heartbreaking are the clean vocals which just doesn’t go well. As the track was building effectively with arrangement, the clean vocals just ruined it. Although the growls overtake immediately and continues the assault. I personally feel bands must incorporate both clean and growls variations. It didn work here and I hope next record I get to here some crazy clean lines with throat ripping growls. Outro is very catchy with neat groovy riffs and double patterns executed pretty well.

Now comes the final track When Shadows Left Apart, this song has the combination of bone crushing riff’s, melodic lines and well executed drum patterns. Interlude section shines quiet well and as I said above growls are pretty good throughout the album, clean high pitched needs to be seriously worked out. If these guys get the hold on clean vocals and cover lot of groovy, melodic lines with technical aspects, they are sure to set the path in Indian Metal Scene. Drums are tight and patterns are very well written and executed.

I have listed down all the aspects of 3 songs above, so now ill highlight the pro’s and con’s of this good EP.

Pro’s:

1. All the tracks have their own charm. I personally liked AFSPA which for me is the track of the album to look out for mainly because of the arrangement wise, quality of technical aspects nailed precisely and lyrically a political song.

2. Production is good and money well spent.

3. Guitarists are damn good and Vocalist is extremely passionate.

4. Technically, its a great start by these guys and i am sure they will cover all odd’s and come up with more tighter stuff.

Con’s:

1. Drums are programmed which i feel kinda shakes/alters the tight album sound to some extent. Although Amarjeet did record drums live but due to some technical faults it cudn’t happen. He is good and on their next stuff, he is gonna be an insane skin basher.

2. Bass lines are not audible properly may be neglected due to less concentration on production terms.

3. Vocalist is destructive and if he works more on high pitched clean vocals then he will emerge a clear winner as a verstile singer.

Cheisrah as a group are damn good with amazing compositions and only time will tell how they concentrate on scrutinizing their skills more and experiment different genre’s. I wish them all the best and they surely have a great future ahead.

RATING: 8/10

Cavalera Conspiracy - 'Blunt Force Trauma' Album Review

2011-12-12T11:34:00.001+05:30

1st studio album “Inflikted” was a classic piece of post thrash sound of Sepultura’s ‘Choad A.D.’ which i personally feel was better than Sepultura’s recent works. After 3 years of studio/release/tour cycle, Cavalera brother’s are back with an intense electrifying album.

An amazing start by “Warlord” showed some groovy, thrash sound with Max vocals sounds aggressive. Departure of Joe Duplantier didn seem to effect the band since Johhny Chow has easily essayed his talent with aggressive bang on bass lines. “Torture” showcases some thrashy fast composition with Rizzo again proving his exceptional guitar playing skills. “Lynch Mob” offer’s a collaboration of Max vocals along with Roger Migret hardcore vocals. Igor powerfull beats with Rizzo amazing guitar riff’s makes it sound loud, aggressive and thrashy. “Killing Inside” showcases some intense skills of Rizzo groovy riff’s mixed with melody. This is something which was missing in there 1st record and Cavalera Conspiracy showcased their amazing skill of composition.

Rest of the songs give an amazing impact on the listener as solid a metal super group as you’ll ever come across. From straightforward pummeling death metal to more complex and technical songs, Cavalera Conspiracy hits on all cylinders. It must be noticed that chemistry between the four musicians is very well utilized and Rizzo’s agile lead guitar playing that keeps the album from sinking into metal monotony in many spots. Igor drumming is at its best and bassy Chow is exceptional too. With extreme melody and aggressive riff’s Max angry growls are as strong as ever.

Aughad Debut Single 'Destroying The Creator' Review

2011-12-12T11:33:00.001+05:30

Dibrugarh based thrash/melodic death metal band, Aughad have released their debut single Destroying The Creator. This 6 piece band speaks about blasphemies of religion. According to the band, they don't aim to bring about a social change with their musics lyrical theme. They aim at silent criticism of the institution of religion.

I was excited about the song since i love listening to bands who bring about some level of experiment in their roots. Being myself from a melodic thrash/death background, i had lot of expectations from Aughad since they play Thrash/Melodic Death Metal with presence of keyboardist Vivek.

As soon as i pressed the PLAY button i was expecting the assault from the very first second but these guys surprised me with an acoustic intro and then comes the sweet guitar portion which had kinda rock'n rollish vibe. Now comes the well executed drum roll and then starts the riff attack with drum layers all over it.

