HAVE YOU HEARD THIS? (CHAPTER 2)

Hello hi! I'm back. 

Here's a list of some nice Indian Metal bands you may or may not have heard. I've broken up the list into three parts, so for now enjoy, thank me later. I'm really excited to share a bunch of sick bands to you and I hope to do so more regularly. There's definitely no lack of metal music in India!

 1. Tangents 
Progressive Metal from Bangalore

2. Plague Throat
Death Metal from Shillong

3. Sycorax Death Metal from Darjeeling

4. Spine Break
Rap / Nu Metal from Solan, Himachal Pradesh

5. All Seeing Eye
Tech Death Metal from Bangalore

6. If Hope Dies
Progressive Metal from Darjeeling

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Discover new bands every now and then! Follow Metalsphere on Facebook and watch out for interviews, videos and more news.

INTERVIEW WITH TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY LABEL OWNER KUNAL CHOKSI

It's a pleasure to know this guy. He takes care of a record label, a webzine, and does PR almost single-handedly. He is also not very good at keeping umbrellas, but he's a genius in his own right. Kunal Choksi, hailing from the infernal depths of Versova is the man behind Transcending Obscurity, one of the world's premier underground music labels for extreme music. Transcending Obscurity was recently listed as one of the 'Top 5 Underground Labels you need to check out right now' by Metal Injection.

I've done this small interview with Chokslam to get some perspective on how it is to be the owner of an extreme metal label operating across the globe from India, and what he's up to lately.

Q. What is your favourite cuisine/dish of all time?
Hi! Thanks a ton for taking out the time to do this interview Pratika! It's probably pizza - a cliched answer, I know, but it's so good and something that I actually look forward to! Since you've asked, the best (veg particularly) pizzas I've had are from Alfredos (Pizza Mediterranea) and Joey's Pizza (devilishly good)! I also enjoy having pav bhaji and well made pastas.

Q. We know it's difficult to actually pull all of this off, considering it's you and probably just a couple of more people. How do you do what you do? And why? 
It's certainly difficult, especially when you're trying to do this in a legit way and not by doing it as some kind of part time hobby. My beginnings were quite humble where I actually stood at stalls with no lighting to sell CDs from my own collection in the last decade, simply because no one was doing this kind of thing earlier. In all modesty, I probably was one of the first to start this concept of selling international CDs (even merch) at stalls at shows here. No one sees the struggle but everyone wants to be part of the glory. At B69, I even ended up giving people entries by stamping their wrists and collecting their ticket money and also taking care of the bands' instruments rather than selling my stuff there haha. So yeah, it's been frustrating and I never really envisioned such an outcome for what I was doing. I just kept at it, tried to make it better, and yes, work very, very hard.

Why? It's because no one was doing what I was doing. It stems from the fact that no one was doing anything about the music when I got back into the local scene and attended the first comeback edition of Deathfest around 2011 or something. There were so many albums out but all of them were unheard of, and none of them had any distribution of any kind. With my international experience (Diabolical Conquest Records circa 2009), I knew they needed support so I started doing distribution for absolutely free and even paid for the courier and packaging out of my pocket. After that I started the Indian leg of the label. And then it's history as they say it and thankfully, it's grown to be a somewhat synonymous name in the scene here (at least). There were of course many detractors and my efforts were thwarted by many, but I did what I had to do. It is enough? Of course not. It's barely self-sustaining but I hope with better international exposure it will be in the next year or two.

Q. I've heard you're now into design and illustration. Can you tell us which bands you've worked with so far? 
I was always into art and was obsessed with all of it, but because of my engineering studies and business management and stuff, never got around to exploring it. It was after my sister passed away, that I enrolled in a FX School that taught all of this, just to get out of depression or cope with it. I don't have a lot of time to practice but I must say that I've learnt a lot and did about a dozen layouts for bands since a year or so from that period. I've so far done artworks for three of them - 1) Toxoid, 2) Dormant Inferno (India) / Dionysus (Pakistan) 3) Diabolus Arcanium (even the logo for this one). I'm currently working on an album artwork for the heavy metal band Knight; the album is called 'The Ventriloquist'. It's difficult but I have no qualms admitting that I'm new and have yet to improve.

