Plenty of bands in the Indian scene today, have hooks and good songs. Loads have retro-garage sounds- but none of that can ever even come close to being compared to the musical luminosity that Shaair n’ Func deliver in their art. Their latest album is an exercise in pure Electro/Indie brilliance and arguably their best release to date.

It all begins with a quiet pulsate. Tremulous sounds grow until inconsistent wave outlines shake your thoughts loose. And just when you’re about to settle down, head-shaking percussion lines fill the space ragged loose in your torso, creating a headspace ready for amazement. This is the world of S&f- an amalgamation of musical extremes- guitar improvisations and soundscapes. The undulating feel of their songs reminds me of my first Gorillaz cd Tomorrow Comes today- something that was through and through gauche yet inevitably catchy. As such, most people might not obsess on this- because most might fail to understand before they realize the true depth of S& F’s extremely mature sound.

However, If you are looking for something new and something that’s extremely abstract- there is plenty here to engage you. At turns brooding and hyper, Mantis (Download album)  is a very fascinating hour of sound- and perhaps one of the the best most moments of the scene since Pink Noise’s Dance of Diaspora release.

Monica Dogra reminds me of Alanis Morisette- during her early years (not like – I was around!) And her Gnarls Barkley-ish approach to execution only adds to it all. She builds up the songs on very strapping lyrics ultimately adorned with powerful melodies and hig-flying guitar work by Randolph Correia.

There are blatant assortments and parallels interspersed onto the album like the polish of a dancer swaying to his most treasured piece. They’ve poured their entire heart into this album; each moment designed with utmost attention and skill. Its extent, its facets, its arrangement, its premise, its pitch; everything that I ever wished for from this album- has been delivered – in fact, it’s all coming up rainbows.

Intricate instrumentation- especially guitar- patches elevates a few tracks and makes “Take it personally” -a beautiful standout. It’s not making me wonder, it’s just tempting enough that maybe it will one day. Win

I can’t really pinpoint what it is that makes it all this special and amazing- it just feels futile. I guess it’d probably have a lot to do with how impressively all of their influences might have come together or how cherished it all sounds while delivering a spotless vision, or even that it’s outstanding fine art. But whatever it is, Mantis is nothing short of extraordinary; it’s S&F’s moment of clarity where everyone will have to stop and take notice and be blessed by it’s charisma- because in the most honest of terms, this is a masterpiece- one that’s bound to set the cat’s amongst the pigeons..

Amen.

S&F -MANTIS
4/5

Kaushik Barua is a freelance journalist and musician from Guwahati. He also plays in a band called Reciprockals.

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Picture by Kanika Nagpal

Since I wasn’t able to fathom what I was listening to, I plugged in my Ipod to listen to some Scribe and just shut myself from the surrounding. After a few songs into the set when the band took a break, I see this man walking towards me. He comes to me and tells me that I was disrespectful towards the band and that I should unplug and listen to them. I politely told him that it was a torture for me to listen to an act which was murdering some of my favourite tracks and that he should mind his own business. I’m guessing, at the same time he managed sneak a peek at my pod. And that’s when his mood took a 360 degree turn. I was then surprised to hear that he just loved Scribe. He was introduced to the band by his 18 year old son and that ‘Confect’ (Free Download)was his favourite Indian rock album. We then had a conversation for over an hour. We discussed the state of Indian rock today and also exchanged phone numbers. He said he would love to borrow some more Indian albums from me & that he was introduced to Indian rock courtesy scribe.

Though I love Confect myself, I somehow had a new found respect for Scribe, since I haven’t come across 40-50 yr olds appreciating Indian rock bands. Parikrama could be an exception I guess whom they may have heard in college 20 years ago.

