This band’s giant journey towards greatness has stretched across a span of four years. With rises, falls, conflicts, losses, redemption and other rock and roll documentary occurrences, Orion has forged itself to become the creature it is today. The sound that Orion is known for has always been a mystery to the band itself because every fan and enthusiast find a new way to express what they hear. We had a chat with them where they talked about their music, interests and the upcoming Transcending Obscurity Fest. Read our conversation below-
1. Progressive metal is known as music with very little or zero predictability. Orion’s music arrests the listener’s attention with uncustomary details like interesting time signatures, changing tempos and sometimes even clean vocals. How bold are such attempts of incorporating unusual aspects?
Orion: The purpose of our music is to flirt around with whatever possibility there is. For us there is nothing too extreme or out of place. If it feels right it fits.
2. What distinguishes an Orion song from other death metal music? How do you conceive a song- does your songwriting lace around the crux of a concept or narrative or is it solely musical with the best suited structure?
Orion: The lack of predictable structure definitely helps us stand out from other death metal music. Usually we have a loose theme in mind that we channelize to create riffs. They are brutal or soulful depending on what the concept is and how many beers we’ve had before getting to it. Post that comes the lyrics.
3. I came across an interesting quote on the band’s Facebook page- “The sound that Orion is known for has always been a mystery to the band itself because every fan and enthusiast finds a new way to express what they hear”. A genre like death metal is often expected to deliver conventional compositions in order to inspire a thought process typical to such a genre. Does an Orion song seek to trigger an emotion by itself or is it up to the interpretation of the listener alone?
Orion: People don’t want to be told what to think. Everything from the riffs, solos and even lyrics are kept open to interpretation so that the listener feels more involved. There’s something nice about figuring out what the person beside you hadn’t.
4. Orion’s sound which is endowed with a good deal of technicality seems to be drawing inspiration from a plethora of sources, steering clear from monotony– sometimes even reminiscent of a surprising edge like that of jazz! Please tell us about the band’s musical influences.
Orion: The band has gone through a rollercoaster of influencers. Each new band member brought with him a bag full of artists he loved and that became a part of Orion. With the current lineup we feel a strong connection to bands like Death, Opeth, Necrophagist and recently even Veil of Maya. Though all these bands have their own sound they always find a way to make you go “Fucck, I can’t believe they did that.” That’s where we hope to be….
5. What got you into death metal as fans first and as musicians later? Has the band been influenced by non-musical sources like art, literature, ideologies etc.
Orion: All of us have been metal fans for as long as we can remember. If we knew why then we’d be preaching that already. Most of our album concepts revolve around existential issues and conflicting theories in mythology etc. While the music is inspired by other legends the lyrics and album concepts always have a humanitarian root.
6. The embellishments that the band’s music incorporates (intricate melodies, grooves with odd time signatures, etc.) suggest a good deal of exploration and non-adherence to hard-and-fast rules. Have such features about the band’s music ever been compared to ‘standards’ of death metal and judged as ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’? What are your thoughts?
Orion: We don’t think there’s a right and wrong in music in general, not just metal. We love pushing our music and exploring more ways of playing it. That’s probably why it takes us forever to finish a new track. But it all pays off in the end.
7. The name ‘Orion’ is that of a celestial huntsman from the Greek mythology; also, the artwork on your EP On The Banks of Rubicon is quite unconventional. These features reflect the importance the band attaches to aesthetics. Do you believe that aesthetics are necessary to convey the ideology that a genre of music seeks to uphold? If not, can music stand alone as an absolutely independent conception?
Orion: The artwork is packaging of the music. That is the first impression a fan gets of your band. So it NEEDS to kick ass. The On “The Banks of Rubicon” cover took just as long as any of the songs on the EP.
8. Orion has stood strong for almost five years now. Of the past ten years of metal in India, what according to you are the major standouts? Also tell us if you’re influenced by any music from other genres in the present-day scenario.
Orion: Unlike five years back when there were only a few pro level bands and everyone else played in the semi pro league, lots of bands have started coming up now. BM, DR and Scribe are always going to be on the top. But now is the time for powerhouses like Albatross, Reptilian Death, Providence, Gutslit and loads of others.
9. Do you think metal in India is at all a culture that embraces an ideology and questions the stereotypical standards set out by the society? Or does it focus solely on the music, even seeking commercialization at times?
Orion: It hasn’t reached that point where it’s strong enough to question society. But it will get there one day. Right now metal in India is like new formed religion. No restrictions, no requirements, no agenda. Just pure love for the music. It might not help kids tackle life issues but it sure lets them escape it for as long as they’re in the mosh pit.
10. One of the most prevalent aspects of metal is the existence of a community or a ‘scene‘. Do you think such ‘scenes’ revolve around a set of expectations which deters a band’s growth due to little or no space for exploration? Or does it enhance music as a whole by congregating listeners and musicians who can appreciate a similar kind of music?
Orion: The scenes here aren’t about pushing one kind of metal. They purely focus on uplifting bands from that area by doing promotions, holding whatever shows they can; big or small and basically building fans. And God knows how much we need that right now.
11. Share with us memories from your journey as Orion. What do you think about the metal scene in Mumbai, in terms of gigs, organizers, exposure, contemporaries and listeners?
Orion: Like us the metal scene is forever growing here. Everyone has to do things like float themselves. We’ve had our share like featuring in Aashiqui 2, which definitely was the most fun nonmetal we ever did as a band.
12. How has Transcending Obscurity India turned things around for Orion? Tell us about the experience of working with an unparalleled record label in the country.
Orion: First things first, it was a very big deal for us to be signed. It took a major chunk of the stress of our shoulders. The first EP was all us. From the recording, artwork, printing, distribution, we did it all ourselves. We’re relieved that now all we need to focus on is making more and better music. Kunal is one influential person. There’s a certain level of confidence that comes with being associated with a name like TOI.
13. Orion is a part of the brilliant line-up of the Transcending Obscurity fest. How do you feel about it? What should fans be looking forward to?
Orion: We’re really excited. The fans can definitely look forward to some new material that we’ve been working on.
14. What do you do outside Orion? Is there any passion that you pursue other than metal?
Orion: Luckily we’ve all managed to get jobs that help us stay close to what we do in Orion. I’m a copywriter, Vignesh is a brand manager with Furtados, Pritesh is slowly becoming one of the most sought out live sound engineers in the country and Ashwin kicks some serious butt as a studio mastermind.
15. Do you have any message for fans reading this?
Orion: Bring a pair extra balls to the TOI fest.
IMS: Thank you for talking to us. See you at the pit!
RSVP to Transcending Obscurity fest, here!
-Interviewed by Debarati Das
Indian Metal Scene 