Toxoid's album art by Kunal Choksi

Diabolus Arcanium's logo, designed by Choksi

Q. Transcending Obscurity also has a proper webzine. How do you manage your time with a label, active reviews and articles?
It's a real pain, to be honest. Thankfully I've found a good deputy editor in Shrivatsan (an old and loyal friend) and I've also assigned Chris Dahlberg from US to do premieres and such stuff. It's still a recent development but they're doing more than I can now in this aspect and for that I'm immensely grateful to them. Mind you, I have been writing since 2004 and it's been over a decade now and I'm still at it. The very intention was to highlight good music and I was always a keen listener from the start. So the foundation of Transcending Obscurity was always to promote good music out there and help spread the word - without ever relying on ads, now or ever, for any monetary benefits at all.

Q. How many bands have you currently signed onto TO and since when?
I'm more interested in the international bands now, to be honest, because I'm eager to spread my wings and expose more international metal fans to our music. Unless and until the fan base doesn't increase, we'll just be catering to the same audience and that's not good. But then there are much bigger and much more established labels out there so it's always a struggle to convince bands to work with you on an international level. With that said, the Indian bands happen to be the backbone of Transcending Obscurity and I've done my best to support them despite their scepticism and sometimes lack of support. I think overall I have 50+ bands working with me that are actively working on new music that I can put out. Sometimes I'm demotivated, sometimes I'm eager, but more or less, I'm happy to say that it's all worked out for the better. I'm getting mentally tired but there's much to do still...

Q. Tell us about what you did before you began TO.. Some details on Diabolical Conquest maybe?
I was just very underground. I was a critic and a harsh one at that, one that wasn't easily pleased. But life taught me lessons and I thought that my opinions aren't really 'helping' anyone. Yes, it allows people to make well-informed purchases but that wasn't enough. It was then that I decided to start a record label and my first signing was of the Australian band The Dead, which was hugely successful at the point of time. Back then, in the last decade, hardly any bands from our country were recording music so I couldn't do much for them.

But a few years later, when new bands sprang up like mushrooms and there was no real label to support them, I started a sub-label and simultaneously changed the name to Transcending Obscurity to reflect a better purpose. I was never an atheist, let alone 'satanic', but perhaps that name suggested that, but with 'Transcending Obscurity', the approach is different and more inclined to help everyone as far as possible. Some are deserving, some not so much, but at least their music has remained alive in a sense through our efforts. Bands did more than float 'demos' online on Mediafire links - here they got a professional release, reviews, acclaim, and more often than not, merch options. Even now some of the earliest albums we put out are at least recorded for posterity and available legally via the digital medium (if not physical).

Q. Whose releases are you busy with at the moment, and what should we look out for in the next few months? 
Releases from the ambitious Thane/Mumbai based death metal band Darkrypt and consecutively the batshit insane grindcore band from Bangalore Grossty are up next. There are a couple of other unannounced but committed Indian releases scheduled too but I'm not sure whether or not they'll be out this year. That's because simultaneously there are much bigger releases also scheduled and I don't want a clash of sorts to happen. We're talking about Mark Riddick's band Fetid Zombie, UK legends Warlord UK (for their classic album reissue via Transcending Obscurity Classics sub-label), the H.P. Lovecraft-influenced band from Netherlands called SwampCult, and last but not the least, the mighty Rudra. I'm also excited about an unannounced international grind band and also a Finnish death/black metal band. I wish my schedule wasn't so tight but I'm coping with it and trying my best to justify them all, especially with regards to thorough international promotion and innovative packaging.

Q. We heard you could be batman. How do you manage both lives? 
That's only a rumour. I don't want my enemies to come into my batcave and do something to Alfred or worse, steal my precious batmobile.

Q. Your honest opinion on the future of all of this you are involved in? I think it's gonna work out eventually if we all keep at it. What are your thoughts?
Well, so far so good. I'm extremely thankful to all those bands, fans, writers and my well-wishers for providing their support and I can only strive to not let them down. I'm putting in a great deal of effort and it drains my health (as well as my bank account lol) but I'm positive that in another two years, things should be on track, more or less. It's doing things significantly on an international level that remains elusive but that's my main goal. And of course, to somehow conjure up some extra time magically to continue my practice of playing guitar as well as drums, in an attempt to start my own band and record music sometime in the future. The standards are really, really high but I wouldn't have it any other way. Many thanks once again for your interest in my activities and I'm glad to have your support in all of this, Pratika. Godspeed!


Don't forget to catch Transcending Obscurity online on Facebook, Twitter, and for new songs from Indian and international metal bands, visit the YouTube channel. BUY music from Transcending Obscurity. Check out the complete list of bands HERE. Some stuff is also up for grabs on Instamojo HERE.


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BHOPALI DEATH METALLERS ELEMENTAL TO PLAY WACKEN OPEN AIR 2016!