Same goes with another so called narrow minded metchul friend (jerk) of mine to whom music doesn’t exist beyond Mayhem and Cannibal Corpse and has brain cells that equal the number of nuts and bolts pierced in his body. Well, this guy loves Scribe. The only Indian band he has managed to like apparently. Even at the recently concluded Summerstorm concert, the only band fans were eagerly waiting to check out was Scribe again. That was another surprise for me since Bangalore is known for it’s old school fans who still swear by Priest and Maiden, so for a hardcore band to be accepted is a big step forward.

So what makes Scribe stand out from it’s peers? It’s astonishing to see loyal metalheads give a thumps up to the band’s music, inspite of song titles like “I love U Pav Bhaji” and “Kamla’s Back” & I thought metalheads take their music seriously…

Scribe is a supergroup of sorts in the Indian scene with band members having played in metalcore/nu metal and death metal bands. The pot pouri of all these genres with the talent each guy brings in is what Scribe’s music is all about.

An unrelenting aural assault of some inspiring original heavy music.

After my first taste of “Mark Of Teja”, I was left wondering, was this a metal record I just heard or was it a Hollywood suspense flick I just watched. The album has some crazy intros/instrumentals and voice overs. Vishwesh brings in his theatre antics and advertising experience into the album. Even though It’s  a complete package, by the time you are done with the album, you actually expect something more. It seems like a visual experience which remains with you even after you are done watching it.

The album kicks in with a mellow instrumental “The Seed” which is the perfect album opener preparing you for the madness thereafter. Then comes ‘RSVP’ with Prashant’s monsterous riffs before Vishwesh takes over with his typical vocal annihilation of everything around. The solo on RSVP is gonna be etched in my memory for some time. With a title like “I love you Pav Bhaji” one wonders how the song is going to turn out especially from a hard core act. You will be surprised cause the track is one face melting song with an insane rhythm section and a perfect melodic interlude which begs your attention.

‘Street Archana vs Vice Varsha’ is my favourite track of the album probably cause it’s the most radio friendly one. It’s one hell of a composition with beautiful guitar tones and Vish’s clean vocals being the highlight. Five years down the line this track gets my vote as the album opener in the “best of” compilation if they ever bring out one. But God knows what the title means. A lyrics booklet might have helped along with the artwork I guess.Another track which I absolutely adore is ‘Dum Hai to aage aa’.Sounds more like a b grade bollywood flick.The songs starts off as a MJ rip off & then just moves on with Prashat and Akshay taking turns to create some beautiful melodies on their axe.Vishwesh sounds like a pop star on this one. Popcore anyone ?

With titles like Kamla’s back, 1234 Dracula and Demon pra, this has to be the most creative output I have come across for a record. It brings a smile to my face every time I go through the song titles &  the smile remains till I am neck snapping to their music. Can’t think of any other band which can do that.

‘Gunda banne ke liye danger dikhna mangta’ this is the intro to ‘1234 Dracula’ before all hell breaks loose. Only Scribe can get away with something like this. With some Marathi one liners thrown in this is humour at it’s best with dosage of heavy riffs & breakdowns.Tracks like Don’t say and  M- Pyre just stamp Scribe’s musical genius on the album & give it the extra edge to stand out from the rest of the wannabe records we are so used to hearing from the Indian underground scene.

In this age of  unoriginality wherein every metal band’s debue album sounds like Lamb of god and the second  sounds like Meshuggah, Scribe’s ‘Mark Of Teja’ is an eye opener. Supergroup or not, these bunch of guys know what they are doing and in which direction they are heading.By the way I need to sit with the band to actually understand the artwork and the concept behind Mr. Singhania.Does take some effort if u happen to go through it yourself

Do Watch out..

“The Mark Of Teja” is upon us!

By: Jitesh Rajan .

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I go ahead and bare it all, those of you who missed this gig must already be feeling the punch. You could have avoided being an emo by attending the Summer Storm Festival presented by Overture India where groove history was made on our land when arguably one of the best metal bands in the world right now played for us.

