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BIG69: INDIA’S FIRST METAL PILGRIMAGE



For all the rock and metal music fans in Mumbai, here is a reason to rejoice. Mumbai is now ready to get its very own metal music festival, BIG69. Supported by Pepsi MTV Indies and managed by BAJAAO Consulting and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., BIG69 will bring the biggest names in the rock music arena to India. In its very first year, BIG69 will showcase UK’s leading heavy metal legends Carcass and progressive metal act Sikth as the headliners. The festival will take place at the Richardson & Cruddas industrial compound in Byculla on the 17th and 18th of January, 2015 and the lineup includes Italian metallers Fleshgod Apocalypse and UK rap metallers Hacktivist along with some of the biggest Indian bands such as Bombay Metal Project and Joint Family, who will be reuniting for this festival after seven years of being defunct.

Carcass is one of biggest influences in the death/grindcore and melodic death metal genre. After disbanding in the mid 90s, Carcass reunited in 2007 for touring purposes, but the reunion became permanent in 2012 with a new lineup as drummer Daniel Wilding and guitarist Ben Ash joined founding members Bill Steer and Jeff Walker. With a 2013 release ‘Surgical Steel’ the band sets foot in India for the first time this January.

SikTh, who disbanded in 2008, have made a triumphant return in 2014 with a headlining set at the Download festival and are considered by many to be the godfathers of modern progressive metal. Vocalist Mikee Goodman said: “It has always been a dream to travel the world and play shows for myself and the rest of the band. It is an honour to be here right now. I heard some bands were recently coming to India to play. At last this chance has come for us and we are very excited to see and play in India!”

Fellow headliners Hacktivist who are considered to be one of the rising stars of the UK progressive metal scene and Fleshgod Apocalypse from Italy will be the other two international bands performing at the event.

This festival will also give a platform to some of our very own Indian bands who have been performing in this genre. These include Nepal’s Underside and Indian metal biggies Demonic Resurrection, Undying Inc, Zygnema, Kryptos, Devoid and Noiseware. There is also something that young aspiring bands can look forward to. Pepsi MTV Indies is conducting a band hunt to choose two promising bands who will get a chance to play at the festival.

Apart from music, the festival will also have a special focus on art, with well-designed stages, art installations and the Indies KVLTure project - a special showcase of visual art, photographs and iconography associated with heavy metal. This will involve a number of collaborations with some of the finest artists and designers from the Indian metal scene who will create artwork and designs especially for the festival. Artists already on-board include Reuben Bhattacharya aka Visual Amnesia, Aaron Pinto, Avinash Jai Singh, Anirudh Singh aka Nuclear Puke, Gaurav Basu aka Acid Toad and Aaquib Wani. Limited edition prints of their artwork will be available for sale at the festival, along with special Indies KVLTure project merchandise and much more. Festival managers BAJAAO were the company behind the now-defunct cult underground venue B69, which is still remembered fondly by the city’s metalheads. BAJAAO, along with the festival’s promoters and partners, is very excited about this upcoming new event that is to be added to the city’s annual calendar.

Festival promoter Ashutosh Pande said: “We’ve had a long association with the Indian metal scene. BIG69 is our effort to take metal to the masses and to fill the void that B69 left behind. We intend to replicate the B69 experience at a much larger scale by giving Mumbai its very own metal festival.”

Festival director Himanshu Vaswani said: “Mumbai hasn’t had a big music festival in a long time and we’re very excited to be doing a metal festival on this scale. We’re making sure that everything – from the line-up and stages to the whole experience – is as big as it gets.”

Early bird tickets are available at www.insider.in/big69 at Rs. 2500 for a two day pass. School and college students can avail of a special discounted pass at Rs. 1500. You can find all the details at www.big69.in.

Carcass

Carcass are a British extreme metal band from Liverpool, UK, who formed in 1985. They are one of biggest influences in death/grindcore and melodic death metal. Carcass started life as a goregrind band. They released two pioneering albums (Reek of Putrefaction and Symphonies of Sickness) with that sound before moving to a more death metal approach. Their fourth album ‘Heartwork’ released in 1993, is considered by many to be a classic and one of the first melodic death metal albums ever released. Carcass disbanded in 1995, before their album ‘Swansong’ even hit the stores. The album was released by Earache Records in 1996. The band reunited in 2007 for touring purposes, but the reunion became permanent in 2012 with a new lineup as drummer Daniel Wilding and guitarist Ben Ash joined founding members Bill Steer and Jeff Walker. With a  2013 release ‘Surgical Steel’ the band sets foot in India for the first time this January.

Sikth

SikTh is a six-piece progressive/technical metal band from Watford, England. Formed in March 2001, the band released their debut EP ‘Let the Transmitting Begin’ in 2002, followed by two unforgettable albums ‘The Trees Are Dead and Dried Out…Waiting for Something Wild’ (2003) and ‘Death of a Dead Day’ (2006). The band was one of the main influences of the djent movement along with Swedish giants Meshuggah, creating a unique blend of genres like experimental, mathcore and hardcore. The band split in 2008 but reunited earlier this year.

Fleshgod Apocalypse

Italian tech death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse formed in 2007 and are currently signed to Willowtip Records and Nuclear Blast. Their unique blend of technical death metal with symphonic elements have quickly made them a favorite with fans and critics alike. They have built a reputation as a formidable live act and have played sets at Wacken Open Air, Inferno Festival and Hammersonic Festival.

Hacktivist

Milton Keynes based Hacktivist is a five-piece experimental rap metal act that was formed in 2011. Their latest single False Idols reached No. 1 on the iTunes Metal chart within hours of release. They have also played at some of the biggest metal festivals in the world, including Sonisphere, Download Festival and Rock am Ring.

Hacktivist vocalist Ben Marvin said: "We are very excited to be coming to India for the first time. Not only are we honoured to have been offered to play but we are high up on the bill too! It's definitely going to be one of the best things we've done in our lives. Let's hope the crowd are as crazy as the rest of the world. We're sure they will be!"

About BAJAAO

BAJAAO CONSULTING & ENTERTAINMENT PVT LTD (BCEPL) is the services division of BAJAAO.COM, India's largest direct online retailer for music equipment with a revenue of $2.1 MIllion, and selling to a network of over 100000 independent musicians and sound engineers. BCEPL provides acoustic and audio visual consultancy services, and also works as an entertainment agency that creates brand experiences, undertakes turnkey event production, programming, and artist management. All BAJAAO properties have a strong focus on independent music. Their clients are generally high profile brands who globally align with live music as the core platform for their experiential activities.