Bhopali four-piece death metal band Elemental will be playing in Germany after winning the prestigious Wacken Metal Battle India competition finals in Bengaluru on Saturday, 9th July. They will be visiting Wacken Open Air in Germany, one of the biggest heavy metal music festival in the world held from 4th - 6th August 2016.

Elemental was the only band from central India to travel to Bengaluru and play against finalists from different parts of the country including Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and more. There were no eliminations held in Bhopal, so the band had to travel to Mumbai to compete. The band landed up in the finals after the Mumbai leg of the competition got cancelled.

L to R: Divyaraj Bhatnagar (drummer), Aman 'Ricky' Sharma (guitar), Anchal Bhargava (vocals)

After playing against bands like Godless, Gaia’s Throne, Vidyut, etc., Elemental were announced winners of the final round held at Vapour in Bengaluru just one day before Bangalore Open Air. Started in India by Salman U Syed, the Wacken Metal Battle is a competition in association with the international festival Wacken Open Air in Germany, where bands from across the country compete and the winner gets a chance to play against national finalists from around 30 other countries worldwide.

“This is a huge opportunity for us! We want to make a mark and make India shine.” said the band’s vocalist Anchal Bhargava.

Big Indian metal music bands like Eccentric Pendulum, Zygnema, Plague Throat and more have played at the Wacken Metal Battle finals in the past. The Department of Arts and Culture in Meghalaya supported Shillong’s death metal band Plague Throat last year, so they could compete in the international finale.

The Wacken Metal Battle has been in India for the past five years along with the festival Bangalore Open Air that has seen many international performances in the country since the first edition. Big heavy metal music bands like Kreator, Vader, Animals as Leaders and more visited the festival in the past few years.

This is the first time a band from an unexpected city has made it so big. Salman U Syed, organizer of the Wacken Metal Battle and Bangalore Open Air said, " I never expected a band from Bhopal to win this competition. It looks like the metal music community has also reached the smaller cities! Hope the band wins this year at Wacken."

We wish Elemental all the best and I'm personally extremely proud of them. Wave that Indian flag, motherfuckers!!





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About Elemental:
Elemental is a four-piece Bhopali death metal band from India. The band was founded in September 2012 by members Anchal Bhargava on vocals, Aman 'Ricky' Sharma on guitars and Divyaraj Bhatnagar on drums. Their blend of straight-up, no nonsense death metal makes them one of India's finest exports in this genre. The band will be supporting Polish metal giants Behemoth in India this September. They have headlined college festivals, won over 40 competitions, and played at big music festivals like BIG69, Shillong metal rock, toured with death metallers IIIrd Sovereign and Indian grind pioneers Gutslit, and much more.
The band's music general revolves around fighting against corruption, racism, violence and man-made disasters, uplifting the weak and underprivileged. Disturbed by the environs of central India, Elemental's debut album 'Creation of the Damned' is the voice of those who suffered in the tragic Bhopal gas tragedy a few decades ago. Be assured to be in for a treat.


About Wacken Open Air:
Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is a summer open-air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. With 80,000 festival visitors, and including personnel a total of roughly 86,000 attendees in 2011, it attracts various kinds of metal and hard rock music fans.
The festival was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. W:O:A is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts now four days. It is currently considered the biggest heavy metal festival in the world. The festival ends traditionally on the first Sunday of August and on Monday 0:00 o'clock, ticket sales open for the next year. Remarkably, all 75,000 tickets were sold out within 43 hours in 2014, within 12 hours in 2015 and 23 hours in 2016, despite the fact that the lineup (with the exception of rumors or headliners) had not been announced, which is probably unique for a music festival of any kind.

INTERVIEW WITH ORION (MUMBAI) - PROGRESSIVE DEATH METAL BAND

Orion is a four-piece progressive death metal band from Mumbai. They've been playing a few gigs here and there, been composing music and they're rising real fast. I remember playing a few gigs with these guys (in my Chronic Phobia days) so we go waaay back. My brother (Pritesh) later joined the band on drums, after which they released their EP 'On the Banks of Rubicon' in 2012, and have been on the rise ever since. These are some of the sweetest, sappiest and asshole-ist metalheads I have met. Travelling with them, I know they're absolutely fun to be around!

Orion also recently launched their CDs in jewel cases and t-shirts for 'On The Banks of Rubicon' through label Transcending Obscurity. T-shirts are available for Rs. 600/- and CDs for Rs. 150/-
You can also digitally download the album from HERE.