Putting aside all the shit that happened at the Summer Storm pre-party gig the previous night which I shall write about soon, I was trying to avoid any lame reasons that could ruin the biggest day in Indian metal. I reached the venue at around 5 p.m. Getting in was not an issue at all, thanks to the crowd turnout that was way below expectations and the security check was a breeze.

My main issue was my disinterest in the openers as I wasn’t interested in watching them open for LoG. Somehow consciously or unconsciously me and my 15 other friends were delaying the trip to Palace Grounds. When we entered we got to know that scribe had just got done with their set, and from what I heard they kicked ass. ScribeScribe was the only Indian band that I wanted to watch. is a bunch of really talented musicians and with the kind of experience they have I’m sure they did make the most of this.

scribe

Anyways now that my concern about wanting a worthwhile band to open for a Lamb of god is out of the way I can proceed. I do not have any complaints as such because I do not have bands like LoG playing for me every other weekend. Had to make a point that me and many others for whom metal matters like a lot felt. Its not about being against Indian bands playing but about bands that are opening for such a name. The message is we have better bands. Just for the record, the opening bands were Bhoomi, Boomerang, Scribe and Extinct Reflections.

The last Indian act was Extinct Reflections. They were tight and all, and were spread out all over the stage but then personally they aren’t one of my favorites in the Indian scene. Wish Scribe had played last. But then I could wish the whole opening line-up was different. I am getting over this now.

So by 6:45 the Indian bands were done. Now we did not expect LoG to hit the stage at seven and then go on playing till like ten. It was announced that they would not come for the next forty-five minutes or so. It was getting darker and everyone was growing restless. People around had started loosening up by exercising and doing fake mosh. We had some drunk fucks trying to ruin things around. I love drinking and I call them drunk fucks because a couple of them passed out and that too half an hour before LoG hit the stage. Alcohol cannot be insulted more.

Now what follows would be me trying to explain something that can not be expressed. With people in a couple of rows in the front gasping for breath, the organizers had to ask the crowd to move their asses a bit towards the back. The crowd did because the organizers did not intend to begin before that. And it was almost that moment. I was trying to blink as much as possible before they came on stage. With LoG chants in the air, all of us heard The Passing. And that was it. Everyone slapping their foreheads with that feeling, turning at their neighbors and bellowing the f-word. I was standing towards the left of the sound console. A flash of light and there they were. Mark Morton, Willie Adler and John Capmbell have started playing In Your Words. Chris Adler could not be seen but then he could be felt, like really felt. Randy entered and it was a bedlam. And then the crowd automatically made space as they had to form their own mosh-pits. Everyone shifted around to adjust. The set-list included a mix of old and new tracks. The band did skip a few tracks that were very much expected, but then all of their creations are first rate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Setlist -

The Passing ,In Your Words, Set To Fail, Walk With Me In Hell, Now You’ve Got Something To Die For, Ruin, Hourglass, Dead Seeds, Blacken The Cursed Sun, Descending, As The Palaces Burn, Laid To Rest, Contractor, Vigil, Redneck and Black Label

Randy’s interaction with the crowd was a bit cold as compared to what we have been subjected to in those DVDs we watched. Of the little he spoke, something that surprised all was Randy talking about Gandhi being a punk rock guy, and then followed it up with The Contractor from their latest album. Randy even mentioned his contentment after looking at the response and said he would pass this message to his friends and other bands around, not to forget his promise of coming back themselves.

The gig got over before nine p.m. But complaining would not take this anywhere as only after I came back to my senses did I realize that actually played sixteen tracks. When I went about finding out what could have made LoG cut down on time, Arpan Peter (rookie at Overture) told me some of the prominent reasons were the attendees finding it difficult to find transport to commute back after 10, and non-availability of food as most joints are shut after 10. Valid reasons but they could sideline these on this day. Nevertheless it was a very well organized gig, and considering this was Overture India’s first attempt at organizing a gig at this scale, it was a success. Whatever anyone has to say I personally want to thank Overture for making this happen. You guys did what no-one else could. Period. Only thing that disappointed me was the turnout which was said to be around 7k. I expected more. A lot more.