Best Of Global Metal - 2014 ~ Metalhead Spotted


On this year  a lots of excellent metal albums invaded our ears once again and it’s time to name the greatest achievements of 2014.indeed this year is remarkable for metal music because a plenty of excellent,engrossing,spectacular,rich albums released.I’ll say on this year  especially black metal albums slays though this year is excellent too for death metal,thrash & other genre  albums . Basically I’ve focused on critical acclaim,creative progression, originality, songwriting prowess, technical achievements and many more dynamics. so,it’s kinda hard to sort out. well,here is my top listed albums,Demo,Ep,Split of 2014 from a vast checked out list. Though it's lengthy I’m pretty damn sure u’ll enjoy it.cheers.
  • Top listed Full length albums of 2014          

1. Behemoth - The Satanist
2. Cynic - Kindly Bent To Free Us
3. Corpsessed - Abysmal Thresholds
4. Acheron - Kult des Hasses
5. Soreption - Engineering The Void
6. Dead Congregation - Promulgation Of The Fall
7. Monument of Misanthropy - Anger Mismanagement
8. Decomposed - Devouring
9.  Inferi - The Path of Apotheosis
10. Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun
11. Electrocution - Metaphysincarnation
12. Pestifer - Reaching the Void
13. Catharsis - Rhyming Life and Death
14. Alterbeast - Immortal
15. Desecresy - Chasmic Transcendence
16. Clouds - Doliu
17. Sectu - Nefarious
18. Kriegsmaschine - Enemy of Man
19. Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
20. Incantation - Dirges of Elysium
21. Infestus - The Reflecting Void
22. Maat - As We Create the Hope from Above
23. srogosc - W Szaleþstwie
24. Phobocosm - Deprived
25. Saor - Aura
26. Oubliette - Apparitions
27. Antropomorphia - Rites Ov Perversion
28. Drowned - Idola Specus IsraMetal
29.Funest – Desecrating Obscurity
30.Mass Infection – For I am Genocide
31.Infest – Cold Blood War
32. Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
33. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III - Saturnian Poetry
34. Ascension - The Dead of the World
35. Dark Fortress - Profane Genocidal Creations
36. Execration - Morbid Dimensions
37. Winterfylleth - The Divination Of Antiquity
38. Vampire - Vampire
39. Schammasch - Contradiction
40. Calm Hatchery - Fading Reliefs
41. Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus
42. Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
43. Furia - Nocel
44. Horrendous - Ecdysis
45. Narada - Dead Waters
46. Solbrud - Jærtegn
47.Wayfarer -  Children Of The Iron Age
48. Abigor - Leytmotif Luzifer - The 7 Temptations Of Man
49. Ancient Ascendant - Echoes And Cinder
50. Archspire – The Lucid Collective
51. Artificial Brain - Labyrinth Constellation
52. Crescent – Pyramid Slaves
53. Gorgasm - Destined To Violate
54. Ifing - Against This Weald
55. Waldgeflüster - Meine Fesseln
56. Profetus - As All Seasons Die
57. Sinister - The Post-Apocalyptic Servant
58. Odraza - Esperalem tkane
59. Abusiveness – Bramy Nawii
60. Genius Ultor - Nic Co Boskie Nie Jest Mi Obce
61.Stargazer - A Merging to the Boundless
62. Doom VS - Earthless
63.Funeral Tears - The World We Lost
64. Hannes Grossmann - The Radial Covenant
65. Decaying - One To Conquer
66. Panopticon - Roads to the North
67. The Contortionist - Language
68. Abysmal Dawn - Obsolescence
69. Voodoo Gods - Anticipation for Blood Leveled in Darkness
70. Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
71. 1349 - WhiteWorm Cathedral
72. Centinex - Redeeming Filth
73. Goatwhore - Constricting Rage Of The Merciless
74. Vallenfyre - Splinters
75. Rogash – Supremacy Undone
76. Morbus Chron - Sweven
77. Seprevation - Consumed
78.Gormathon - Following the Beast
79. Mors Principium Est - Dawn of the 5th Era
80.Fen - Carrion Skies
81. Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen
82. Vader - Tibi Et Igni
83. At The Gates - At War With Reality
84. Prostitute Disfigurement - From Crotch to Crown
85. Satanic warmaster - Fimbulwinter
86. Rhadamanthys - Midnight Skies
87. Сивый Яр (Sivyj Yar) - Из Тьмы Вымерших Деревень (From the Dead Villages' Darkness)
88. Shylmagoghnar - Emergence
89. The Malefic - Ascension
90. Misery Index – The Killing God
91. Skogen - I Doden
92. Darkspace -  Dark Space III I
93.Voices - London
94. Thanatos - Global Purification
95. Hideous Divinity - Cobra Verde
96. Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral
97. Inanimate Existence – A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement
98. Thy Darkened Shade  - Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet
99. Singularity - Singularity
100. Spectral Lore - III


  • Honorable Mention:        

(a) Christian Muenzner - Beyond The Wall Of Sleep
(b) Conquering Dystopia - Conquering Dystopia
(c) Hadal Maw - Senium
(d) Revocation - Deathless
(e) Sinmara - Aphotic Womb
 (f) Vainaja -  Kadotetut
(g) Signs -  United in Tragedy
(h) Rauhnacht - Urzeitgeist
 (i) Origin - Omnipresent
(j) Necrophagia - WhiteWorm Cathedral
 (k) Ophis - Abhorrence in Opulence
(m) Taake - Stridens hus
 (n) Vaer - For So Many Reasons
(o) Rude - Soul Recall
(p) Obituary – Inked In Blood
(q) Belphegor - Conjuring the Dead
(r) Teitanblood – Death
(s) Domains - Sinister Ceremonies
(t) The Seer –Prologue
(u) Trench Rot - Necronomic Warfare
(v) Bloodshot Dawn - Demons
(w) Skyforest - Aftermath
(x)Mare Cognitum – Phobos Monolith
(y) Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise

  • :Top listed Single,Demo,Split & EP of 2014
1. Behemoth - Xiądz
2. Hooded Menace - Labyrinth of Carrion Breeze
3. Hooded Menace & Loss  - A View from the Rope
4. Cognizance - Cognizance
5. The Helix Nebula - Meridian
6.Chronologist - Demo
7. Morta Skuld - Serving Two Masters
8. Nader Sadek - The Malefic Chapter III
9. Morgoth – God Is Evil
10. Taake - Kulde
11. Ascension  - Deathless Light
12.Bolzer – Soma
13. Gateway – Aeternae
14. Myrkur - Myrkur
15. Eye of Solitude  - Dear Insanity
16. Psycroptic - Echoes To Come
17. Chon – Woo Hoo!
18. Svartidauði - The Synthesis of Whore and Beast
19. Necrowretch - Even Death May Die
20. Ardour Loom - Demo

-Souvik Basu

GIG ALERT : ENTOMBED METAL FEST VOLUME VII - Mumbai & Pune (11th and 12th Jan'15)


Come January 2015, Entombed Metal Fest will be back with vengeance in Mumbai and Pune with a brand new lineup featuring - Defiled (Brutal Death Metal from Japan), Malapetaka (Death/Thrash from Malaysia), Dhwesha (Old School Death Metal from Bangalore) alongside several local acts in the form of - Orion (Mumbai), Aslyum (Mumbai), Deathforge (Mumbai), Gaia's Throne (Pune), Cruoris (Pune) and Dirge (Pune)

The 2 shows will mark the 7th edition of the festival and it will be for the very first time graced with the presence of International bands and is in all ways set to be the big leap in the Underground Metal scenes for Mumbai and Pune. The shows will organized by Frameshift Initiatives, Mumbai and will be partnered by Cyclopean Eye Productions (Bangalore) and Big69 Fest (Mumbai).

Defiled from Japan who are on their South Asian tour will be headlining both the shows.The band was formed in 1992 and is currently signed to one of the most prestigious Extreme Metal record labels in the form of Season of Mist Records and have 4 full-lengths and 2 Demo's to their artillery. Accompanying Defiled will be Death/Thrash Metal band Malapetaka from Malaysia. Formed in 2009, the band is currently creating waves in the South East Asian scenes and will be hitting the Indian lands for the very first time promising complete assault! Also part of the lineup will be Old School Death Metal band from Bangalore - Dhwesha. The band is currently high on the release of their highly acclaimed debut album - Sthoopa via Dunkelheit Produktionen (Germany) and will be finally playing their highly anticipated debut's in Mumbai and Pune.