As Kunal Choksi (Transcending Obscurity) said, "Orion's debut release 'On the Banks of Rubicon' is a masterful album with pulsating energy, memorable riffing and catchy hooks masking the complexity of the music. The music has shades of melody counterbalanced by aggression and growls, a perfect balance for music that can only be justified with the tag of Progressive Death Metal."

Here's a small but detailed interview I did with them. Check it out!

Your favourite food.
Orion: Anything served with beer.

Q. A brief history of the band
We've been around for a while now. Had a few line up changes, that lead to a lot of soul searching and sound searching. Finally we believe we've found what makes us Orion, both in our music and mindset. We released our first EP in 2012 and, things have only gotten bigger since then. We're progressive death metal, so that gives us the freedom to tilt towards any direction, music-wise. We have a simple thumb rule, if it's epically unexpected, it goes on the album!

Orion is (left to right) Pritesh Prabhune (drums), Ashwin Kulkarni (guitars), Vigneshkumar Venkatraman (Vocals, guitars) and Anshuman Bhattacharya (bass, backing vocals)

Q. How has your journey been so far?
Rough in patches. Although since the album launch, it's only gotten better. The past few years, according to us, have been preparation to become the band that people know us to be today. Hopefully it only gets better from here because well, that's the plan.

Q. What has the band been doing of late? (gigs, composing, recording)
We just finished a semi-India tour of sorts. Starting with playing the WACKEN METAL BATTLE India finals in Bangalore, we played at Hyderabad, Jaipur and Pune. We played Mumbai also (Thunderstorm) recently. Now we're taking some time off to work further on our upcoming album which we intend to launch sometime early next year. Our first t-shirt is out, hope you'll have gotten yours already.

Q. How was your experience at the Wacken Metal battle this year?
Epic. It was a huge boost for us. Playing with the best bands from around the country was one hell of an experience. Plague Throat deserved to win it. We're already gearing up and pushing ourselves harder to be the ones next year.

Here's a video of Orion's trip to the Wacken Metal Battle national finals in Bangalore! 




Q. Something we should expect coming our way from you any time soon?
So in the near future fans can expect some single releases and a lot more shows.

 Q. Your favourite Indian bands
Apart from the big 4 that is Bhayanak Maut, Scribe, Demonic Resurrection and Devoid, we love Gutslit, Eccentric Pendulum, Providence, Zygnema, Albatross, The Down Troddence, Anthracite and Plague Throat.

Q. Your favourite international bands
Everyone from Opeth, Meshuggah, Veil of Maya, Karnivool, Alter Bridge, Whitechapel, Metallica.... This list has no end.

9. A message to all your fans..
We just make the music. You  make the scene. So keep coming for shows and keep growing metal here. Thank you for the support you've shown us so far! Also dump ice in your drink, not on your head. Just fucking donate. \m/


You can find Orion all over!
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Soundcloud

Listen to their song 'Oh Sweet Ebullition!' right here!

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INTERVIEW WITH ELEMENTAL (INDIA) + BAD BLOOD (LIVE VIDEO)

Elemental is a four-piece extreme metal band from Bhopal/Indore. Their music is about a serious picture of war between good and evil. Popularly known for always playing a tight set, intense drumming and groovy catchy riffs blended with a variety of metal vocal styles, this band is definitely something to look out for!

I met and watched these guys live for the first time at 'Dawn of the Legion' in Pune, but I'd heard a LOT about them before. They played at Entombed Metal fest in Mumbai a while ago. They're upcoming and well, coming up fast is all I can say! :P Here's a small interview I did with them. They're going to be busy, come this weekend. Read to find out more!

Elemental is Ankit 'Igor' Kujur (bass), Anchal Bhargava (vocals), Aman 'Ricky' Sharma (guitars) and Divyaraj Bhatnagar (drums)

Favourite food?
Chicken , sea food, and some green plants.

You have a lot of shows lined up of late. Can you tell us what and where? 
Yep, we have some upcoming gigs;
17th August - Harley Davidson presents 'The Doomsday', Indore
23rd August - IIT Kanpur Elims, Bhopal
31st August - Night Wrath Broadway, Mumbai
5th September - Cresendo, Indore
9th September - Abomination Vol. 2, Kolkata

Tell us a brief history about the band; how you formed, initial lineups, etc..
We started our journey in September 2012. Our vocalist met our drummer and they decided to jam. Later, we happened to meet our shredder Ricky who was in town for a month and the three of us started jamming. It all went well. We had a talk about the future and it was all fun, we must say. We enjoy what we do and that is what keeps us going! We all wanted to be in a band and play music we like, and we're doing it because we love it.