This gig would well be a turning point for the Indian scene and I hope the big four of thrash find their way to India soon. As for the rest of us who were present at Palace Grounds, we finally lost our virginity and what better than being banged by five Virginians. At the end of it all everyone around was heard saying, “We survived the Wrath, we lived through Lamb of god” and I could not agree any less.

[ All pictures included in the post – courtesy of Rohit Pereira (P-Man) and Jared Creado (Indian Rocket) ].

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Cyanide has a knack for using well written lyrics and vocal harmonies with 3 people singing in the band now. Their lyrical matter consists of introspective topics such as depression, anger, terrorism, relationships. But the way they write and execute it what makes it a good package. The guitar harmonies, similarly, work well with Rohan Solomon chugging out meaty riffs on the rhythm section and Nikhil Malik  belting awesome solos while keeping the lead guitar section melodic and catchy. The tight bass playing of Rohan Kale (ex-Bharat Bindal) fills up the lowend, though I thought it could’ve been engineered better because it loses prominence in the mix. Srijan Mahajan is a highly skilled drummer and his rock-solid single bass grooves keep it all rolling well. The way he changes gear from slow to fast, from breakdown to double bass contribute to the overall heaviness of the band’s music.

The one thing that strikes me about Cyanide, which is different from their peers, is their style and presentation. I can’t express how much I’ve come to like their sound. It’s evident in the new recordings; those crunchy tones, time signature changes, going from soft to heavy in a snap and brilliant vocals! 5 tracks of no-nonsense out-and-out ‘Alternative Modern Rock’ on the EP. The best part is, the tracks are all rise! That’s right, no slow or acoustic tracks for now; they’re saving all of that jazz for the LP release. I would’ve liked a better album cover, complimenting their music. The one right now seems like it’s been done in a hurry. My favorites from the album have to be ‘Not Over Yet’ with its insane last 20 seconds with madness flying everywhere; ‘Pretence’ with it’s progressive riff and metchul tone; and ‘Untold Misery’ plainly because it’s beautiful. ‘Holding Cell’ and ‘Tomorrow’ are old favorites.

I seriously can’t wait for the full length. It’s gonna be a great sounding album that’s for sure – Anupam ‘Grey’ Roy is producing; all recorded tracks are gonna go for a remaster and maybe a little re-recording as well. And then there’s a countrywide tour, so watching Cyanide getting back to big venues should be fun. They are essentially a big band now, getting junta to headbang along with them (as I saw at GIR XII 2008), and also to sing choruses; atleast after the album comes out.  Maybe small niggles like the Essing on the vocals, bass guitar in the mix and programmed drum sound will be fixed and remastered on the final album release. Other than all of this if they sort out their distro (maybe a great deal with CdRack.in), some merchandise and a stable line up for their tour, they should have a great first album launch and make many many fans! Till the final album comes out, I’m happy with these 5 songs for now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

*Neerav Gupta is a student who enjoys drumming, photography, progressive metal, and good reading every now and then.

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For any of you who have read my previous gig and album reviews, you’ll know that I usually focus only on metal and its variations. So, why am now I writing an album review for Skrat, a funk rock band from Chennai? Right. Let me tell you.

Let’s go back in time for this. A few years ago, I’d gone to the Unwind Center (the only hub for live music in Chennai) for a show headlined by Chennai’s progressive metal stalwarts, NerveRek. The band that opened for NerveRek consisted of a bunch of school/college kids was playing their first show ever, in the tightly packed Unwind Center Performance Theater. If my memory serves me right, they played a couple of originals and ended off with a cover of Creed’s ‘What If’. And like every band starting out, they had their ups, and their downs. Not too many people remembered them ‘cause, of course, the mighty NerveRek was up next but I clearly remember thinking, ‘this band will go far…’ This was many years ago. 2006, maybe?

