Gig Preview: FISTFUL OF STEEL

This July 29^th Kolkata will be facing an extreme metal mayhem brought forward by Earth One Productions and The Bunker Jam Studios. Fistful of Steel is their first endeavor and features 6 of city’s extreme metal elites who are all prepared to bring forth destruction this coming Saturday!

Strangulate: Currently one of the most acclaimed death metal bands in the city, Strangulate reached new heights with their debut record ‘Catacombs of Decay’ and are looking for blood as they begin sessions for their upcoming release!

Discography: Catacombs of Decay (2016)

Deadbolt: They recently served some intense fuckin’ thrash metal at their comeback show and will also be tearing it up at Fistful of Steel! With the new line up locked and tight in place Deadbolt will be thrashing up some no bullshit metal and ensure savagery!

Discography:

• City of Rot (demo/single) 
• Kill for Chaos (demo/single) 
• Skullfucked (rehearsal demo) 

Evil Conscience: One of the oldest metal bands from the city, Evil Conscience will be delivering Tech-Death devastation and you can expect some material from their upcoming record as well! Influecned by bands like Necrophagist , Beneath The massacre, The contortionist , Brain Drill, etc. Evil Conscience will bring forth their unique brand of death metal and decimate all that stands ahead!

Discography: Death is Only the Beginning (2013, EP)
Check out Evil Conscience on Reverbnation here!

Xplikator: Although young, these thrashers have made sure that their material is top notch and their delivery, ruthless! Xplikator will be bringing the thunder at Fistful of Steel with their toxic thrash metal!

Discography: Toxic Death (demo/single)

Divide Torture: These death metallers sure know their shit as proven from their previous shows. Expect absolute ruthlessness from Divide Torture as they take stage with brand new material and some kickass covers!

Discography: Where Pleasure Takes Flesh (live demo)

Vulgustrike: These boys have been playing their own brand of thrash metal for quite a while now and will be expanding their reign on the 29th of July! Watch out for Vulgustrike

Discography: Conquer Carnage (demo/single)

You are welcome to witness one of the most ruthless and aggressive shows that have gone down in this city! Expect to witness sheer death/thrash debauchery and a horde of extreme covers at Fistful of Steel!

Passes are out at INR 150/- only. Click here to visit the event page for details!

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with ARMAMENT

Diabolus Ex Machina present their first show, Insidious Prophecy Vol. I with an extreme line-up featuring bands from Kolkata, Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam. The bands playing are Strangulate, Armament, Infernal Diatribe, Deadbolt, Lunatic Fringe, Divide Torture, Chaotic Dread, Genocide Disorder and Gnosis of Catacomb.

Indian Metal Scene recently spoke to Armament, a thrash metal band from Kolkata. Here are some excerpts!

About the band: “Every time we get this, it’s like taking a glance at how we have spent the last few years making music. It is a bit nostalgic really considering the fact that so many things have changed around us in the last 5-6 years or so.

Well, the band formed back in the winters of 2011, November to be precise, with two immensely talented guitar players that we have seen during our existence and one guy giving vocals. All we were trying to do is jam and create something which we liked. It was not like trying to send a message initially since we hardly had any idea about the then existing scene or whatever there was, but there were a number of them who really enjoyed this form of music and has been a support for the band through and throughout.

Slowly the entire line up was set and we were up and running with our first gig happening in 2012. Since then the band of course faced the fundamental obstacles considering our clichéd surroundings and lifestyles with the occasional dormancy, but every time our supporters have pushed us back on the stage with the Rocky Balboa theme song playing in the background. Ha ha ha!

But truly it has been a great experience, playing with so many killer bands out there and getting to know so many people who support the spirit of heavy metal.”

Perception of Thrash: “To be honest to the guys if someone might think that Thrash Metal is a way to express your anger and hatred only, you are only partially right cause all of us metal heads, all over, go through that time when we get that urge to end the day with that moment of bliss were we tune into those classic records and clear our heads from the regular bullshit we face in our daily lives. It has been a gradual process that we started to think about this music more seriously.”