People didn't think there were metal bands in Bhopal/Indore. What do you have to say about that? 
Aahhh! Central India has an amazing scene! Bands like Demonic Resurrection, Zygnema, Devoid, Noiseware, Abraxas, Blakc, Motherjane, Indian Ocean and many more have played here many times before so that gives everyone a glimpse of the scene. Also there are almost two gigs every month where you will find a decent crowd of around 300 dedicated metalheads flying around everywhere. So this is what the other side of the story is. Most people aren't aware of the metal janta in our land!

Here's a video of Elemental playing their song 'Bad Blood'. I recorded this at Dawn of the Legion, Pune.
Sorry, thought the song was over and missed the breakdown :P 

Have your parents been supportive of your taste in music and supporting you as musicians?
So far so good! They've been very supportive, but there's no guarantee of what the future holds!

What's coming up for the band in terms of songwriting/releases? 
Yes! We are all set to release our first album 'Creation of the Damned'. We are being produced at Refractor Studios, Pune.

Kya aapko pataa hai muscle kahaan se aata hai? 
Ganja peene se.

Your favourite Indian bands
Undying Inc, Zygnema, Devoid, Inner Sanctum, Plague Throat, Gutslit.

Your favourite International bands
Behemoth, Dying Fetus, Origin, Decapitated, Suffocation, Meshuggah, Cattle Decapitation, Beyond Creation, Whitechapel, Amon Amarth, Katakylsm.

Message to all your fans
We don’t want any fans. We want brothers for a lifetime. Thanks for all the love and support you have shown so far. We assure to make your ears bleed to the end of days!

Elemental on:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

For bookings, contact Metalsphere on Facebook or call me!


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DOMINATION - THE DEATHFEST: A BRIEF HISTORY

It all began with this one festival called Domination - The Deathfest, popularly known as 'Deathfest'. We're talking about the year 2000 here, when India's first ever extreme music festival came into being. The idea behind Deathfest was formulated by none other than Nitin Rajan (Primitiv) and his ex-band members Roshan Kumar (bass/vocals) and Hitesh Ghelani (drums) of former Mumbai death metal band Morticide

Blasphemy (Chennai) at DDF Mumbai, 2000

Crowd at Razz lawns, 2000

Prior to 2000, the year Domination - The Deathfest kicked off, there was no concert/show or festival that solely showcased metal bands. There were many 'rock' shows happening though, that would occasionally have a metal band play. Besides that, other thrash and heavy bands of the time rarely got an opportunity to play at major festivals, except a few college festivals here and there, and the rare gigs at Razzberry Rhinoceros, more widely known as 'Razz Rhino', the pioneer venue for the initial metal phase in Mumbai. The lack of opportunity in the existing local circuit led to the conception of the first extreme metal fest - the idea behind it being to stage some local as well as outstation bands. This helped people know and listen to metal bands from different parts of the country. The lineup in 2000 had opening act Demonic Resurrection, Nemesis, Fate (all three from Mumbai), Blasphemy from Chennai, Yama, Kryptos and Threinody from Bangalore and Morticide (Mumbai).

Kryptos live at DDF, 2000

Many other bands played the four editions of Deathfest back in the day like Exhumation, Acrid Semblance, Disembodied Corpse, Intestinal Butchery, Arcane Ritual, Belial, Abhor, Myndsnare and more. There was a website back then for Deathfest, with sections for comments, much before days of Gigpad and RSJ forums!

Here are some fond memories of the first ever Domination- The Deathfest, told by members of bands that played the festival.

"Deathfest was pretty awesome because back then we were just kids and every outstation gig was like some sort of epic adventure. On top of that, it was really cool to hang out and get wasted with the guys in Fate and Morticide. We hit it off really well and some of us are still friends to this day.  I think those early Deathfest gigs in Mumbai really left their mark on a lot of people because a lot of us still talk about them to this day."

-Nolan Lewis (Kryptos) 

"At the time, it was great to know that there was a fest only for metal bands. It was one of those 'underground' gigs."

- Sahil Makhija (Demonic Resurrection, Reptilian Death, Workshop)

"After all the times I'd been to Mumbai,  this time I was going with a band to Deathfest.  It was completely fucking insane. I was 16 and in the band and had never seen anything like it. The place was packed with wild headbangers. I remember after our set, someone even split his head open by hitting it on my monitors. Back then we had never seen energy like that before!"