Over the years, the band practiced and they practiced hard. Blood, sweat, time and money, all spent on an impossible cause, or so they would want you believe. Band members came and went, but T.T Sriram (guitars/vocals), Satish (bass guitar) and Tapass Naresh (drums/backing vocals), the 3 members who formed the essential core of the band remained and stuck it out. Along the way, they found a new guitarist in the form of Abhinav ‘Booby’ Krishnaswamy and while the band was exceptionally good even without him, it would be fitting to say that he has made all the difference.

Present Day: It’s been about 4 years since I first watched Skrat play. I’m holding in my hands, a neat little box consisting of a CD, which contains a culmination of years of hard work, experiences and influences. I put the CD in and I listen. Am I impressed? Hell yes I am! That is why I write this review; to pay my respects to a band that has stuck together through the thick and thin, and have slowly but steadily worked their way to become of the biggest and most popular rock bands in South India. Two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, who took in their stride every bit of criticism that I’ve been slinging on their faces over the years and learnt from it to finally release an album that’s worthy of their musical prowess.

On the band’s voyage through the vast ocean of music, they’ve observed and learnt from some of the best musicians in India. The Skrat jam room has been used and abused by no less than 15 assorted bands, including the afore-mentioned NerveRek, Delhi based band Superfuzz, the short lived super-group Afterburn, Easy Street and many more. When I hear the music, I hear, not the recordings of 4 college-students-turned-musicians, but a heady aural brew of some of India’s best talent (and as you know, we’ve got loads of it).

The album starts off with ‘Soon Before I Am Dead,’ an up-tempo track with a long, extended intro. The megaphone effect on the vocals at the start is classic, and as the song burst into the chorus, you can feel the backing guitar work slowly lifting you off the ground and pushing you into an ‘arena high’, something vaguely along the lines of U2. A fantastic start to the album. After the modern and intelligently composed ‘Soon Before I Am Dead’ comes ‘Adrenaline,’ the type of song that makes you just want to let down your hair, dance and sing along to! With groovy guitar licks and a chorus that goes ‘Pump It Up, Pump It Up,’ this song displays the ‘fun’ element behind Skrat’s music. R.I.D (Robots In Disguise), song number 3 is about the Transformers. Yes, the animated-TV-series-turned-into-the-action-block-buster-movie Transformers. Not too many bands have songs based about awesomely cool killer robots, but Skrat does. The track however doesn’t live up to the awesomeness of the Autobots with the vocals being a big let down, especially at the start. The music is good and very catchy but the vocals jus don’t cut it out for me. I’d love to hear this song live to make a better judgment but from a first listen, I was kinda disappointed. After all, how can a song about the Autobots fighting in the sky and ‘shifting to another profile’ NOT be awesome?! R.I.D leads into ‘Stay Wild,’ my pick for best song off the album. This one is your typical high energy song that makes you want to pump your fist into the air and scream, Stay! Wild! every time the chorus comes along. I had to stop myself from repeatedly spinning this track so that I could go on to the rest of the album! Definitely a winner. At this point of time, ‘How’d You Do It’ comes as a very pleasant change. The well composed parts on this track reflect the maturity of the band and the changes over the years. The vocal lines are very well written, with a nice melody that lingers in your head even after the song’s finished. ‘Black Hammer Man’ passes along in the same vein as the rest of the album and gives us the title track ‘Design’. Another one of my favourites from the album. Infectious bass lines, bluesy guitar licks and good lyrics, together a winning combination! It’s got a very singsong yet serious feel to it, something I can’t really explain with words. You’ve gotta listen to appreciate it. The last track, ‘Gun Slinger’ is the only song on the album that sounds like it shouldn’t be there. That’s not to say it’s a bad song, no, not at all. The song reminds of an 80’s classic rock power ballad (think Skid Row and Guns N Roses) with a very Wild West twang to it. And you can almost never go wrong with classic rock. The experimental guitar work on this track is very well done and at almost seven-and-a-half minutes, this is the longest track on the album. The song ends in a crescendo and as the music fades away, you can see the horizon, where the land and sky meet, like the old Westerns of yore.