Songwriting: “The majority of the lyrical compositions were made by Soubhik and Sharan (the first person to have set the beats in the jam-room during the earliest days) based on which the guys would try to create riffs, which is how I guess it is around the globe. The song-writing would mostly be done based on themes and trying to relate them with our everyday social life. It was more like telling ourselves that it is ok to be frustrated, you put on those headphones and head bang all your stress out of your brain.”

Ideology and lyrical themes: “To tell the truth we never thought we will go out on the streets with big slogans telling how fucked up the world was, but heavy metal was something which always spoke the truth. For us we were trying to be different from the contemporary bands around us, at the same time it was like spreading the awareness of the genre that had existed for nearly 30 years. The band has always chosen to be subtle when it came to the portrayal which would probably reflect on the music that we create. As for our debut release First Strike,  which came out back in 2015, the entire EP was written keeping in mind the history of Kolkata, the political agendas and the atrocities that happened all over the city. While Gas Chamber was a dedication to the tragic inferno at AMRI Hospital,  which happened back in 2011, Wings of Death and Hammer of God were written keeping a metamorphic message within the lines.”

Influences: “The band had influences from varied genres when it came to individual players but what moved the band together was the classic sound of the late 70’s and 80’s era, starting from the dark lyrics and theme of Black Sabbath to the extreme bands like Morbid Angel. Keeping aside all these the Brazilian and Teutonic thrash bands like Sodom, Destruction, Sepultura, Sarcofago and also Sadus have been considered as the Elder Gods by us.”

Any upcoming release? “New materials are currently brewing within closed chambers and of course we plan to record something new and fun before we finally hit the studios for our full length.

Also we have a number of shows lined up for the band in the upcoming months following the Insidious Fest with Nepal being our next stop later April. The band is really looking forward to it since it is the first time the troops will be marching beyond international borders.”

What’s in store for the show? “We are planning a short and fast set for the Insidious Fest with a new original added to the set. Apart from that we will be doing a Kreator tribute for all the crazy maniacs there. Really looking forward to it since it will be a pre party sort of a thing alongside a number of familiar faces as well as new ones, before we finally set sail for Nepal.”

Any message? “Gear up. Only a day is left for Insidious Prophecy Vol. 1. The Army is coming for ya.. ha ha \m/ Looking forward to joining you guys in the pit.”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake, Sector 5, Kolkata. Early bird passes are priced at 250 INR and at-the-gates passes at 300 INR. For details, follow the event page on Facebook!

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with DEADBOLT

Diabolus Ex Machina are all set to host their first extreme metal show Insidious Prophecy Vol. I in Kolkata on April 14. The line-up features nine metal bands from the city and the North-Eastern part of the country spanning across a slew of sub-genres- Infernal Diatribe, Strangulate, Armament, Deadbolt, Chaotic Dread, Gnosis of Catacomb, Divide Torture, Lunatic Fringe and Genocide Disorder.

Indian Metal Scene recently had a conversation with Deadbolt. Here are some excerpts!

About the band: “Deadbolt was formed in the summers of 2013, and played live for the first time in the same year in November. Since then we have gone through multiple line-up changes but have always come back strong. Along the way we have also had the opportunity of sharing stage with metal giants such as Impiety and Funerus.”

Perception of Thrash: “We play straight up old school thrash metal, no frills and stuff. But if one listens closely I think there are traces of death metal to be found in our music as well. We believe thrash metal is very relevant in today’s world as it is one probably the only genre that can match up to and clearly portray the rise in amount of social angst and also take a stand against oppression.”

Songwriting, ideology and lyrical themes: “There is no singular process to our songwriting. Almost all of our songs have been written in different ways but usually the lyrics are done first. As a band we don’t really stand for any particular ideology, however do we use our music as a tool to take a stance against different forms of oppression that are at large in our society. ”

Influences: “Early Sepultura, Kreator, Slayer, Demolition Hammer…actually we can write an essay on this.”