 - Premik Jolly (Threinody)

"Deathfest was awesome. Blasphemy slaughtered that evening. They didn't have a bassist, so their guitar player Sanjay played bass. Their drummer Nat did a mad drum solo with double bass and all. That guy was the most awesome death metal drummer I ever heard in India. I remember we didn't have any sound issues, we just climbed onto the stage and killed it! After that, we went back to the Royal Orchid. That was the first time, and most probably the last time we'll ever be put up in a five star hotel! Basically, what followed was a contest in youthful stupidity. From drunken dry heaving in a bath tub, fake pimp calls and crawling races down the hall, it was plenty of fun!"

- Siddharth Naidu (Threinody)

Siddharth Naidu of Threinody, DDF, 2000

It was also the first time ever that any metal festival kicked off with the concept of a tour/gigs in multiple cities in India. Apart from Mumbai, the fest took place in Pune and Bangalore. Unfortunately, Deathfest lasted for four years. In 2004, the core members of Morticide started migrating to foreign countries. Nitin alone found it difficult to take complete responsibility and handle the festival by himself, as playing in a band and doing gigs was priority over organizing a festival. Domination - The Deathfest, therefore took the back seat and sunk into history, for a bit. After Morticide had practically dissolved, Nitin joined Reptilian Death for a brief period of time (two or three gigs) and then Sledge (2005 onwards). He was always in touch with the Mumbai scene.

'Resurrection', another extreme metal fest, an initiative by Sahil Makhija later almost replaced Deathfest and compensated for that need for a metal fest. There were editions of Resurrection, nine to be precise, the last one being in 2010 at Hotel Bayview in Gorai, Borivali. It was a temporary venue when Razz shut down and nothing much was really happening besides college festivals and some shows like Independence Rock and the likes. Nitin was convinced that Resurrection was continuing the metal fest culture. "Resurrection took the mantle post-Deathfest and later B69 provided the regular gigging platform for metal bands, so I was quite pleased and did not feel the need to restart the festival." he said.

These two festivals had made an impact and left everyone with something to pick up from. Although, that wasn't simply the end for Deathfest. "Later in 2009, I realised that with many metal genres and sub-genres, emerging bands playing death metal and other allied genres were not getting many gigs. This is when I decided to get Deathfest back!" added Nitin. Nitin and Riju Dasgupta (Albatross, Primitiv) were the driving force behind the revival, along with the industrious Yash Gill and Vineet Sharma (Nocturnal Art) for the artwork. Riju came into the picture only in 2013. "Deathfest wouldn't have been possible without Riju." said Nitin.

2013 witnessed the revival of the first extreme music fest, when the fifth edition took place at United 21 in Thane, Mumbai. The lineup comprised of Exhumation, Gutslit, Witchgoat, Insane Prophecy, Atmosfear, Orion and Reptilian Death. Since B69 shut down, United 21 and Blue Frog are the only two venues who host metal gigs on a more frequent basis. Thrashfest and more recently, Transcending Obscurity fest also took place at United 21.

This year, 2014, Domination - The Deathfest will once again take place in two cities, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Nitin acquainted with organizer Philip Baiju a few times in the past, and thought it would be great if Deathfest happened in Hyderabad, since there was nothing happening there right now in terms of gigs. With a dedicated crowd, Deathfest will take place on the 21st of June, 2014 in Hyderabad.

Mumbai will also have something called the 'Death Metal Legion' where a collection of favourite death metal songs will be played by our generation of musicians, like an all-star concept, paying tribute to death metal legends.

Domination - The Deathfest has come a long way, encouraging and establishing a platform for extreme metal music, and yes, all of us hope to see many more years in this festival's future! \m/

This is the official page for Domination - The Deathfest.

(Look at the links below for the lineups as well)
The sixth edition of Domination - The Deathfest will take place in Mumbai on the 8th of June, 2014, so RSVP HERE
Hyderabad leg, RSVP HERE

DDF Hyderabad poster

Story as told by Nitin Rajan.
Special thanks to Nolan Lewis, Sahil Makhija, Riju Dasgupta, Premik Jolly, Siddharth Naidu and Philip Baiju.
\m/

NEW SHIT IN MUMBAI! ZYGNEMA, ENTOMBED METAL FEST, MIDHAVEN, HEADBANGER'S KITCHEN

Zygnema has released a new song titled 'Shell Broken Hell Loose'

Cheggit HERE ON REVERBNATION

What I love about this recording is that the live aggression and essence of the band is captured. Even if you're just listening to it without the band in front of you playing the song, you feel like grooving the fuck out! If you like Zygnema, you know what I'm talking about!

Jimmy is easily one of my favourite vocalists!

This is a YouTube video of the song from Metal Nights, December 2012.