A special mention about the rhythm section. It’s everything you‘d want in a band; an invisible bond between the bass guitarist and the drummer that you can ‘hear’, which differentiates the amateurs from the professionals. The drumming by itself is above par and sounds exceptionally good, as is the bass playing. The guitar solos are very well composed too, making effective use of the Wah pedal, both in the traditional Hendrix style and as a RATM-esque tool to build up energy before exploding into the guitar solo.

Now, if the Skrat boys are reading this, they’ll know that I usually keep my criticism for the last. And I’m always full of it. Right, so here goes. While the recording quality is pretty good and all instruments seem to fall into their rightful places in the mix, the vocals seem a little ‘disconnected’ from the rest of the sound. Rather than blending in and actually being a part of the music, it sounds like a completely different element, a layer that doesn’t quite agree with the rest of the instruments. Not through the whole album of course. There are parts where it fits in perfectly, but there are also parts where it could’ve been much better. I also would have liked a little more variations in the vocal lines (something effective backing vocals might solve) because as the CD plays on, in the back of my head, I’m trying to figure out if the same vocal lines were repeated a couple of songs back. Guitar tones are good, slightly fuzzy but fits the entire theme of the blues/funk rock that the band plays.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable album and comes highly recommend from me. Its not every day that a fun(k) rock band re-arranges my distorted world. Check out this band, they’re worth your time…

*Madhav Ravindranath is a Mechanical Engineer, blogger, biker and a bass guitarist. Apart from this he also manages a successful Metal Label ‘Roadcrew records‘.

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“Music, Mayhem and Metal harmonize to form Rabbit Is Rich”, says so their facebook fan page. They may sound as metal-core as they claim to, but certainly not inventive. Seems to me, another band, which probably does have potential, but has tried a little too hard to just be a part of the ‘Metal Underground’.

The EP gets underway with ‘Time’, which shamelessly swanks of much evident ‘As I Lay Dying’ influenced guitar riffs or Mervyn Matthew and Chaitanya Bhalla, plus the now growling and then neat vocals. The song definitely has no immediacy to novelty, except for a catchy guitar riff, somewhere in between. The track may be given a skipeth, lest you are some extreme fanatic hardcore fan, who praises synthetic music.
Maketh way for ‘421’, and yet again, your ear drums are fueled with a blend of ‘Killswitch Engage’ and ‘As I Lay Dying’. The ‘metal-core’ drums patterns of Tushar Goyal, and the guitar hooks, the shift from the scorching growls to the clean and neat sung vocals, the conventional false ‘Rabbit is Rich’ tone.
Change of tracks, and ‘Greying Skies’, drifts slightly, with a clean and melodic intro, and vocals of Dhairya Sethi, in which is evident a hint of ‘Maarko Saaresto’ (Poets of the Fall). But soon draws itself towards the artificial sound, which sadly encapsulates the entire album.
Thankfully, ‘Kaboom’, happens to be the last song on the EP. The only track may worth listening to, well, not really. A bit of alternate-psychedelicness and some ‘Another Vertigo Rush’ feel to it. Fake.

I couldn’t have just managed to waste more time on an album which sounds more similar to amplified-rip-offs.
Abundant fake praises by certain critics and musicians, are already on the rounds, if you do go through their facebook fan page, which must not be fan-ned. And eventually the output falters to be remotely anywhere near something that would be awaited.

You must not listen to the band, here, if you wish so.

* Soumil Nigam is “Just a regular guy who blogs, plays the guitar, supports Indian Rock and headbangs when in a shower”.

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Along with local stalwarts Menwhopause and Shaair+func, Motherjane will represent India in this collection aiming to spread the message of justice, fairness, freedom and truth – already recurring themes in numerous Motherjane songs. Bringing this iconic band out of hibernation with a song written exclusively for the compilation entitled ‘The Tribes of Babel’, the bands first track released in over a year and a half sees them falling back into brilliance without missing a beat.