 

Upcoming release? “Hopefully we’ll be able to drop the full length this year. Most of the material is written, just need to sit down and get it recorded!”

What’s in store for Insidious Prophecy Vol. I? “We’ll be having two new members debuting at this gig, so really looking forward to playing with this brand new line up! Also, if Deadbolt’s on the bill you can always expect some Slayer covers!”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Passes are priced at 250 INR early bird and at 300 INR at the gates.

Follow the event page on Facebook here!

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with LUNATIC FRINGE

The first edition of Insidious Prophecy is an extreme metal fest to be held in Kolkata on April 14, featuring nine bands on the line-up- Strangulate, Infernal Diatribe, Armament, Lunatic Fringe, Deadbolt, Divide Torture, Gnosis of Catacomb, Chaotic Dread and Genocide Disorder. Indian Metal Scene recently had a conversation with Lunatic Fringe, a progressive black metal band from Guwahati/Itanagar. Read here!

About the band: “Lunatic Fringe came into existence when two metalheads got together in mid 2011 to contribute their musical ideas and concepts as one unit to the Indian metal scene. Later, after a year in September 2012, the other two members joined and we released our debut single “Exorcism Hymn” shortly after. More than playing very technical or complicated stuff, we focus on making music with eternal depth. Although the structure of the songs might be simple, what matters to us is that the music overall should sound grand. It should have that potentiality, weight and feel.”

Perception of black metal: “Black metal is a unique art form which allows us to express all kinds of human emotions. We really don’t consider Satanism as something like a necessary identity for being a black metal artist/fan. Black metal is all about one’s own vision. For example, black metal bands from European countries like Poland, Norway, Sweden etc had a clear and a strong reason to do whatever they did according to them, their place, their system, their culture, their society and that is why they are known worldwide in the black metal scene. We Indians have our own concepts, diverse culture, native values and many thrilling tragic stories which we can lace our music around. In fact we feel that if we artists here do this, the black metal fans from outside the country will find creativity in us and naturally start loving our work. So, only musically and artistically there seems to be a reason to be influenced by the great black metal artists but not conceptually. After all black metal is all about originality.

Church of Blood

“Since our influences mostly come from black metal and all its sub-genres- depressive, old school, blackened death, etc and also some melodeath metal (basically dark melody music), our nature of sound coincides with those. Basically we say, we play progressive black metal because we really don’t like sticking to particular limitations. We write originals with various feels, various melodies but without compromising on the basic root of our music style- dark grooves and melodies.”

Songwriting, ideology and lyrical themes: “We mostly write about mythologies, characters in histories etc with a target to regenerate their essence and emotions to the masses, expressing it in an extreme way through this extreme genre of music! We also write music critical of the system or society. Besides these, our lyrical themes and ideology consist of the essence of ancestral legends.”

Live at Metarock

Influences: “Bands like Behemoth, Mayhem (with old line up of Dead, Euronymous , Necrobutcher and Hellhammer), Burzum influence us a lot in an artistic way like making original music, creativity in work, the gratitude and good will of being a true metalhead, being honest with our music and being devoted towards it. Also artists like Belphegor, Death, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Chthonic, Dimmu Borgir, Shade Empire, Uaral and many more influence us.”

What’s cooking? “We are currently working on our debut E.P which will be released by June. We look forward to playing in Kolkata for the first time. See you all at Insidious Prophecy Vol. I!”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Tickets are priced at 250 INR early bird and 300 INR at the gates. 

Follow the event page on Facebook!

 

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with GNOSIS OF CATACOMB

Diabolus Ex Machina present their first show, Insidious Prophecy Vol. I with an extreme line-up featuring bands from Kolkata, Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam. The bands playing are Strangulate, Armament, Infernal Diatribe, Deadbolt, Lunatic Fringe, Divide Torture, Chaotic Dread, Genocide Disorder and Gnosis of Catacomb. Indian Metal Scene recently spoke to Gnosis of Catacomb, a three-piece black/death metal band from Kolkata. Here are some excerpts!