Arun Iyer is working on that new Devoid song btw :P

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While filming of the new season has already begun, there are a few Headbanger's Kitchen tshirts left. You will be delighted to know who the guests are so just shut up and buy a tshirt.

The details are all here:
If you missed the Headbanger's Kitchen crowd funding we have these 2 awesome prints available on pre-order. Only 25 of each are available. Get them asap from www.makemymerch.in

For those in Mumbai I have got 3 places where you can drop off cash directly. Please call though before you go. The persons name and number is there.

105, Paradise 43/B, 1st cross lane,
Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri west,
Mumbai 400053.
Contact person: Rahul (9821543001)

100 Chanakya, 7th Floor,
Dr. M.B. Raut Road,
Shivaji Park, Dadar (W),
Mumbai - 400 028
Contact person: Ameya (9821024562)

1003 Rushabh Tower,
Jakaria Bunder Cross Road,
Sewri- West
Mumbai: 400015
Contact person: Vivek (9821251690)

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Progressive/sludge metal band called Midhaven are the only rock/metal band in India to have gotten completely signed to Universal Music. Their album 'Spellbound' is going to have a worldwide release.

This is a teaser from their upcoming album. Sounds good!


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This weekend, get ready to witness Entombed Metal Fest Vol. 5. RSVP on that link. There are also some ultimately limited edition passes with Prateek Keni.

Lineup, for people who do not understand logos well enough!

Reptilian Death - Death Metal from Mumbai
SHOCK THERAPY - Brutal/Slamming Death from Hyderabad
GRiMMoRTaL - Deathcore from Mumbai
Wired Anxiety- Groove/Death from Mumbai
Escharified. - Death Metal from Hyderabad
Elemental - Brutal Groove/Death from Indore
Primitiv- Stone Age Metal from Mumbai

For Passes, contact:
Sanjeev Gupta (9967771992) [Kurla-Thane/ Central Line]
Adit Khanzode (9594253935) [Thane-Kalyan]
Paresh Garude (9769820782) [Andheri/ Western Suburbs/ Vashi]
Venkat Iyer (9969767508) [Nerul-Seawoods]
Prateek Keni (9819881088) [Kharghar-Belapur]
Abhishek Gawaande (9029547791) [Panvel]

Call them.

Ya.

Q&A WITH PRATEEK: GUITARIST OF GUTSLIT AND REPTILIAN DEATH

One of my favourite guitar players to have jammed with, Prateek Rajagopal is a prodigy. For those who do not know who he is, he is the guitar player of Mumbai bands Reptilian Death and Gutslit. He also has a solo project of his own which most people have no idea about.

I met Prateek when he jammed with Chronic Phobia while the band properly existed but now is more like Chronic so gaya. I was surprised knowing he was younger than me (come on, everyone know I'm not used to it :P) and he could play exceptionally well. I remember while recording, he took a solo in one take, but just for the sake of doing it again, he went for another take!

We call each other Prackticks. I did a little question and answer with him, so that people got to know this talented fucker a little more. I've also included links to his personal modern progressive solo project below.

What is your favourite food?

Prackticks: Honestly, anything Mexican. FOSHIZZLE. Especially my mum’s Mexican food. NOMNOMNOM. I do enjoy most Indian and Italian as well though. But Mexican first. And I HATE Thai food! (Ladies, take note.)

State all thy gear, in detail. 

Guitars – Schecter Hellraiser C-7 , Jackson WRMG Warrior, Ibanez Gio (That jumpstart kit guitar, I don’t even remember where it is), and a Yamaha F370 Acoustic

Processor – Line 6 POD HD500.

Software – The DAW I use is Cubase 5 and for drums I use Superior Drummer. I’m still a noob at this whole production stuff though J

Tell me about your first time in India and where you’re from?

P: I’m born and brought up in Muscat, Oman. (Superb place, you guys should visit!) This is the first time I’m actually staying in India ( 1 ½ years passed actually) and it’s been pretty nice so far.  It definitely has its ups and downs, but it’s alright. It took a while to get used to, especially infrastructure and what not, but that’s life. :P

What did you come to India for? Do you plan on going back?

P: I came here for studies (yup, I’m sure many of you guys are like – WHY INDIA?!?) , but most of us NRIs have a wrong notion about how things work here, and I’m not even joking. Anyway, I’m studying BMS in NM college.. I’m in my 2^nd year.  I don’t plan on going back, for good at least.  I’ll work here for a bit before going for my post grad abroad (still tentative, of course).  And I’m sure by then my parents would end up coming back to India. (I’ll definitely keep going during vacations though, as long as they are there!)