Complete show details -

MUMBAI - 11th Jan, 2015 (Event page )

LINEUP -

DEFILED [Headliners] - Brutal Death Metal from Japan
MALAPETAKA - Death/Thrash Metal from Malaysia
Dhwesha - Old School Death Metal from Bangalore, India
Orion - Progressive Death Metal from Mumbai, India
Asylum - Groove Metal from Mumbai, India
DeathForge - Techincal Death Metal from Mumbai, India

VENUE - Crazy Blue, Raghuleela Mall - Vashi

Early Bird Passes available for Rs.400/- (Pre-booking Link)
Entry at the gate for Rs. 500/-



PUNE - 12th Jan, 2015 (Event Page )

LINEUP -

DEFILED [Headliners] - Brutal Death Metal from Japan
Dhwesha - Old School Death Metal from Bangalore, India
Gaia's Throne - (Heavy/Power metal)
Dhwesha - (Old School Death Metal from Bangalore)
Cruoris - (Death Metal)
DIRGE - (Doom/Sludge)

VENUE - Hotel Elite Ambience (Wakad, Pune)


Early Bird Passes available for Rs.300/- (Pre-booking Link )
Entry at the gate for Rs. 400/-

Interview: Sahil Makhija Talks About Demonic Resurrection And His Studio Project Demonstealer

So recently we caught up with Sahil Makhija aka Demonstealer of the bands Demonic  Resurrection, Reptilian Death, Workshop and his studio project Demonstealer. He also runs a record label for extreme metal music called Demonstealer among many other independent projects. Pheww..It's a long list yes but that goes to explain the experience he has. Seen as the face of Indian metal scene, We tried to get deep with him to understand his opinion on all things metal. So here's what he had to say about them.

Metalhead Spotted : Hello, how are you doing today? Thank you for your time firstly, most of us have a rough idea about your busy schedule, thanks for the status updates. :P
Demonstealer : Hello, I am a bit under the weather so taking a break from work actually and I hope to be ready to get back to work by next week. 

Metalhead Spotted : A multi-talented artist like yourself, playing for 5 bands, running your own studio, a metal cooking show, hosting guitar clinics etc. without taking any/much leaves, what is your secret of continuing this schedule year after year?
Demonstealer : Metal and music is my life. I have been very lucky to extremely understanding employers Furtados Music who allow me to work from home which gives me time to focus on everything else I do. I don’t really socialize much or party and I’m mostly in my room or studio working or cooking and getting things done. 

Metalhead Spotted : You have been in this field for more than a decade. You must have seen a lot of ups and downs, and you still have that excitement and energy to work like a teenager. Do you still have the same feelings/regards for metal music, bands etc. which you had 10-12 years back?
Demonstealer : If I didn’t have the same drive and passion ( if not more) as before then I wouldn’t be here today. I think the music industry has just turned a lot of musicians upside down emotionally and financially and in such a situation it’s not easy to continue unless you have an undying love for what you are doing. So for me that has what kept me going. I’ll admit I’ve had a lot of lows in the last 2-3 years, possibly more than before but you just got to pick yourself up and carry forward. 

Metalhead Spotted : Demonstealer’ has been one of your projects for quite a long time. How did you come up with this name? You already have 2 extreme metal projects which are doing very well, what is your idea behind still continuing with Demonstealer?
Demonstealer : ‘Demonstealer’ is my stage name which was inspired by all the music I listened to when I was 16, which was bands like Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Old Man’s Child, Cradle Of Filth etc. All the members of these bands had stage names taken either from LOTR or Mythology and myself being not so well read came up with this. Over the years it’s kind of stuck around and just used it to put out music that didn’t fit my other projects.  For me this project is very personal. In short, it’s me, pure and unadulterated. In my bands I generally collaborate with other members and each band has a sound and a style that is kind of followed. Under this project I pretty much can do whatever I want musically. It’s also my outlet for what I can’t express in the other bands. 

Metalhead Spotted : You are doing a crowd funding for your latest Demonstealer album, which directly connects the musician to the fans and is a win-win for everyone. Could you shed some light on that? Have you encountered any negative aspects about this model? 
Demonstealer : Ignorance breeds fear and prejudice. Most negativity comes from people who don’t understand how this model works. The only thing here required is trust between fans and the musician. If my fans believe in what I am doing and that I will deliver a worthy album they put their money behind it and pre-order either the download, CD, boxset, t-shirt or some of the other bundles available. This essentially gives the musician the financial power to release the album. These days albums cost anywhere from 2 lakhs to 10 lakhs depending on what you are doing and then for a musician to try and sell cds over a period of a year or more to recover that is ridiculous. So this way if your fans believe in you then they take that burden off you. I strongly believe that many small contributions make a big difference.  
Metalhead Spotted : Demonstealer is a studio project as of now, any chances we can see you performing live with various artists, may be a good idea for a super-group?                                               Demonstealer : I will be taking this live to promote the album when it releases. It won’t be a full time band just a couple of gigs here and there and as an when we get good offers. I don’t think I can take a full various artists entourage with me because that is very expensive but I will have some good sessions musicians on board 
Metalhead Spotted : You have performed abroad more than once. How was your experience there? What you feel is the difference between Indian crowd and outside?
Demonstealer : We’ve always had a blast playing abroad. The audiences vary from country to country. Like Norway they aren’t big on moshing but in Czech Republic they go mental. The common factor is that at the end of the day you play good music and put up a good performance they appreciate it and it’s the same in India too.

Metalhead Spotted : You have been in the scene for a long time and have seen it evolved, people and ideas coming and going. What are the things that you’d say made a positive or negative impact on people’s minds/entire scene?
Demonstealer : The way I see it everything can impact a positive change. The scene has evolved and will continue to do so. The balance is there. Right now the need of the hour is for metal fans to remain metal fans after the age of 23-24 and to continue to come for gigs and support the bands they love.

Metalhead Spotted : In all these years are there any decisions that you took which now when you look back and think should have been thought about a bit more and taken differently?
Demonstealer : Hahahah... well if I’m sure there are tons of things I would have done differently but since that isn’t a possibility I personally choose to not dwell on that thought. I realize that whatever good or bad happened is what has shaped me as a person and DR as a band. I’m one of those people who doesn’t regret anything, unless I’ve hurt someone. Apart from that we had to make the mistakes we made so we could learn and grow from it and so hopefully we can give other bands a heads up to not repeat those mistakes.  

Metalhead Spotted :The new Demonic Resurrection album, ‘The Demon King’ is out. How would you say that this one is different or better than any of your previous work?  

Demonstealer :  I think it’s the evolution of the band and the sound from the previous album ‘The Return To Darkness’. What you hear is a more cohesive work of the members of the band and a more firm footing on what we call the DR sound. For a musician his latest work is always his best because that is how we evolve if you write an album and you don’t think it’s your best work till date, you won’t release it.  However for fans it’s a different story.  