“We are a three-piece black/death metal band. The band was formed in December 2012 by Asmodeus (guitarist) and Nastik Monk (drummer) as Grim Of Catastrophia. Back then, the band was heavily influenced by bands like Bathory, Hellhammer, Mayhem, Burzum and Slayer. Later on, in early 2013, Apollyon joined the band as the vocalist.

“From the very beginning, we were determined to make original music. For the first one and a half year, we gave a lot of attention to making music rather than doing Live shows. We did our debut gig in July 2014 alongside Ugrakarma, a death metal band from Nepal and did two other gigs that very year alongside Impiety, Manzer, Necrodiety, Infernal diatribe and Deadbolt. We went on to release our debut EP Abolition of Barriers.

“Post that period, we discovered our interest in black/death metal bands like Sarcofago, Archgoat and Blasphemy. So we ended up changing our sound and finally the name of the band as Gnosis Of Catacomb. After almost two years, we did another gig at Black Mass Ritual last year alongside Surtur and Nekrohowl from Bangladesh. As of now, we are working on our next EP Eternal Death Doom and are looking forward to performing at Insidious Prophecy Vol. I on April 14.

“When it comes to our band’s ideology, it is more of a dynamic process than a static one. When we began our journey back in 2012, we did not even consider this part. We were more intrigued by the music itself than any other factor. During 2013-2014, we started learning about Satanism as we thought we were supposed to know about it if we were to make black metal music. Eventually, we started getting familiar with different philosophies and the prior notion got worn away with time. At this moment, we believe, nothingness is the best word to define our ideology. It is quite similar to the vast universe that we try to observe but whose vastness and structure we fail to understand. We end up losing ourselves amidst the darkness and the maybes. Initially, we were more intrigued by the music itself and did not pay much heed to the lyrical content. So, we overlooked the lyrical part and we mainly used to portray Satanic images with very little introspection. But lately, we have been focusing on our ideology in songs like Eternal Death Doom and have also been portraying themes like destruction of forces which try to sabotage our meditation- blasphemous sacrament!”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake, Sector 5, Kolkata. Early bird passes are priced at 250 INR and at-the-gates passes at 300 INR. For details, follow the event page on Facebook!

 

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with GENOCIDE DISORDER

The first edition of Insidious Prophecy to be held in Kolkata on April 14 features on the bill Infernal Diatribe, Strangulate, Armament, Deadbolt, Divide Torture, Lunatic Fringe, Gnosis of Catacomb, Genocide Disorder and Chaotic Dread. This is the debut extreme metal show being organized by Diabolus Ex Machina and features bands from Kolkata and the North-East playing a variety of styles. Indian Metal Scene had a conversation with grindcore act from Manipur, Genocide Disorder where they spoke about their music, songwriting, influences and plans for the upcoming gig. Here are some excerpts!

About the band: “We are the only grindcore band in Imphal. We started out in June, 2014 and had been gigging as a quadruple act in the past years. Recently, we added a new axeman who is an acclaimed shredder in the scene. Genocide Disorder is Chetan on vocals, Jevy aka Jivan on guitars, Jeng-song on guitars, Bachu on bass and Gopanchin on drums.”

Music: “Grindcore is about raw music structures; it’s extreme and heavily distorted, has down tuned guitars, grinding over driven bass, fast tempo, blast beats and growls and high-pitched shrieks. Our music comprises of these elements entwined around concepts like reality, dualism and relevant present-day themes. Our music is known for its brevity. A major shift in our style took place after Gopanchin joined us as the drummer. He’s a young prodigy and one hell of a drummer who has made our sound ruthless!”

Ideology and lyrical themes: “Grind, crust and powerviolence are all offshoots of punk music. As we trace our roots to punk, it’s hard not to write politically charged music. We write about anarchy, dualism, etc. and direct our aggression against the evils of society.”

Influences: “We draw inspiration from some of the most abrasive sounding bands like Insect Warfare, Nasum, Wormrot, Vital Remains, Dead Kennedys, Cannibal Corpse but above all our strongest influence comes from the mighty Napalm Death.”