What did you like most about India?

P: THE ROADS. Lulz.
I think the good scope for pursuing what you love/anything for that matter is really good in India. It’s pretty damn dynamic that way! Lots of things happening every moment! Aaaaaaaaaaand I love the exchange rate xD

You play for two pretty different bands – Gutslit and Reptilian Death. You also have a killer modern progressive project which is highly underrated. How do you manage projects that are so different from each other?

P: Well RD was on hiatus for a while since Vinay was sick. And this happened when I had just joined Gutslit. Vinay has finally recovered, so only now will I be able to actually judge how difficult it is to manage different bands.(Though I don’t think it should be an issue at all). In terms of managing the writing bit, I haven’t started writing anything for RD yet, it’s only been Gutslit and my solo stuff. It is a little weird to write grind/brutal death and then think of new ideas for a modern progressive metal project(or vice versa), but it’s good fun. Keeps you going. :D

How has your ride been with your bands so far?

P: Pretty amazing. I never thought I’d even play an outstation show till I joined these bands :P It’s cool. Plus I get to meet so many cool people. It’s cool how I saw a Bhayanak Maut LOG 11^th hour cover on youtube and I saw this guy with this massive beard (Vinay) in 9^th or 10^th std, and I knew about this ‘Demonstealer’ guy because of Workshop(on Channel V Launchpad) and his big band ‘Demonic Resurrection’ etc etc and I knew how prominent these guys were in bringing up the scene and stuff. Never thought I’d actually play with them in the same band someday. Especially considering I’m pretty young compared to these oldies! Gutslit is giving me some crazy exposure as well. It’s fun!

Tell me about all further releases that are planned.
P: RD – Writing begins end 2014, if I’m not wrong. (for the 2^nd full length)
Gutslit – We’re releasing an EP soon, hopefully sometime in the next 3 months. Gonna be Br000talz.
Self – After I release the Gutslit stuff, I shall work on this full on. Done with 9 songs currently, 1 more and I need to polish/finalize my previous tracks. I guess it’ll take a while, hopefully by end 2014 or early 2015.

Who are your favourite Indian musicians?
Guitar – I really like Akshay from Scribe. Sanju from Devoid is an epic guitarist as well. Nishith Hegde is kickass too!!
Bass – Ashwin Shriyan from DR/RD and Gurdip Singh from Gutslit/Agnya. Both mad bassists.
Drums – Viru from DR/Scribe, Aaron Pinto from Gutslit/Providence, and Mayank from Atmosfear/Zygnema
Vocals – Aditya Barve from Gutslit, Sunny and Vinay from Bhayanak Maut, Neerav from TimeFrames(Manipal band – check them out), Shashank from Undying Inc.
Keyboards – Ummmm.. I’ve heard Mephisto from DR is good. And the Chaotic Years keyboardist is pretty sick as well!

Which musicians have you utterly enjoyed playing/jamming with?

P: I love jamming with the Gutslit guys. Like honestly. We get these crazy doom and black vibes sometimes which are KICKASS! :P I also loved jamming with you and Pritesh. Hah :D Sadly I haven’t jammed too much with other people. Wish I did!

Who do you look up to as a musician/guitar player? (your idols)

P: This is easy. Dave Mustaine, Mikael Akerfeldt, Steven Wilson, Misha Mansoor, JOHN GALLAGHER, Matt Heafy, Tosin Abasi, Keith Merrow and Ola Englund, Devin Townsend

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

P: Blah. Working in some corporate with a family and shit. Hahahah. Hopefully earning enough to fund my music and if not play in bands, make music for myself. J

Do you want music to be your life? Otherwise too, what are you studying to become?

P: Who wouldn’t? Lol. Too bad it’s pretty difficult to make a living out of it. Let’s see, though.. never know what might just turn up! If I could get to even this little level without expecting much, I’m sure something CAN be possible. :P I’m studying management. I’d love to have my own business someday, it’s been my childhood thing. Lol. If that doesn’t work out, something finance related. (probably banking)

One message for all the ladies, and the fans.

P: Can’t think of anything cool, so I’m gonna be cliché and go all ‘thanks for supporting me’. Lol. <3

And if you like what you hear, check out the rest of  my channel on Soundcloud. CHEERS NIGGAS.

This song is my personal favourite:

Prateek's new song that he posted just yesterday on Soundcloud: 

This is Prateek on Facebook and Soundcloud

GUTSLIT and Reptilian Death

All the best dude. I hope you make it big. Much love! :*