Metalhead Spotted : Lastly, a lot of teenagers aim to be full-time musicians. Many of them might be without any proper guidance, any words of wisdom for them? 
Demonstealer : If you are incredible at your instrument then being a full-time musician is not a problem. However if you restrict yourself to just metal then I would suggest it’s best to get a day job and play music as a hobby on the side. 
Interviewer - Kaushik Joshi
Editor- Puneet Chauhan


Best of Indian Metal- 2014 ~ Metalhead Spotted

2014 was a good year for Indian Metal. We saw many big bands releasing their record and also new bands emerging quickly and receiving crowd appreciation via Singles, EP, and LP. I am going pick up 10 very best records in 2014 and they are not in serial wise. I am just going to express my pick on best releases and am happy so much happening in the Indian Metal Scene. I already see 2015 as another heavy year with metal reaching out to more people.
TDT’s release was a New Year gift to Indian Metal. The record is absolute piece of art and the fusion of folk and thrash been cooked up so perfectly that this album took away almost everything at Rolling Stones Metal awards 2014. If you haven’t heard this, then you should do it now.  “Shiva”, “Nagavalli” are must listen tracks. Buy
Ironclad is a phenomenal record by Undying Inc. We all were saddened after the band got into something we never expected but when they bounced back, they did so strongly that it blew everyone’s mind. Ironclad is just the trailer of what Undying Inc is capable of and I can’t wait to have another groovy, brutal record from the band. The band’s hard work over the years been so inspiring to other people and with this release they certainly have lifted the bar off. So beware, you won’t get rid of this so easily.  “Pit Mechanics” is my personal favorite.

Theorized is one of the best thrash metal bands in the country. “PSYCHOSPHERE” is just a confirmation of their supremacy in the genre. The album is a vast fairy tale for all the thrash lovers. The crunchy riffs, solos, the power in vocals and the overall sound of the band is just at its best level and will seduce you to headbang so badly.  So if you are a thrash maniac, this one will give you orgasm. “Riptide”, “Engines of Creation I & II” “Psychosphere” are the tracks you want to keep in loop. Buy
  •  Toxoid - Aurora Satanae 

This record is really mesmerizing, especially if you are into black metal. “Aurora Satanae” is the record you have to have in your collection if you want to live back in your dark world. The tone is so wicked and satisfying to your ears that you will find yourself in a trauma of blasts and wicked riffs bouncing in your head. Toxoid have definitely kicked off its journey with a blast, so don’t forget to check out the record. “Feed My Wrath”, “Mystical Misanthropic Doctrine” and “Aurora Satanae” are must listen. Buy
This record will take you back to Old School Death metal days. The melody and raw feel which you can feel through your nerves in the record is mind blowing. Winter Gate absolutely killed it in terms of songwriting. I know you will be hooked to this for a long time.
The length of the tracks are long but you know its worthy enough for a song to be of that much length and it stills pull you back and make you travel through all the elements of the song. So this is your food if you are hungry for some in depth tasting music. Buy

 “The Demon King” is absolutely one of the finest albums of 2014. The beauty of the album is its variations in every song. Every song is different in terms of their specific nature they tend to carry or simply the melody and aggressive influences are perfectly blended in. Also the album defines the sound of DR, I can identify any DR songs from the very moment first note comes out which I feel many Indian bands are still figuring out. I bet everyone knows about this record and “The Assassination”, “Death, Desolation and Despair” and “The Demon King” are must listen. Buy

Man” is a masterpiece by Bhayanak Maut. I have no more words to say about this. I can’t decide my best from the album because all the songs are insane. So feel free to go through the journal and the songs again and again and then cook your brain. Buy

Holocaust Awaits”- fluent, brutal and real. This record is a must grab for death metal fans. I loved the guitar parts very much as it somehow sounds unique and separates the band from others. The whole sound of this record proudly belongs to them and the song writing is brilliant with a perfect mix of breakdowns, solos and punchy riffs. “Blasphemy” “Democratic Warfare”, must check.
Buy




Skyharbor's Guiding Lights redefined the beauty of progressive metal. The complete album is a journey and will give anybody internal peace. I enjoyed the in depth emotions being attached to all the songs and how they give you the pinch of being alive and being thankful to everything you have. "Evolution" "Guiding Lights" and "New Devil" should be in your playlist. Buy

Hail Mogambo” is insanely good. Scribe always been known for their unique approach towards their creation and this record will give you the confirmation about how they are now much better. The record is energetic, groovy with some touch of melody. Scribe is undoubtedly the best hardcore act in India and if you dig hardcore, this is your toy. “Cops Cops (Cops Cops)”, “Ha Ha! We are Poor!”, “Captain Raj”, my pick from the album. Buy


I am done. I personally also loved the albums by Gypsy and Asylum. If I missed out any amazing band, let me know; I will surely check out! Keep Smashing \m/ Happy New Year !

-Smashhead

Album Review: Crescent - Pyramid Slaves

Ancient Egyptian mythology,history was always enigmatic,mysterious and ambiguous from centuries and obviously difficult to trace . Cleansing ignorance and darkness Egypt enlightened their mysterious history through spreading knowledge and exposed to the world about ancient enormous fields of science. I believe that the fascination over ancient Egypt will never end and for a good reason.Actually whenever I saw something related with Egyptian mythology,concept  that article or image or band whatever easily attracted me because of their epic history,magnificent theme,culture . In the matter of metal music nowadays the underground is full of newcomers who bring enthusiasm and fresh ideas .
Well,In the middle of 2014 Cairo based Egyptian blackened death metal band Crescent unveiled their debut full length album entitled “Pyramid Slaves” . This album consist with 7 tracks . Basically Crescent was formed in 1999 and in before they had released two EP entitled “Dreamland” in 1999 and “The Retribution” in 2009. Death Metal with Middle Eastern,Mesopotamian or otherwise unconventional influences enjoys indeed tend quite popular . Certain Egyptian mythological theme based bands were able to gain proper attention and Crescent appeared becoming a well established group of bands who can make a fully sound and creative and with a lot of poetry in his lyrics,with well crafted,distinct content . Already Nile,Coffin Texts,Melechesh,Maat is successful and well renowned band with Egyptian mythology but easily “Crescent” became one of my favorite Egyptian mythological band with their mystique and epic musical style . now I’m straight diving to the point about this new album .
when at first I've checked out their first track I was surprised and  this album sounds so authentic, mature it's hard to believe it's only their debut album . After a multiple listen this album infused me with  their heavy, powerful, blasting ,overarching, chromatic musical style laced with technical riffs work ,blackened, gloomy atmospheric vibe with Middle Eastern musical influence just  blew me away . They have exudes tremendous effort in radiant way on this album with excellent diligence and nailed it . I really appreciate this bands each and every musicians unsurpassed ability and skill . This whole album reflects the grand diversity of sound brought together on this album .Their incredibly sensitive, slightly sandy, dusty antique and disparate musical styles all combined in one bold, enlightened display of unbound creativity Despite the often fast , furious, cacophonous, heavy and barbarous form of death metal assaults with a lots of segments of  black metal laced with technical death metal , Middle Eastern musical aspects enriched this album that is very powerful,heavy and excellent all at the same time along with a good  balance of technical death metal music, Middle Eastern music, melody and brutality with strangulated , intricate riffs work and those effective rasps simultaneously . I highly appreciate and embrace this album because of their distinct style .
This albums opening track starts with desert, sandy, dusty Middle eastern scenario followed by blast beating, fast death metal music with onslaught of savage guitar and a wall of spectacular drums  . From this new album we get ultra-fast, oppressive death metal finest variety with just make enough melody . This album is filled with a slew of twisted , traversed ,chugging, groovy, intricate, apocalyptic, crushing riffs line ups with technical prowess . As well bass line up is shifting, chaotic, distorted, rumbled and punchy . Drumming,percussion line up is thundering, dodgy, punishing, frantic,blast beating and rabidly insane . There are a slew of individual riffs, solo sections which sound briefly something exotic . In each track intricate, spectacular riffs, bass lineups matched in fantastic way with technical orientation . This album indulge strong songwriting and brilliant musicianship . Tempo changes are excellent and complicated. Vocals roaring growls, deep rasps, aggressive, vigorous, crucial voice intertwined in a good manner with their utterly savage, merciless, onslaught, violent, uncanny blackened death metal sound with a lots of technical prowess, melodic, Middle Eastern musical accompaniment and embedded perfectly .
I really worship this band. Each song have an energy, fluency and dominating power. Stand out tracks are all of em. I personally cherish each and every single track . Album artwork is atrocious, indelible. Their album artwork reminds me about Hieroglyphics and Portrayed the flavor of Egyptian mythology . Overall "Pyramid Slaves" whole album Sound extremely promising, engrossing , significant and technically well proficient . Indeed this album is such an true gem of this year and this album will give you unyielding awesomeness from beginning  to the end . Their potential on this debut album is appreciable . "Pyramid Slaves" so presented as unshakable strong pyramid . I’ll say this whole album is aesthetics of death metal . outstanding another one release of this year so far . From now I’ll wait for their sophomore release . This is strongly recommend to add it in your collection and this whole album perfectly orchestrated exercise of pure unadulterated mythological death metal.