Genocide Disorder at Blood and Roots Tour, Imphal, 2016.

What’s cooking? “We’re working on our debut EP which we plan to release this year along with some merchandise. We are also planning a small tour. We are looking forward to releasing one of the tracks from the record before Insidious Prophecy, hopefully by April.”

What’s in store for Insidious Prophecy Vol. 1? “It’s going to be our first show outside our home town and with our new guitarist. You guys should watch out for our drummer. We will deliver a madass set and  will also be releasing a promotional t-shirt  via Vitality Merchandise. The artwork is being done by our brother at Dark Fancy.  We will be making the announcement in the next few days. This wouldn’t have happened without the help from our friends at Sound Check booking team.”

Any message? “Kolkata will witness the extreme from Imphal! We hope to reach out to a wider fan base with our music. We are honored to share stage with some of the finest bands in the country and are looking forward to catching up with the team behind this fest, especially Abhishek Biswas.”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake Kolkata. Passes are priced at 250 INR early bird and 300 INR at the gates. 

For details, follow the event page on Facebook!

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with CHAOTIC DREAD

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I is an extreme metal gig all set to be hosted by Diabolus Ex Machina in Kolkata on April 14. The show features a line-up of nine bands who play a diverse range of sub-genres spanning across death, black, grind and thrash metal. Insidious Prophecy Vol. I will feature bands from the city and North-East India- Gnosis of Catacomb, Chaotic Dread, Divide Torture, Genocide Disorder, Lunatic Fringe, Armament, Strangulate, Deadbolt and Infernal Diatribe. Indian Metal Scene recently had a conversation with brutal death/grind band from Meghalaya, Chaotic Dread where they spoke about their music, songwriting, ideology, influences and the upcoming gig. Here are some excerpts!

“Hello, we are Chaotic Dread! We are a three-piece metal outfit from a small town in Meghalaya called Nongpoh. We are the first ever band to play this kind of a genre in our district. We are Bhanu Chhetri on guitars and vocals, Syns Syiem on bass and vocals and Sagar Kylla on drums.

“The band was formed in the beginning of 2014 as a four-piece act. We started off by playing some local gigs and competitions. In 2016, due to some personal issues, our then vocalist Dhruv Sharma decided to quit the band and since then, we continued as a three-piece outfit. Our sound has also evolved to be stronger and heavier than before.

“Speaking of our inclination towards death metal, we found it to be the most relatable and sickest sub-genre of metal. We always wanted to create new, heavy and ‘distorted’ music which is very rare in our place. Here at our place, most people associate death metal with something as petty as a bunch of guys screaming and creating random noise. Nevertheless, it’s good to see that the notions of people towards metal as a form of music are changing slowly.

“Being a death metal band, we have been influenced by the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus and Nile. Our songs mostly revolve around themes of torture, war, humiliation, real aspects of humanity and the present scenario. These themes and lyrical contents of our songs are often deemed disturbing, upsetting or off-putting by people.

“We are on the verge of completing a recording session and are looking forward to releasing new material very soon. We are very excited to be a part of Insidious Prophecy Vol. I. We have some mind-crushing brutal original music on our set-list along with some covers. Looking forward to your support!”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Passes are priced at 250 INR early bird and 300 INR at the gates. For more details, follow the event page on Facebook here!

Insidious Prophecy Vol. I: In conversation with STRANGULATE

Diabolus Ex Machina are all set to host their first extreme metal show Insidious Prophecy Vol. I in Kolkata on April 14. The line-up features nine metal bands from the city and the North-Eastern part of the country spanning across a slew of sub-genres- Infernal Diatribe, Strangulate, Armament, Deadbolt, Chaotic Dread, Gnosis of Catacomb, Divide Torture, Lunatic Fringe and Genocide Disorder.

