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NEWS : S Y K's DEBUT ALBUM “ATOMA” FINALLY AVAILABLE!


On May 1st “Atoma” will be released! It’s S Y K's first album (formed by Stefano Ferrian on guitar, Federico De Bernardi di Valserra from Psychofagist on drums, Dalila Kayros on vocals and Luca Pissavini on bass). The album has been recoded and mixed in January/February by Stefano Ferrian. It will be released by L'inphantile Collective (digipack 6 sides), and it will be distributed digitally in all digital stores (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Deezer…). The title is inspired by the koreshian “hollow earth” theory which puts forth the idea that the earth and the universe are contained within a concave sphere. The “Atoma” is the name of the inner sun at the centre of our earth. Lyrics are based upon the fact that god's power is directly proportional to the human ignorance.
This is their first video from the album, “Obsidian”:
It will also be possible to listen on streaming (as a preview) the entire album from their Bandcamp Player!

INTERVIEW WITH FRAGARAK


Fragarak is Indian death metal band from Delhi. The band‘s intense rhythms, exterminate drumming, fierced bass lines and invading musicianship placed them as one of the most newly emerge promising acts. The band earned a growing fan-base in the scene and critical acclaim with its first full-length Crypts of Dissimulation, described as “best debuts in Indian metal”. Crypts of Dissimulation would be one of the stand out albums from Indian metal scene. Fragarak‘s well-crafted music in their own way showcase where the band’s influences are firmly rooted in. Short while ago we grabbed them for this little conversation regarding their music, sound, style, previous release, future plans and many more general things.

Metalhead Spotted: Greetings from Metalhead Spotted! Firstly congratulations to you for securing a slot at Asia Metal Fest,China. Well, how did the story of forming Fragarak go? Could you please introduce Fragarak to our readers?
Fragarak: Thank you !
Yes, initially before Fragarak was formed, it was just Kartikeya(bass), Sagar(drums) and Ruben(guitars), as they were band mates from previous projects. Even before Arpit and Supratim came into the picture, there were a couple of initial structures and ideas of the album laid down. After auditioning for a vocalist, we were fortunate enough to finally find Supratim and found his vocals and ideologies to be similar with the band's views for the sound. It was during that time, we were looking out for a lead guitar player, and that's when we got to know about Arpit through a friend, and after checking out some amazing guitar skills through various videos he had sent to us, we were convinced he is a perfect fit for the band and actually brought a lot to the table. That is how the entity of Fragarak was born!

Metalhead Spotted: How did you came up with the band's name? Are there any mythical roots of the band name?
Fragarak: We jammed as an anonymous ensemble for almost.a month before entering the.studio, we finally decided on Fragarak, after countless names were tossed around. The name should rightfully depict our musical theme. Derived from the Celtic sword “Fragarach” which is empowered to shatter the toughest of all shields, Fragarak aims to attack the unrevealed deceptions shielded by the system and hence the name!

Metalhead Spotted: What influenced Fragarak‘s style and sound? What are the sources from which you draw your inspirations?
Fragarak: We are chiefly inspired by the sound characterising the early 90’s death metal scene, which comprised certain inherent black metal elements. To name a few bands would be Dissection, Unanimated; Besides Death as a direct influence, Cynic & Edge of Sanity also remain our main influences, considering the progressive elements they used in the realms of death metal sounds. Along with technical aspects from many modern death metal bands, it is worth to mention that classical music influences by J.S Bach and Richard Wagner are also important.

Metalhead Spotted: Your latest dominant release Crypts of Dissimulation received rightfully by fans. How do you feel about success it has in recent times, since it includes your debut full-length?
Fragarak: We always aimed to create an album with non-generic sound, which would hopefully bring something new to the table. We had a vision on how we wanted the album to shape up, which we think we did justice to at the end. With all the acclaim, praise and reviews received, it does feel good and motivating.