 Rating: 4.2/5 - ‎Review by Souvik Basu - ‎Dec 16, 2014


NEWS: DEMONIC RESURRECTION FRONTMAN LAUNCHES CROWD FUNDING CAMPAIGN FOR 2ND SOLO ALBUM


Demonic Resurrection frontman, Sahil Makhija, better know as Demonstealer has launched a crowd funding campaign for his sophomore solo album, which is currently untitled. He aims to raise a sum of 4500$ over a period of 40 days through the newly launched platform www.fairfundr.com

Commented Demonstealer, "I've had this album in the works now for a long time and the songs have been ready for a while but given that I had albums to release from Workshop (my comedy rock band), Reptilian Death (my death metal project) and the new Demonic Resurrection album I barely had any time to breathe let alone put this album out. Now I finally have some time and I'm looking at a mid 2015 release of the album. The album is going to have 9 tracks with 3 bonus songs for the crowd funders and musically it's different from what I'm doing with my other projects.It's a lot more straight from the heart kind of stuff and I have some amazing musicians who will be gracing this album with their performances."

Contribute to the project click here:

Listen to demo tracks from the album.

Interview with State of Negation

Founded in 2010, State Of Negation is the 5 piece metal band from the city of Haarlem, in the Netherlands. They played over 150 shows, a number of festivals (Beeckestijn Pop, Occultfest, Strudelfest and more) and also showcased Altersonic at Eurosonic in 2011. They won the Dutch National Metal Battle 2011 and the regional contest “IJmond Popprijs”. In 2012 State Of Negation opened for Suicide Silence in Het Patronaat, Haarlem. They also shared the stage with Onslaught, Sinister & Seita. After 2 successful years State Of Negation released their first and self-produced EP’s titled “PROJECT PAYBACK” and “DISTRICT UNKNOWN” and did their very first European tour. Some of their influences are Lamb of God, Trivium and Machine Head. They also had a bit of a line-up change throughout the year. We have Casper as the frontman, Mike on bass, Tristan and Maurice on guitars and Dennis on drums.We recently caught up with frontman, Casper Leijen, and this is what he had to say.


Metalhead Spotted: Going back to 2010, how did State of Negation originally start?
Casper Leijen: Before 2010, Mike and I had a band called Blackened (or Crashed, after our bipolar name change). That fell apart in 2009 but we didn’t really want to quit there. So in 2010 at Beeckesteinpop we went up to Tristan, the guitarist and together with our old drummer, Tomek we formed State of Negation. Two years later, we were already playing the main stage on that same festival.

When we first formed we tried being a Greek mythology-themed metal band, kind of trying a Sabaton-ish sound, but that didn't work out. You can still see that in some of our song titles (or at least the original song titles) like Hades or Jason and the Argonauts, which got renamed to Visum Veritas. After our first couple of gigs we started making a lot of friends in other metal bands and we did a lot of exchanges.” You get us a gig there; we get you a gig here”. In hindsight that may have been a stupid move, cause we were playing shows in Haarlem nearly every month, so I guess people grew a little tired of us.

Getting to see a band play once is cool, then seeing them again is even cooler ‘cause you can sing along to some of the lyrics, but seeing the same guys play the same set for the 4th or 5th time starts getting on your nerves I guess.

Metalhead Spotted: When was State’s first gig and who did you share the stage with?
Casper Leijen: Fuck. That takes me a while back. Well, the first “official performance” was at my high school, where we played one of those open mic kind of gigs. Though we can’t really call that a gig. The first real gig was at Flinty’s, a cultural center here in Haarlem. We were really good friends with basically everyone there, so at that show we had about 80 people showing up just to mosh to whatever the hell we were doing. They didn't really care if it was good, everything got wrecked that night. I think we could have been playing slow jazz and those guys still would have bashed each other’s heads in.

I remember one guy coming up to me after that show with a massive lump on his head saying he couldn't see colors anymore, only black and white. We did that gig together with Purest of Pain, I believe. After that we became really good friends with them and we’ve done a lot of shows together. The other bands I don’t really remember that well. I think Die For The Purpose of Living was on the bill then too, but that’s all I recall through the beer fuzz.

Metalhead Spotted: Focusing a bit on PROJECT PAYBACK and DISTRICT UNKNOWN, where did the inspiration for your first and second EP come from and who wrote the lyrics?
Casper Leijen: Payback was a bit of a vague area when it comes to writing. I wrote all the lyrics myself and I think 95% of the music was written by Tristan, if not everything. But we kind of just compiled everything we had then, without a big idea behind it.
Back then I was really into Lamb of God, so I would write shit about corrupt governments and camera’s watching everything. It was also back when anonymous was such a big deal so I wanted to write shit about that as well. You can also see that in the video clip for corruption. It has the Guy Fawkes masks in it and some politicians playing with peoples’ lives and stuff. Super cheesy but it was so much fun to just write about all the frustrations in the world. There didn't really need to be a “bigger picture” in it for us, I guess.
Take Project Payback and Corruption for instance, those lyrics are completely interchangeable. I just felt like a punk singer in a metal band yelling fuck the government, you know? It’s fun, but it doesn't have a lot of depth.

District Unknown was a different story. The lyrics became about real life things I either witnessed first-hand or got involved with because of friends of mine. For instance the title track: I got to know the guys from a band called District Unknown through a newspaper article. They live in Afghanistan and they have the roughest time ever to get to play the music they love because of the war going on there. So I got to talk with them and kind of learn their story and it inspired me to write the lyrics to the song. Eventually, all of us liked the concept so much we based all the album artwork on it too.

“Derealise” is about a mental disorder I had for a few years. One of the symptoms was derealisation, which basically means that parts of your day, or your entire day, feels like you’re watching a film or dreaming it. That may sound nice, but it’s really a living hell. Everything just felt fake and your brain really starts believing everything you’re doing is “not real” or something. The more you try to fight it and forcefully trying to go back to feeling normal, the worse it gets, hence “The more you beat the mind, I see, the less you can’t break the code”. It meant so much to me back then to really put all those feelings in a song. That kind of backfired though, ‘cause these days when I’m singing it, it really takes me back mentally to those days.