Indian Metal Scene recently had a conversation with Denzil from STRANGULATE, a death metal band from Kolkata. Started as a grindcore project in 2012, Strangulate’s sound evolved to death metal. The band, influenced by the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Nile, maintains a straightforward approach in their sound. Here’s the conversation for you to know Strangulate better!

About the band: “Strangulate started out in the year 2012 as a grindcore project when I was still playing in Purgation. A couple of years later, I left Purgation to devote more time to Strangulate and Subhasish joined the band around the same time. We both have always been fans of death metal and it was fitting enough that we took Strangulate in this direction.”

Perception of the genre you play: “Death metal to us is all about savage riffs and grooves. It is all about the energy and how one can conjure up a horrid vision through the music. I know people like talking all high and mighty about the genre they play and how they are all so spiritually connected to it but fuck that! We are not here to preach anything; we just like making brutal and sick music that people can bang their heads to!”

Songwriting, ideology and lyrical themes: “We are fans of horror and slash and gore movies and that is basically our theme. We like writing about serial killers and murderers and how fucked up it all is inside their heads. If you follow Catacombs of Decay lyrically, it’s about how a serial killer is tormented by his own kills and desires. That’s the sort of primary themes we write about. We chalk out a theme and then go about writing the riffs and the lyrics and try to make it as sinister as possible.”

Listen to Strangulate’s debut album Catacombs of Decay!

Influences: “We are huge fans of Cannibal Corpse  and American death metal in general. It’s no bullshit and just a barrage of in-your-face death metal that influences us the most and is what we play as well.”

Any upcoming release? “We have started working on our 2^nd album and are looking forward to releasing it by the end of the year.”

What’s in store for Insidious Prophecy Vol. I?“We haven’t had a proper album release gig yet. Insidious Prophecy will be our first gig after the release of our album last year. We will be playing songs from our album, some of which we haven’t played Live before. We’ll also have a small stall over there for anyone who wants to buy a CD or a t-shirt.”

The venue for the show is Muzik Factory, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Passes are priced at 250 INR early bird and at 300 INR at the gates.

Follow the event page on Facebook here!

In conversation with BRAZEN MOLOK

Brazen Molok is a four-piece metal band from Raipur, Chattisgarh. They’re one of the upcoming metal outfits from India that show appreciable musical acumen. The band has played at various events across the country and are soon going to release their debut full-length album. Indian Metal Scene recently had a conversation with them where they spoke about their music, ideology and experiences. Read here:

IMS: Please introduce the band to us. Tell us a bit about how you decided to form the band.

Brazen Molok: Brazen Molok is a re-incarnated outfit of what was known earlier as Devil Lies on Strings (D-LOS). We all were from same city and hardcore metalheads. We started with covering some rock bands like GnR and then some metal bands. When we started performing metal we were appreciated well enough. So that’s how we entered into metal.

IMS: Please tell us about your perception of death metal. What made you choose this sub genre in particular?

Brazen Molok: Death metal is something we can completely connect to. How we write the lyrics and execute it musically is what we actually think about it. Death metal helps us to expressed our feeling and approach towards society.

IMS: How do you write your music? Is there any compositional process that you follow or is it spontaneous?

Brazen Molok: Sarthak, our guitarist starts with writing the riffs and then our drummer Nikhil sits along for jam sessions to create a basic structure. Once it’s done, our bassist Taran composes his parts and at last, Saurabh writes the lyrics.

IMS: What are the lyrical themes your music incorporates? What is their relevance?

Brazen Molok: Our lyrical themes are all about shared experiences as like-minded people despite being culturally different.

IMS: What importance does Brazen Molok attach to ideology when it comes to making death metal?

Brazen Molok: Our ideology speaks for the poor and oppressed. We oppose racism, casteism and the rich/poor divide. So, we believe we are at war with the society that thinks otherwise. It is the genre which shows us the  easiest way to express our aggression, our thoughts about the wrongdoings in society.

IMS: Please tell us about bands or artists you derive inspiration from.