Chorus is very catchy and towards the middle we get to hear some black elements too which i really liked. Vinayak on vocals is good and sounds chaotic. Bass is hardly audible and is mixed pathetically. Guitar parts are good and need the duo need to work more. Although Keyboard solo by Vivek towards the middle section sounded awesome and this guy has got potential to nail some killer solo's in future.

Guitar solo after 4:10 was appreciable but once the solo was done the outro just seemed unnecessary. Considering their experimental genre and versatility since keyboardist in a band can end up giving us some insane beautiful moments, the band sounds good but somewhere i felt they are over trying their versatility.They're good, no doubt, but sometimes the simple,complex arrangements to some extent and structure songs do more than what versatility does!

Important Points:

1. Keyboardist is talented and his skills are appreciable. He has potential to create more melodic stuff.

2. More these guys perform on stage and compose stuff's, more they will understand their sound and will surely help them.

3. Guitar lines and solo's are good and i am expecting some more chaotic riff's from them in future.

4. Being socially aware and eager to write about their beliefs i expected lyrics to be top notch. Well to some extent they have done a descent job and their is room for improvement. Lyrics have the capacity to set the base and if written precisely, the band sounds matured. Work on it more.

5. Drums are good. But the way they r programmed, it ruins the entire environment of the song. I have never come across drums being programmed so badly. The crash sound are all over the place and disrupts other instruments. The place where the recording is done and people who are responsible for the production have screwed up the band's impressive composition. Would recommend these guys to spend some cash and record LIVE drumming at a place where you get what you want.

6. Bass lines while recording/mixing are completely fucked up. I always feel bass guitarist's have passion to show their skills but due to production metrics they don't get the appreciation.

7. Most importantly these guys have capacity to make top notch stuff but one think they need to take care of is to understand how versatility can change the entire sound. They need to get more tighter and are not much versatile and as i said they require some more time to understand their sound.

Aughad have started their journey and i hope these guys will bring about change in Thrash Metal scene in India by infusing melodic layers. I wish them all the best \m/

Rating: 8/10

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Anthrax - 'Worship Music' Album Review

2011-12-12T11:32:00.001+05:30

Anthrax, a name which almost every person knows when it comes to Thrash Metal. Yes, they are one of the highlights of the BIG 4 but personally many people feel they dont deserve the tag of BIG 4 after the departure of their insane vocalist Mr. Joey Belladonna. After showing us the darker side of Anthrax in 80′s with albums like Among the Living, Spreading the Disease and inturn paving way to 90′s epic thrash metal record Persistence of Time, Anthrax deserved the title of BIG 4, unfortunately after his departure things didn’t seem to work in a way they wanted. Well fuck the past, after almost two decades, the big daddy is back and time has come for Anthrax to prove the people why they deserve to be called one of the BIG 4 and inturn celebrate their 30th Anniversary.

I am not interested to compare John and Joey here so lemme go straight to the point. Its been a long time since they released their last album We’ve Come for You All. With 3 vocalists(Dan Nelson, John Bush and finally Joey) changed over a span of 2 years was indeed chaotic for all the fans and to be honest, fans of Anthrax were very excited to hear Joey behind the mic. Finally the wait is over, they have released an incredible album Worship Music after 8 long years. Its produced by Anthrax, Scrap 60, and Jay Ruston.

Tracklist:

01. Worship

02. Earth On Hell

03. The Devil You Know

04. Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t

05. I’m Alive

06. In The End

07. The Giant

08. Judas Priest

09. Crawl

10. The Constant

11. Revolution Screams

At almost hour long list, the album kicks off with an intro Worship where you can some nice cello work by Alison Chesley. A pretty descent instrumental leads to Earth On Hell, a super charged crazy riff attack. The moment you hear the clock tick, its totally a speed metal beer bash. Its groovy and crazy Anthrax introduction to all fans. Personally i have missed these moments from Anthrax from long time and finally they delivered. Its pretty much straight, picture perfect assault with Charlie belting some insane blast beats all over. Right from the go its Joey vocals at its best. The chorus sounds fucking brilliant, thumping bass and crushing riffs reminds the Persistence era. Song structure is at its best, takes a thrashy route and knows what exactly they gotta do. You guys wanna whup someone’s ass brutally???? Earth On Hell is the way \m/

Then comes The Devil You Know, a hard rockish approach where Joey again nails his dramatic vocals to the core. This song has got crazy guitar lines by Rob Caggiano and classic Scott fret burning work. Its surrounded by lot of Alter Bridge vibe. The moment you hear the chorus of this song, you got no choice but to give a fucking bow down to Jeoy. Man he’s still blessed with awe-fuckin-some voice. If you are a true Anthrax fan, then you cant imagine them without Joey.