Metalhead Spotted: Lyrics shows that your songwriting chops often deals with society, injustice, anarchy and mythology. At a time what inspires you for the writings based upon injustice and mythology?
Fragarak: Against orthodoxy, would be more precise. The lyrics are dominantly themed upon the society and the lies it portrays as undeniable truth. To question the authority that steps on us, to retaliate against the lies we are forced to live with and to cultivate a much needed shamble is what the lyrics invoke... Yes, the phrasing language is in-the-face & strong, so that it hits you to realise that: what you are listening to is not unnecessarily catchy to chant - it’s as harsh as the reality out there!

Metalhead Spotted: Crypts of Dissimulation is both brutal old school and progressive in equal measure and the music is Well crafted, complex and streaking. How will you illustrate your sound to the fans?
Fragarak: Things didn’t start out by defining a genre, as we kept our composing as an experimental process where we explored and pushed our musical creativity as much as we could. We had an aim as to what we wanted to create musically, but kept our minds open to new ideas that sprung up within the band. It seemed to have worked for us and the music, as it turned out could best be defined by progressive death realms.

Metalhead Spotted: Well-crafted death metal compositions with elements from Black metal, Doom metal and Grindcore is being Fragarak‘s trademark now. How did you maintain a sound and outlook with such a way of working?
Fragarak: We weren't aiming at anything typically. We wrote down sections for songs as and when new ideas struck us and we definitely avoided forced writing which really helped us to focus and align our thoughts with what we wanted to achieve with Crypts of Dissimulation. We were always clear of wanting to explore, as for us it provided endless opportunities. The main key to our song writing were the arrangements, as we don’t follow a particular song structure per say.


Metalhead Spotted: Fragarak is set to play at Transcending Obscurity Fest, Is there anything you’re looking forward to doing on Transcending Obscurity Fest in support of Crypts of Dissimulation?
Fragarak: Definitely, yes! We’ll be playing the festival in support of our debut release with the set-list comprising the full length tracks from the album.

Metalhead Spotted: How do you view the metal scene in Asia and some excellent acts that have emerged in recent times throughout the Indian subcontinent?
Fragarak: Metal, over the.years have gained it’s prominence in Asia and yes, there has been a surge of remarkable bands from this part of the world. Asian metal has forayed into the world scene which is quite evident from the number of bands from here touring in the western parts of the globe, and it’s a matter of both pride and inspiration for the upcoming scene slowly building up momentum here. The number of potential acts from the sub-continent are many, and with the deserved exposure for their music, it might just as well cause a favourable impact. Being featured in the Asia Metal Festival line-up during our upcoming China tour, alongside great many premiere Asian extreme acts, this will be an interesting phase for us to be a part of and acknowledge what potential this part of the globe holds!

Metalhead Spotted: You guys had a great 2013, for sure. So what’s in store for rest of 2014? Any plans for new merchandise and album?
Fragarak: 2013 being good, we aim to make 2014 better! Kicking it off with the Nepal Death Fest and the upcoming China tour, there will be hopefully more tour dates in 2014 soon. Besides the available merchandise tees, which are on the verge of clearing out, next up will the Transcending Obscurity powered Fragarak “Crypts of Dissimulation” tees. The artwork is to be revealed shortly, and yes work on the next album is definitely in the pipeline!

Metalhead Spotted: Thanks for taking the time out for this little interview. Any last shout outs? And words to say to Transcending Obscurity Fest attendees?
Fragarak: Those who already have our album will witness the impact live, they are sure to relive their memorable moments from the album soon. Those who’ll be hearing us for the first time might expect some fresh reverberations for times to come, after their experience. Here’s to some good times we look forward to have, playing at the TO festival in Mumbai.. cheers!

Interviewer- Akshay Gaikwad
Edited by- Mercy Thoras

GIG UPDATE : TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY FEST | HOTEL UNITED 21, THANE (MUMBAI)



The great transcending obscurity fest is coming near,and fast!
Showcasing a bohemian mix of 9 (yes,9!)bands arriving from different nooks and corners of the country, this one-of-a-kind fest brings you a whole tasty platter of varied genres from thrash to doom to sludge to grindcore,all under one roof. Prepare to be amazed by the sheer length of the lineup gracing the venue at Hotel united 21,Thane on the 11th of May. Be sure to mark your calendars to witness the madness that awaits you this summer.