Brazen Molok: Actually all of us have different tastes in music. But our biggest influences are Dying Fetus, Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse and all heavy/death metal bands. And from the Indian metal scene, we follow Undying Inc., Bhayanak Maut and Gutslit.

IMS: Do you have any non-musical influences? Literature, movies, real life experiences etc….

Brazen Molok: The wrongdoings in society led us to write death metal. Our music seeks to resist that.

IMS: What’s cooking. in the camp? Tell us about your upcoming release. Any shows anytime soon?

Brazen Molok: Yeah, we are working on our full length album which is going to be released by April of 2017. Just a few songs are left to be be recorded. And recently we played at Alpviraam 5.0. It’s a local gig here. We will soon be getting back to recording the album. We are done with all the songs and have recorded two of them as demos at a local studio called Omania. We are planning to hit the studio again in February 2017.

IMS: Please share with us memorable experiences from your journey so far as Brazen Molok.

Brazen Molok: After forming the band, we traveled and performed in many parts of the country. But the best experience was sharing stage with Demonic Resurrection at IIT BHU.
And everyone loves the Pune metal scene and recently we performed at Stromfest IV-Deccan Rock pre gig in Pune. That was one of those great times we had with the band.

IMS: How well is your music accepted in Chattisgarh? Is there a growing metal scene in your hometown? Tell us a bit about it.

Brazen Molok: People appreciate our music which is the most important thing for us and it encourages us to continue our music as a death metal band. Few year’s ago the metal scene over here was very small..like we had only 5-6 people who knew what Metal is. But today, the scene here is growing. Musicians support Metal, whether they play indie rock, classical or Bollywood stuff. Our last gig saw around 220 people in the house which was great!

IMS: Any message you might have for our readers..

Brazen Molok: We just wanna say, do support local metal bands, and please pay to see local bands on stage because we work very hard for every set of 30 minutes. Support metal in India and help the scene grow!

IMS: Thank you for your time. We wish you all the best!

Blood Eagle Vol.2: In conversation with ELEMENTAL

The second edition of Blood Eagle, a two-day metal fest is all set to be held in Pune on 15^th and 16^th October, 2016 and features a kickass line-up showcasing a slew of sub-genres. This initiative taken by Blood Eagle Events seeks to promote and provide a platform to bands across the country playing heavy or extreme music, thus enhancing the local metal scene in India. Follow the event page on Facebook HERE!

The line-up features Elemental, a metal band based out of Bhopal. Indian Metal Scene recently had a small conversation with frontman Anchal Bhargava. Read the excerpts here:

Inception: “It was never really a plan to form a band. I was going through some dark days of my life when one of my friends made me listen to a metal song. I was intrigued and wanted to read the lyrics. When I read it, I found it very intimidating, while at the same time it was like I could read on paper what was going on inside me. Then I started connecting to the music and it started changing my life. I started checking out videos on the internet and tried out growling. Then eventually, I met my ex-drummer and bandmates and we formed the band out of our common liking for metal, particularly death metal.”

Perception of metal: “Our perception of the music we play is evident in the kind of music that we make and the themes we write about. We write about issues like social unrest and inequality. Our first album is about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy..there was an extremely high death toll, and even today babies are still born due to that tragedy! However, the culprits have not been sufficiently convicted. The album takes a stand against this. The first song “Smell of Fear” is about the fateful night when the people smelled methyl isocyanate.”

On sharing stage with Behemoth: “It’s a feeling I really cannot express in words. FUCK! My guitarist and I have been huge fans of Behemoth since..I don’t know for how many years now. The experience was amazing both off and on-stage. I had some really meaningful conversation with them which cleared a lot of fog for me. It was very, very memorable!”

About new drummer..: “The kid is only 19-years old, but trust me, he’s got the fire in himself. Believe me when I say that he’s the next major thing coming out of central India! Watch out for him at Blood Eagle, that’s all I can say.”

What’s cooking? “After Blood Eagle, we’re going to record an album. We will be going to Mumbai to record the stuff and then we’ll be sending it to Germany to mix and master. Hopefully it’ll be out by December.”