“Gunslinger” was kind of a step back to the old days. Tristan had written that song years ago, probably in the first year of the band. He had originally named it gunslinger, not as the official title but just to have something to work with. Then when we picked it back up 4 years later, the whole American gun law thing was going on and I wanted to write the lyrics about that, so we went with the title and created something out of it.

Metalhead Spotted: What does being a part of State mean to everyone?
Casper Leijen: I think for most of us, it’s just our entire future. We all have shit on the side now but we really want State to take off at some point, and all our bets are on that. Some of us have some other bands, and I guess they all have equal opportunities to break through at some point, so I’m not saying we’re the best one or anything. But I really do feel like all 5 of us are most focussed on State at this point. I've personally had to give up a lot of other bands and side projects to be able to give State 100%.

Metalhead Spotted: Besides touring in Europe this year, what were some other highlights?
Casper Leijen: I guess there’s nothing else that really stands out that much in particular. There were some cool things, but nothing as big as the tour. Don’t know if you can call this a highlight, but we did change line up. First there was Pim leaving…that was done in a good way though, we still love him, he still loves us (I think? Ha-ha), and we all just accepted we had to move on. So we found Maurice who we've grown to love too. He brought a really new style with him we hadn't really explored that much before then but it changed us in many ways for the better I think.

Then there was drummer Mike (Yeah, we had two Mikes) who left us in a big rage fit. Really, he was gone in a single day. He told us with a text message he was quitting the band, the next day he had already sold his drum kit and after that he just dropped off his keys in my mailbox and we've never seen him again. Weird stuff, but we did get to invite Dennis, a drummer we’d already known for years (partially from that first gig I mentioned earlier. He was the drummer for Die For The Purpose of Living), and he wanted to join us and could play the entire discography in less than a month with no drum kit to practice on at home. We were like “Here, take these CD’s home and learn to play them as soon as you can.” The next week he joined us for his first rehearsal and he already managed to play Project Payback in its entirety, just by listening to it alone. That was the moment we decided “Okay, we need this dude as our drummer no matter what.” He aced his first gig at Strudelfest this year which also came as somewhat of a surprise, because by then he had been with us for I think a month and a half.

Metalhead Spotted: What can we expect from State in 2015?
Casper Leijen: Some really cool stuff is coming up! First of all, we’re working on our first full length album. This is going to be the first release where the lyrics and music is really bound together with a bigger idea behind it.

I’ve been brainstorming with Tristan about the ideas we had. We ended up with the Buddhist reincarnation cycle. They have this theory where you revive after every life, depending on the karma, (both good and bad) you’ve built up in your previous life. This goes on forever, so even if you make it to Buddhist heaven or hell at some point, your good or bad karma will eventually run out there and you’ll be reincarnated in one of the other realms.

It’s really cool, especially for metal, because all of those realms have their own dark undertone. For instance, the god realm is amazing, and you’ll constantly feel good there, but by being there doing nothing for others your good karma slowly burns up, so to say, and you’ll eventually end back up with a “clean slate” in one of the other realms. Of course this is a really crappy way of saying it so quickly, but I've really dug into it and I keep finding out more and more about it. So writing all the songs about this cycle feels good, I finally have stuff to go by instead of sitting down, thinking of whatever comes to mind first and then writing it into lyrics.

We’re going to go through all the realms, Heaven, Demi-God, Human, Animal, Ghost and Hell. The most distinct realms get two songs and we've already written Animal part 1 and Human part 1. The album is really going to be a journey, travelling from heaven to hell, highlighting everything about it.

I will eventually be able to tell you more about it because like I said, this is a really short way of summarizing everything, but it will come down to this in the bigger picture.
We also have some more tours planned together with None Shall Fall. Right now, it’s looking like we’ll head back to Hungary, Germany and the Czech Republic at the start of next year, spend a week in the UK at some point and we’ll hit the road to France, Italy and Slovenia near summer, but that’s still a work in progress.

Metalhead Spotted: And wrapping up the interview, any messages to your fans?
Casper Leijen: Well most importantly, we love you all so much. And that’s fucking cheesy to say but really, it’s indescribable to have people appreciate your music so much. Seeing kids go to shows having the time of their lives in the mosh pit or getting compliments afterwards from guys that have obviously been around in the scene for years is the biggest adrenaline boost you can ever get.

We've been missing out on some stuff and we haven’t properly had a run at gigs for a while because of the line-up changes but right now we’re back in full force and the future is looking golden. The album is coming as soon as we can, all those tours will be on the road probably within a few months already, and we’re coming to fuck your home town up as bad as we can.

Interviewed by Vivean Stoltz

GIG UPDATE: BLACK METAL KREIG 4

This year BMK 4 returns to Thane with a bigger, bad – asser and lengthier lineup never seen before! Last year Black Metal Kreig had been a thumping success with extreme metal bands from the sub - genre arriving from lengths and breadths of the country and this year the game has gone international. Yes sir, with the likes of bands including Sri Lanka’s “Dhishti”, France’s “Manzer” its going to be one mad hat gig not to be missed under any circumstances! Needless to say bands like Toxoid, 1833 A.D, Solar Deity will only add up to the insanity, we recommend some band- aid(geddit, band-aid! sorry) and pain relieving balms for the body aches. Here is the lineup in no particular order:


1) Stark Denial – War based extreme Black metal (Mumbai)

2) Cosmic Infusion – Atmospheric Black metal (Mumbai)

3) Spiked Crib – Symphonic Black metal (Mumbai)

4) Toxoid – Satanic Black metal (Delhi)

5) Solar Deity – Extreme Black metal (Mumbai)

6) 1833 A.D – Extreme Black metal (Delhi)

7) Vinaash Kaal – Black metal (Aurangabad)

8) Dhishti – Depressive Suicidal Black metal (Sri Lanka)

9) Manzer – Thrash/Black metal (France)

Yes folks, you've seen it correct, it’s a 9 band lineup full of devil’s orgy. And what better weather trying to simulate the cold of the Nordic region, its music and otherwise? So this Sunday, grab your favorite drinks, get fuck all stoned and be a part of this historic lineup and its madness! Until next time.

Venue – Same ol’ United 21,Thane
     Entry fee – 600 Bucks
     Time – 4 pm onwards, this Sunday