Still not convinced? The first 100 invites will receive, at an entry fee of a mere 500, a free Fragrak,Gutslit CD, Free SystemHouse 33 poster + digital album (for the first 50) the notorious Grossty and Deadbolt stickers!(offer valid till stocks last)So hurry, grab yours and your friends early birds and make sure to not miss this scrumptious metal delicacy!

Oh yes,the crowd can get a little out of hand and carried away sometimes,so do keep your Alka-Seltzers close :-P

Here's the lineup with no particular order**:                                                                                                              
Albatross (Heavy Metal, Mumbai)
Djinn & Miskatonic (Doom, Bangalore)
Fragarak (Technical Death Metal, Delhi)
GUTSLIT (Brutal Death Metal, Mumbai)
Insane Prophecy (Black/Death Metal, Guwahati)
Cosmic Infusion (Atmospheric/Symphonic Black Metal, Mumbai)
Orion (Progressive Death Metal, Mumbai)
Grossty (Grindcore, Bangalore)
Stark Denial (Black Metal, Mumbai)  

**(may change without prior notice)
Big ups to Riju, Kunal Choksi, Dheeraj, Kunal Gonsalves for organizing and to coordinate this event.
RSVP HERE

-Abhimanyu Watve

GIG REVIEW : THE FINAL COMING


After a presumably long search for the venues, The Stormbringer team got its hands on Rastafa, a restaurant with great ambience and a perfect place for a metal gig and recommended it to Akshat & Jinu for The Final Coming which was a complete DIY gig and more of a farewell gig for members of What Google Can't Find, Akshat Vaze & Ajinkya Joshi along with Varun Sathi of Numb Stubbed Thieves (N.S.T.), later bringing in Existence failed on board.

Numb Stubbed Thieves, a fairly young grunge rock band opened for the evening, mostly playing covers with a couple of OCs. Gumrah, an OC was the tightest song in their set along with a few good renditions of Nirvana songs. The drummer was a treat to watch as he played impeccably and with ease throughout the set. NST took more time to complete the set than headlining
What Google Can't Find, and the lame on stage joke made it even worse.

Existence Failed playing after 2 year hiatus was a relief to watch after NST. Vocalist Amrut Sathe displayed tremendous energy, his raw and aggressive tones with nifty delays on sound, along with the band's near flawless musicality, helped EF to make a mark they expected after a gap of 2 years. Their new line-up consists of Siddharth Bandal and Amrit from Mumbai-based Petrichor.

Amongst Denied was up next with Ajinkya Joshi on vocals. These guys make a lasting impact anytime I hear them live, especially guitarist Akshat Pande and Akash Sharma, he never fails to impress.

Adamantium was in line to destroy the stage next, crazy duel vocals & awesome crowd connection from Rohit and Girijith, the birthday boy, made it fun to break bones in the pit. Kevin on drums and the energy level over 9000 are the reasons I won't ever get tired of listening to them, hats-off mate! The final set, with What Google Cant Find and musicians from other bands Shubrayu De (Dark Helm), Akshay Gaikwad (What Plough?) Sushant Kulkarni (Amongst Denied) bid a proper farewell to their fellow musicians. 2-3 OCs and a couple of decent covers including Lamb Of God, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit, ended the day on a sad note for the founding members. We wish Akshat and Ajinkya best of luck with the other interests they want to pursue & hope to see them on stage again, someday (soon).

This was a tremendously successful effort on all the 4 bands, who have with the same or more enthusiasm helped this city's scene rise again.

Also, check out the link for 'Blizzard' below, an event by Metalhead Spotted in association with The Stormbringer at the same venue.
RSVP here

Review by- Kaushik Joshi

Arch Enemy New Vocalist

Legendary Melodic Death Metal band Arch Enemy got a new vocalist Alissa White-Gluz (ex vocalist of The Agonist). Believe it or not it was a huge shock the Metal world and also the fans of Arch Enemy here are the words from The Goddess of Metal herself stating her reasons for her departure from the band:


Angela Gossow comments:
“Dear ARCH ENEMY fans, this is not easy to tell you…I have decided to step down from being ARCH ENEMY’s voice of anger. After 13 years of pure fucking metal, 6 studio albums and countless tours through five continents, I feel the need to enter a different phase in my life, be with my family and pursue other interests. I will however remain business manager for ARCH ENEMY, and I will continue to develop my artist management roster.
I am staying true to my heavy metal roots, just leaving the spotlight so to speak. I am passing the torch to the super talented Alissa White-Gluz, whom I’ve known as a dear friend and a superb vocalist for many years. I always thought she deserved a chance to shine – and now she’s getting it. Just like I got that chance back in 2001.
I want to thank all ARCH ENEMY fans, our labels Century Media (worldwide) and Trooper Entertainment (Japan), our dedicated road crew, and in particular Michael, Daniel and Sharlee for their love and support throughout all these years. It’s been one hell of a ride! We conquered every situation, made it through thick & thin together in the most exciting and rewarding time of my life. Thank you all for being there with me on stage, in front of the stage, and backstage. You have touched my heart, and I hope I was able to give something back to you. I am grateful for the wonderful memories - I will cherish them forever!
I am looking forward to the next decade of ARCH ENEMY madness! Right now I am listening through rough mixes of the new studio album and I am blown away! 2014 will see a renewed ARCH ENEMY at the top of their game. I am proud to be part of this ARCH ENEMY chapter, albeit in a different way - revving up the engines behind the scenes. I hope to see you in front of the stage, I will join you there this time. Let the killing begin, once again!

Arch Enemy will start playing live shows starting in May, they will also announce a U.S tour this fall. March 20th Arch Enemy previewed there new video “War Eternal” which is their title of their new album coming in June.



ARCH ENEMY live
May 23 - TURBOHALLE - Bucharest, Romania
May 24 - Metal Summer Festival - Istanbul, Turkey
May 25 - Mixtape 5 - Sofia, Bulgaria
May 27 - Majestic Music Club - Bratislava, Slovakia
May 29 - Rock and Roll Arena - Romagnano Sesia (Novara), Italy
May 30 - New Age Club - Roncade, Italy
June 02 - L' Etage - Rennes, France
June 03 - Le 106 - Rouen, France
June 04 - La Laiterie - Strasbourg, France
June 05 - Rosenhof - Osnabrück, Germany
June 7 - Sweden Rock Festival - Sölvesborg, Sweden
June 09 - Studio USF - Bergen, Norway
June 10 - John Dee - Oslo, Norway
June 11 - Copenhell - Copenhagen, Denmark
June 13 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
June 14 - Conrad Sohm - Dornbirn, Austria
June 15 - Nova Rock - Nickelsdorf, Austria
June 27 - Rock am Härtsfeldsee - Dischingen, Germany
July 9 - RockMaraton, Pesc, Hungary
July 11 - Rock Harz Open Air - Ballenstedt, Germany
July 12 - Masters Of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
July 13 - Seven Festival - Wegorzewo, Poland
July 19 - Dong Open Air - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany
Aug. 2 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
Aug. 7 - Getaway Rock - Gävle, Sweden
Aug. 8 - Leyendas Del Rock - Alicante, Spain
Aug. 9 - Alcatraz Metal Festival - Kortrijk, Belgium
Aug. 14 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
Aug. 17 - Alt-Fest - Kettering, UK
Sept. 22 - Re:Republic - Minsk - Belarus
Sept. 23 - Yunost' - Kiev, Ukraine
Sept. 25 - Arena Hall - Krasnodar, Russia
Sept. 27 - Glav Club - Moscow, Russia
Sept. 28 - Zal Ozhidaniya - Saint Petersburg, Russia
Sept. 30 - Otdykh Club - Novosibirsk, Russia
Oct. 1 - Angar Club - Omsk,
Oct. 3 - Tele Club - Yekaterinburg, Russia 



REVIEW : DIABOLUS ARCANIUM- 'SPELLBOUND'