A track along the lines of, dare I say it Lennon classics ‘Imagine’ and ‘Give Peace a Chance’, this song reverberates with the same honesty and passion the band is renowned for. Kicking off with a pulsating cadence, the rhythm section of Clyde and John hold together an ultra tight groove, before allowing chiming guitars and Suraj’s emotive vocals to take lead.

The song’s striking lyrics deserve a special mention. Evocative but graceful, the core message of beauty in diversity resonates thoroughly in today’s day and age. Words with soul, these couplets confer heart wrenching imagery of a world united in imagination and with a purpose to repair and change itself.

Midway through, the song completely alters direction turning into a stunning free fall for all, with some truly explosive old school progressive riffs and incredible dexterity on the drum parts. Loaded in visceral instrumentation, it all builds to a heady climax where all the sounds coalesce leading out with the sound of Baiju’s wailing guitar.

A bustling melody layered on top of an enchanting chord progression renders this song as an unskippable track on your playlist, a poignant promise of humanity and an enduring hymn of solace and peace.

*Shikher Chaudhary, an avid fan of indie rock, punk and jazz spends his time blogging, drumming and listening to music. An ardent supporter of Indian Rock he hopes to popularize the scene working as the Mumbai correspondent for Rock Street Journal.

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By: Shikher Chaudhary *

The 90’s alternative rock revolution is considered by many as exactly that, a ‘revolution’, and rightly so. The likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and their Seattle cohorts were responsible for regaining meaning and passion to the music like so few before and bringing forth a desperately needed variation in modern rock music; in the process managing to reach out and influencing alienated youth across the world. Consequently it was just a matter of time before the waves of this flannel clad style reached the shores of India, resulting in an abundance of mediocre hard rock bands worshiping at the altar of Cobain and co. all over the country. However among the clutter there has always been one band whose star has shined a lot brighter than some of their comrades.

Mumbai based ‘Blakc’ comprising of  Shawn Pereira on Vocals, Shishir Tao on Drums, Reinhardt Dias on Lead Guitar, Roop Thomas on Bass, and Anish Menon on Rhythm Guitar have always had a knack for combining nostalgic guitar driven hard rock with contemporary ideas. What distinguishes them from the pack is their ability to divert from the one dimensional style of post grunge into more experimental territory. Their debut album ‘Choking on a Dream’ finds the band at their absolute finest embracing originality within the post grunge idiom, a perfect marriage between 90’s rock and more harmonious offerings.

Right off the bat the album kicks in with the high octane riff of ‘Rift’ featuring Shawn’s vocals that packs a powerful punch clearly influenced by vocalists of alternative past. Leading into the most accessible track, a melodic sing along tune with heart on sleeve lyrics, ‘Alone’ is characterized by a strikingly beautiful guitar line and memorable solos.

Roop’s exceptional bass playing skills are clearly highlighted throughout the album, combined with Shishir Tao’s sturdy drumming offering up one of the strongest rhythm sections in the scene today. ‘Newspaper Boy’ for instance leads in with a fantastic slap bass that resonates throughout the song.

Low key numbers like ‘Devil’s Sympathy’ and ‘Sold (Loose change)’ offer a well needed slow down to the album’s pace and as close as the band gets to a genuine ballad.

The album runs the gamut through a collection of 10 tracks each plastered with soaring catchy choruses but still retaining an undeniable cohesive quality. It’s on ‘Ambush’ and ‘Somewhere in the Night’ that this cohesive playing is at its most potent, two decidedly up tempo numbers with tightly wound structures.

‘Sold’ seamlessly combines celebratory sonics and miserablist lyrics into something singular before concluding the record with a light instrumental. Notably missing from the album is live favorite ‘Dreamcast’ which might have worked well within the concept of similarly arranged songs.