-Abhimanyu Watve
-

Album Review : Toxoid - Aurora Satane


In the middle of 2014 Delhi based Indian black metal band Toxoid unveiled their debut full length album entitled “Aurora Satane”. Basically they was formed in 2012 . This album sounds so authentic,mature it is hard to believe that it is only their debut album . After checked out this whole album I was just astounded . This whole album hooked me up with it’s vocals blackened rasps ,screaming voice and their deep,unrelenting,hate-filled,merciless,savage musical style with crushing,chugging riffs works and builds layers of blasphemous musical style through high reverb and fast,medium and often slow tempo . They have endeavored an brilliant effort on this album and nailed it . ”Aurora Satane” contains a strong dose of black metal ,with atmospheric vibe,melodic aesthetic . Their whole composition and musical style borrow old school raw black metal atmosphere . This new albums whole ambiance and compositions are brilliant . Their distinct style infused me by a lot . Their musical style adds to the melodic,atmospheric kind of black metal but at the same time the vocals and other parts of the riffing is straight forward borrow ferocity simultaneously . This album just blew me away with their ethereal abyss,heavy,the multi-layered black metal musical style . I highly appreciate this album .
This album is filled with a plenty of cadence, apocalyptic, ominous,hellish,devilish , chaotic ,powerful riffs work . As well bass line up is whopping,intense,strong ,rumbling . Drumming,percussion line up is bleak, frantic,solid and powerful . In each track dismal, delicious, macabre,spiral riffs,bass lineups correlated in well manner . tempo changes are excellent . This album indulge strong songwriting and brilliant musicianship . vocals howling scream, bestial snarls, blackened rasps, high pitch screams ,ruthless, vicious voice emerged on this album in a well manner and intertwined perfectly with their obtuse,bizarrely arrogant, mid-paced, evil melodic,dismal ,utterly merciless,cacophonous black metal musical style with melodic,atmospheric accompaniment and embedded perfectly . Appreciate blasphemous lyrics with satanic realms . Overall u will get sinister,gloomy,desolate, grotesque ambient from this whole album . Each song have an energy  and fluency . Stand out tracks are Baphomet Enraged,Feed My Wrath,Demon Lust,Aurora Satanae,Thy Infernal Defloration. Album artwork is atrocious,indelible and portrayed sinister,gloomy vibe . Overall “Aurora Satane” whole album is Impeccable , prestigious , rich, intense ,significant . This album will give u unyielding awesomeness from beginning to the end . From now I will wait for their sophomore release . Hope their sophomore release would be excellent as “Aurora Satane” or way more superior . Their potential on this debut album is appreciable . This is strongly recommend to add it in your collection and definitely highly recommended for old school raw  black metal fans.

 Rating: 3.2 - ‎Review by Souvik Basu

Review: Schammasch - 'Contradiction'


The enigmatic avant-garde black metal band Schammasch are strikes back with their sophomore release  on this year entitled “Contradiction” . This is a double album consist with 9 tracks . Schammasch was formed in 2009 as a blackened death metal band . later they evolved into avant – garde black metal band .  In before they had released their debut full length album in 2010 entitled “Sic Lvceat Lvx” . Actually Schammasch hailing from Switzerland . Now I am straight going to the point about this new album .
When at first I have heard their first released track probably it was “Golden Light” I was overwhelmed and  hyped from then for this full length album . This bands vocalist C.S.R is such an excellent musician appreciate his unsurpassed ability & skill . Though this bands each and every musician did fantastic job on this album in radiant way . This whole album reflects the grand diversity of sound brought together on this album . It is really not easy to describe their musical style . A natural synthesis of dissonant sounds and disparate styles all combined in one bold, enlightened display of unbound creativity Despite the often fast ,furious,cacophonous black metal assaults  with a lots of segments of slower tempo too where Schammasch combines doomier passages with cavernous drum thrashes, melancholic guitars and those effective rasps .
well,this albums opening track is “Contradiction” .  This track starts with softly,delicate guitar works, followed by an onslaught of tremulous ,dark eerie riffs  and a wall of spectacular,sober drums and  then segues into an acoustic passage with softly spoken vocals . Quickly the song returns to the sonic assailment and  the whispers are transformed into a whirlwind of guitar noise laced with aggression,deliberate cadence . Their whole composition and musical style is impeccable also borrow great atmosphere with sour ,dissonant riffs work .
This new albums whole compositions are extremely filthy and unsettling piece of sinister euphoria and unearthly ambiance . Their distinct entity infused me by a lot . Their musical style have a quite soft and smooth edge in the guitar playing which adds to the more atmospheric kind of black metal but at the same time the vocals and other parts of the riffing is straight forward brutal simultaneously . Honestly saying after a multiple listen this album just blew me away with their ethereal abyss,melancholic,the multi-layered,ominous musical style . Each musicians have exudes tremendous effort on this album with excellent diligence and nailed it . I highly appreciate and embrace this album .
This album is filled with a slew of cadence, apocalyptic, ominous,hellish,doom laden, slow but powerful riffs work . As well bass line up is whopping,intense,strong ,rumbling .  Drumming,percussion line up is bleak, frantic,solid,clattering and powerful .  In each track morbidly delicious,slow,macabre,soaring riffs,bass lineups matched in well manner . The most striking thing you’ll notice about the sound of Schammasch is the air of melancholy that quite literally drips from the noise they create . This whole albums sound  deliver a dissonant,grim feeling,sinister,melancholic,gruesome black metal with raw emotion and pure energy . “Contradiction” endures beauty of black metal . This album indulge strong songwriting and brilliant musicianship . This album have a hypnotic effect on the listener . C.S.R  decently large voice that does well for Schammasch . Especially his whispers are menacing and hoarse voice are excellent . Vocals howling scream, snarling, sneering ,immense,deep rasps ,serene chanting voice emerged on this album in a well manner and intertwined perfectly with their utterly  spellbinding,obtuse,bizarrely arrogant, mysterious,fully blistering  black metal,distant musical style with a lots of melodic,atmospheric,doomy  accompaniment  and  embedded perfectly . Overall you will get  sinister,gloomy,desolate,mysterious ambient from this whole album . I really worship this band .
Each song have an energy ,fluency and  draw a savage landscape .Stand out tracks are all of them . I personally Cherish Contradiction,Split My Tongue,Provoking Spiritual Collapse,Until Our Poison Devours Us,The Inner Word,Golden Light,JHWH track .  Crown is brilliant instrumental track .  Album artwork is atrocious,grisly . Overall “Contradiction” whole album is Spectacular,engrossing ,significant . This album sounds so authentic  and a truly remarkable sonic journey from beginning to end . Indeed this album is such an true gem of this year . Outstanding another one release of 2014 so far . If you looking for  something different, epic this double album will take you on a journey into another universe . so, enter the void and I am sure definitely u will come out stronger,darker than ever before.

 Rating: 4.2/5 - ‎Review by Souvik Basu

News: Fireball is ready to hit Guwahati with its sixth chapter.



Fireball is back again with its sixth chapter. On 23 November, 2014 RockaRolla is going to host this event in the memory of Tariq Abdulla upholding the motto “Join The Indian Armed Forces
The bands

Jupiter Island [ Guwahati | Art Rock]:
Jupiter island is one of the best rock acts of North East India.They are inspired by bands like Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, Steven Wilson, Sigu Ros etc. The band was formed in the year 2011 in Guwahati. They have played in a lots of show in Guwahati and outstation too. It is surely an act to look up to.

Aberrant [ Shillong | Groove Metal]
Aberrant is a groove metal act from Shillong, the land of clouds. They are active from October 2011. They were all from different bands but got together for their love and passion for music.They have played in various stages in the country and are best at what they do. I am sure you won’t miss it as a metalhead.

Still Waters [ Gangtok | Hard Rock]
Still Waters was formed in 2001 in Gangtok, Sikkim. After a series of line up changes over the years,The members are now Abhishek Lemo Gurung (Singer), Sonam Lachungpa (Lead guitar), Lokes Mangar (Bass), Samir Gurung (Rhythm Guitar), Ronald Pradhan (Drums). They are one of the best hard rock bands in the country and are now concentrating on a foreign tour.

Skyharbor [ Delhi/Mumbai/Notts/DC | Progressive Metal]
Skyharbor, the headliners of fireball and one of the legends of Indian Metal scene. Skyharbor continue to grow rapidly as a group and musical entity as they prepare to launch their second album ‘Guiding Lights’ in November 2014. They are on their album release tour. I am sure that you are ready to band with them.