Diabolus Arcanium is a Chennai based symphonic black metal band which has recently come out with its debut called "Spellbound". Their music is characterized by a distinct atmospheric feel, seamless synth interludes and intense blast beats. This does not in any way, mind you, imply Diabolus Arcanium to be yet another stereotypical goat sacrificing, church hating, screaming and screeching morbidly fascinated Satan worshipping act. Their songs are insightful and melodic; inspite of being heavy to the avid listener with almost poetic and ambient lyrics gutted out by the vocalist "hex". They recently released their debut through "Haught records"). After major changes in their lineup, the style of music including the bands name; the focus has been on songs based on satanic philosophy with an atmospheric bend. Case in point, 'Herald of darkness' ,'Spellbound' 'Spiritual Entropy' and 'Kingdom of sin'.. All of which have very intricate riffs behind Hex's guttural vocals. The album has hints at Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth and Norwegian influences. But the only downside to the album one might find is the final mix which simply does not do enough justice to the music. Specially the drums by 'Astaroth' while providing brilliant blast beats are a tad too soft and severely lack resonance and the required "punch". Hence the final mix ends up sounding like a demo take rather. But other than that the synthesizers make up for the deficit and help strongly build the sonic direction of the album.

All in all it’s a nicely laid out debut effort by a band who has done a very important thing, i.e. mark the foundation of their style and blend right from the start. Here's hoping for a great future and a heavier path to Diabolus Arcanium.

 Rating: 2.7 - ‎Review by Abhimanyu Watve - Edited by Navjot Kaur Gill  - ‎April 12, 2014

Drug Honkey invited to play at the Roskilde Festival 2014


Transcending Obscurity band from US, Drug Honkey, playing a genre-bending style of Death/Doom/Experimental music has been invited to play alongside acts such as The Rolling Stones, Carcass, Mogwai, Mournful Congregation, Electric Wizard and others in Denmark this year for the prestigious Roskilde Festival 2014. The complete line-up can be viewed here

Drug Honkey has been at it since the '90s, releasing four highly-acclaimed full-length albums in addition to a stunning live release. The band's energy can only be palpable. Here's an electrifying (almost literally so) live song -



The band has most recently released an anti-drug message T-shirt with the words "The only drug you need is Drug Honkey" on the back. It's a limited edition print, available for purchase from the label's Bandcamp.

Review: Midhaven - 'Spellbound'


Here is a new addition to the Asian heavy metal scene. They are the youngest of the guild in Pacific Asia to be signed to a major label. They breathe metal, live metal, and bleed metal. The band gives you a fresh dose of interesting Experimental and Progressive Metal through their first album, entitled “Spellbound”. With an instrumental that reminds one of Mastodon, clean vocals similar to Katatonia and harsh grunts and growls that back the cleans beautifully. On listening to the intro song “Lunar Blessing” one might be fooled to think that this band incorporates electronic music elements, but can be definitely wrong. “Seeking the Divine”, the 2nd track, will certainly raise some eyebrows and charge ones curiosity to reach the end of the album. “Spellbound”, “Tales from the Tide”, “The Third Eye” and “White Wash” are the songs that one might find most impressive. Midhaven can do well in the quality of production. The guitars one could say could’ve been a little better if clearer rather than raw and edgy.

Midhaven is a very talented, interesting, captivating  band, from which one would like to hear more of in the future., Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar

 Rating: 3/5 - ‎Review by Kevin Junk Kidd - Edited by Navjot Kaur Gill  - ‎April 6, 2014

NEWS : ACCEPT Set To Release New Album BLIND RAGE on 18th July


It is wild and scary and it’s called 'Blind Rage' !" says Guitarist and Composer Wolf Hoffmann about the German/American Heavy Metal band ACCEPT's July 18 release 'Blind Rage'. The album will be released via Nuclear Blast records, and produced by Andy Sneap. "Something happened to us, something subliminal and impetuous," adds Hoffmann. "The cover artwork done by Daniel Goldsworthy shows the beast coming over us in blind rage — all over the planet. Wherever we go, whenever you turn on the TV there is blind rage in the works either natural catastrophes or man-made madness."

''There's some songs on this one, I think, that when you hear the opening riffs, you're gonna go, 'Wow! This could have been on 'Balls To The Wall'. This could have been on 'Metal Heart'.' It's just very classic-sounding stuff, classic-sounding ACCEPT stuff. But with a lot of very diverse things on this record as well. I mean, you've got the heavies and the double basses, but some things that, I think, are a little different."

-Piyush Ojha

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