Next comes the fast paced, motherfucking assault Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t, This song was released as a single few weeks back and it has everything what a fast paced metal fan wants. Crazy chuggs of riffs, insane skin bashing, brutal bass lines and not to forget the legendary voice all over it. Almost 3 songs over and Anthrax are already unleashed, damn this single deserves a devil horns throughout.

Some great lines by Joey:

“The darkest devil nightmare blacker than their evil souls you gotta fight ‘em I’ll end you

God save us prayers fall on deaf ears so put your faith in force you gotta fight ‘em; I’ll end you”

I’am Alive is another fantastic grunge track. Before i give you my analysis, bare in mind this tune is gonna be in your fucked up brain for years. With acoustic intro leads to very well executed beats by Charlie and ass whooping bass work by Frank, this song has melody written all over it. The moment you hear this it will remind you of Iron Maiden and what makes this song more insane is the guitar medley by Scott and Rob. You finding it merciless and chaotic??? Fuck yeah, Anthrax is unleashing all the frustrations over the years in this song.

Then comes In The End, a 7 min epic song where you get to hear some insane production work, fast paced riffs and Joey again nailing full force vocals. He is the right fucking person for the band and they know it. This legend doesn’t need a practise session. I certainly felt he directly recorded his vocals in studio without any practise. From Metallica to NWOBHM, this track is a true respect and tribute to Ronnie and Dime. You cant find even a single flaw. As some crack fucker in late 80′s said: ‘Joey never disappoints’. This track concludes on an epic melodic riffs written so damn precisely.

Now comes The Giant, this track was disappointing because it clearly felt things aren’t coming the way they should have. Although the chorus made the mark but rest just seemed to be messy. The track Judas Priest has some connection with the legendary band of same name, although the song was written the time Epitaph was announced. Heavily influenced by them, i expected some great guitar work and this track proves it.

“Reign, reign

The ending of yours has begun

The ending of yours has begun”

Right from the word go, this song strikes the chord. A classic tribute to classic Judas Priest.

Then comes the power ballad Crawl which is slow paced. Its disappointing as it again felt out of place. Although we can call it an experimental track where Anthrax tried to explore thier skills beyond some level. Highly appreciated but didn work. Damn it doesn’t alter kickass Worship Music when considered as a whole. Now we reach The Constant which is another straight forward approach. Its fast, crazy but doesn’t leave the impression like the beginning tracks.

Finally we reach the concluding track Revolution Screams, here the low range voice of Joey leaves a great impression. What makes this track a memorable outro is the killer guitar work and skin bashing by guitar duo Scott, Rob and Charlie. A pretty good way to end the album if not the best way. The moment you hear this track, you can feel the intense work on cards.

Now i shall note down the pro’s and con’s of this album as follows:

Pro’s:

1. No doubt, its the best Anthrax album after Persistence of Time.

2. With Joey back on vocals, its surely a treat to listen this man belting the ass out of this record. He is at his best. The band have made this album keeping aggressive vocalist in mind.

3. Song writing is at its best and the band members have delivered it to the core.

4. Guitar work by Rob and Scott are memorable and their solo’s really deserve respect. Frank deserves applause for some great bass lines.

5. Skin basher Charlie is no doubt at his career best with the intensity at which he nails those blast beats and insane double patterns.

6. Not to forget the way these guys have taken the song writing to another level compared to their earlier work. This is certainly better than Metallica’s Death Magnetic when considered coming back to thrash roots.

Con’s:

1. First half of the album is 100 fucking percent crazy Anthrax but what disappoints is the later section which doesn’t have the feel which certainly would have made this record a brilliant masterpeice.

2. Compared to other BIG 4 bands, Anthrax have come close to other albums like Endgame, World Painted Blood and recently released Thirteen. But Worship Music lacks that consistency and efficient approach.

3. Lyrically this album has many flaws and sometimes embarrasing.

If not for those flaws this album is truly a comeback and a way to prove people that Anthrax deserves the BIG 4 title. With crystal clear production and fast paced first section at their best we fans must truly WORSHIP MUSIC.

Hail Anthrax \m/

Rating: 8/10