The organizers
ROCKA ROLLA CAFÉ is a renowned event management organization based in Guwahati which deals with artist and band management and has played host to successful shows in the past.

For more details click here

-Rishi Raaj


  

NEWS: BHAYANAK MAUT STREAMS FIRST SINGLE FROM NEW ALBUM 'MAN'


On 31st October Indian metal band Bhayanak Maut dropped their brand new album on their website www.bhayanakmaut.com

The band has also put out a video talking about the origins of the song. Watch the video here:



The band is now streaming the first single Now, Creation. Forever, Destruction. on their soundcloud page.




Review: The End- White Lotus


The End is a solo shoegaze/blackgaze/post-black outfit from Kalyan, India. It’s among the few bands of the wave of post-black acts in the country. It’s a very unique band provided the limited exposure of shoegaze/blackgaze music among the Indian audience. White Lotus is their second full-length release, and it’s a very brave effort. The atmosphere of the album is very beautiful and melancholic. It’s one of the best elements of the record. The lyrical themes are unconventional and feature very dark and philosophical aspects about relationships, among other subjects. The album has very unconventional song structures and abrupt time-signature changes, adding to the blatant-ness of the music. Every track has a similar muted, faded outro which adds to the atmosphere created by the band. This album might not be likened by every ear it reaches, for the style they've played is uncommon among Indian bands. But, for the experienced ear this album might be played on the loop.

-Piyush Ojha

NEWS: BIG69 Festival in Mumbai Announces Fleshgod Apocalypse, Demonic Resurrection and more artists.


The city of Mumbai, India is set to witness it's first proper open air metal festival in years with the announcement of the new BIG69 Festival hosted by Bajaao.com. The first edition of the festival will see bands such as Fleshgod Apocalypse from Italy, Hacktivist from the UK as well as local heroes like Demonic Resurrection, Undying Inc, Kyrptos, Albatross, Gutslit and many others. The festival is still to announce more acts and will feature 2 stages with a total of 22 bands.

The festival teaser video can be watched here:

Season tickets and day passes will go on sale this Friday, November 7th. While presale season tickets are priced at Rs 2,000, student tickets will be available for Rs 1,500, granting access to both days of the festival.

BIG69 Festival 2014 Partial Lineup
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Demonic Resurrection
Hacktivist
Underside
Plague Throat
Albatross
Providence
Gutslit
Devoid
Inner Sanctum
Kryptos
Chronic Xorn
Grammy Winning Effort
Escher’s Knot
Undying Inc
Noiseware
Zygnema

BIG69 Festival takes place on January 17th and 18th 2015 at Richardson and Cruddas, Mumbai. More details here.


News : Darkrypt's dark new single


Here’s a brand new band called Darkrypt, originally called "Morgue 13", formed by Amey (Bass, Vocals) and Nachiket (Rhythm Guitar). Inspired by the mutual interests and love for Old Death Metal bands from the 90's, they pushed on to release the first single, RedRum with Chaitanya Kulkarni on Drums and Joel Joe on lead guitar. Due to some differences, the band lineup changed and had got Aumkar Lele on drums and Rishabh Ravi on lead guitar.

Gathering momentum from this current lineup, the band pushes on to write new songs with the ultimate goal of releasing an EP.

Don’t miss their new single called “Chasm of Death” which shows a taste of the things to come from the promising and very original Darkrypt.

-Abhimanyu Watve

GIG REVIEW: THE GRAND MAMMOTH FESTIVAL MMXIV

                 
Its comfortably over a week past and still I feel the tremors of the The Grand Mammoth Festival madness in the form of a fucked up sleep schedule and erratic neck pains. One of the best local acts under one roof, lots of booze and a venue adjacent to a swimming pool facing an open stage with individuals, randomly if you will; singing crappy bollywood songs seamlessly backed by even crappier background scores; all reinforce your pre- conceived notion of a no bullshit DIY underground gig put together by the blood, sweat and alcohol binges of those hard–working organizers/crew. And just as they say, the energy translates in a much powerful manner in smaller places...and TGMF surely personified this ethos.

Narkasur started their set which was just as I thought, sonically fast and intense thrash with a tinge of groove. Fuckin’ headstrong and in-your-face. After about 3 songs their set got over leaving behind a much needed neck warm –up session. Surely an admirable new talent here.
                               
My journey to this festival started with a usual haggard and end moment decision much to the annoyance of my fellow concert goer/traveler. Little did I know that my decision proved to be a boon in disguise, as the gig started really late, even by metal gig – standards. Which is not a bad thing at all, especially for folks arriving from outstation places ain’t it? Plus, its good for pre gig hangover conditions, if any; as it affords more time to recover and gain some energy. Roughly around 15 minutes later


Primitiv turned out to be quite a powerhouse,bringing to the table a delicious blend of covers with originals.By the light; Obituary, Sabbath’s sweet leaf along with their own Lords of Primitiv,Taurus et al had the audience mesmerized. In all honesty they do sound awesome on-stage!

Next up, the groove monsters in Zygnema belted out their numbers; including 59 and machine state hibernation and a new song to a mostly shirtless crowd in the pit and around it. A superb set indeed.

Then came the slam – death metal outfit, Gutslit, and they made sure to literally tear apart the pit with their ‘Haemorrhoidal Brain Custard’ ‘Atrophic cranial disintegration’ (snigger, turned into a chuckle; and then into laugher); ‘Skewered in the sewer’, a dying fetus cover ‘kill your mother rape your dog’ among others. A very comprehensive setlist, concluded by a pit almost as brutal as the genre. Always great to witness an act like Gutslit who recently played a festival abroad in Europe. Despite minor sound fuckups at the console they made sure to correct em and played on.

By this time I headed straight to a bar for some beer and an energy drink. Before I knew it Devoid had started with those vicious riffs . They hypnotized the audience with a set including ‘A God’s lie’, ‘The Brahma weapon’ out of their new EP and a brand new song ‘I am God’. The crowd went into a frenzy at a hint of a new track being played. The concept of this song was in Arun’s words ‘embracing yourself to be one like God’ or in other words, to consider oneself as powerful as a God. Definitely a positive message to impart, yes sir!



Finally the concert was concluded by the headlining act Sceptre with their introduction to a new vocalist. The thrashers tore through their set which included songs off ‘now or never’ and the recent ‘age of calamity’ with their typical ferocity, the vocalist’s drunkenness helping achieve more energy. Bassist Janus and drummer Aniket made sure to motivate and cheer the crowd and trust me when I say this, the crowd went wild inside the pit. Such things build the reputation of an underground gig with its raw ferocity and power.Before I knew it the concert came to an end, and a new chapter of Vashi’s TGMF was created.Though I wasn't at its last editions I can safely say that the sound, energy and vibe was much higher, bro!

And this is how I conclude this review folks, TGMF with its nice lineup and handling all the aspects of The Game finally. With Tata Docomo as the good sponsors,everything went seemingly fluent, never mind the slight delay in starting the gig. Ending on a high note, I must say this was probably one of the highlight gigs of 2014. Last but not the least big ups to Jeff Dani and Hebzy Jacob william of Moonlight Entertainment to make this event work with clockwork precision.   So, until the next time I say up those horns and stay fuckin’ metal! And keep supporting and help build the scene! Cheers, adios amigos \m/
                                                                   
‎Review by -Abhimanyu Watve
Picture Credits : Sidclicks


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