Although this album could very well catapult Blakc into the mainstream, and deservedly so, it is evident this is by no means intentional. ‘Choking on a Dream’ is neither a genuine ’safe’ option for the band nor a blatant fan-base builder which obscures the band’s own charms. The band rises head and shoulders above fellow bands with an album that eagerly compels with bold ideas, however what remains to be seen is whether they are able to overcome the foreboding sophomore curse or end up like so many bands before them, being pigeonholed into a particular sound.

* Shikher Chaudhary, an avid fan of indie rock, punk and jazz spends his time blogging, drumming and listening to music. An ardent supporter of Indian rock, he hopes to popularize the scene working as the Mumbai correspondent for Rock Street Journal.

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Before starting the review I must add that I am a novice when it comes to listening avant-garde metal. With so many nuts and bolts spinning around death and black metal, I never bothered to check this relatively untouched genre till I came across Rat King. When I first heard Plague of Hamelin, I was visibly taken aback by the mixing of varied styles ranging from industrial to classical and even jazz to folk in the album. But the amalgamation of these varied choice created a perfect blend of ambience in the album, which left a dying urge in me to check their next album Larva.

If Plague of Hamelin was about a distorted version of the famous story Pied Piper of Hamelin, then Larva is about ”a man’s unremitting dream and his crawling descent to his physical disintegration, through a series of horrifying phantasmagorias”. Sounds a bit too far fetched at first, but then it sure does leave a horrifying imprint in your mind when the opening track Egg’s sonic burst of dark ambience ridden sounds sparsed with drumming fills your ears. And thats how the album proceeds over the next thirty five minutes. Larva is a very conceptual album as it lacks a vocal support just like their previous album, and yet they manage create a vocal impression with their dexterity in instrumentation, which clearly shows how clever the band are.

Drumming plays a very important role in the album, as the maniacal blast beats heard in Larva perfectly sums up the the frantic horror going through the man’s mind. Guitaring too is cleverly done as heard in tracks like Hour of Wolf, where the guitarist cleverly changes gear from soft acoustic to a more industrial black metal side and in Wake, where there’s a canny interaction between acoustics and electric guitars. All through these sounds, the orchestral elements play an equally effective role in maintaining the perfect dark ambience for the theme, through out the album just as though you’re experiencing your worst nightmare.

In short, with Larva, Rat King have come out more matured than before with greater expertise in instrumentation and an even greater knack in songwriting that manages to conjure the perfect horror-imagery in mind which perfectly conforms to the album’s storyline. And the fact that they have done this without lyrical support once again and yet adding to a good listening experience, deserves a commendable applause from the listener. So if you ever want to knowhow the soundtrack to your worst nightmare would be, then check out RatKing’s Larva to get those shivery spine chills.

*Souvik Roy A die-hard metalhead with a post-modernist mindset, based in Bangalore, studying chemical engineer.

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*By Jitesh Rajan

The Chennai music scene has always been brewing up with talent as far as I can recall. The band which I always used to associate rock/metal from Chennai was ‘Moksha‘. A band which I have so many fond memories of & a band which has inspired a lot of Indian rock musicians to pick up the guitar and form bands. In the present bands like Blood & Iron, Blood Covenant, Null Friction and Junkyard groove have been keeping the rock scene alive down south. June Rock Out or JRO as it is popularly known as is one of the major draws on the Indian rock calendar every year. Remember going for the 2005 & 2006 editions and catching acts which I normally don’t get to see in Mumbai..

In 2008 I was all set to head for JRO but due to prior commitments I was not able to make it. Well a few friends of mine did make it and the only band they were raving to me about time and again was a band called “Blind Image” from Chennai itself. When I did ask them what genre did they belong to, none of the guys had a definite answer. They argued on Blind image being Metalcore /Thrash/ Progressive/ Technical. But what they agreed on was the music kicked ass and that their live performance just literally blew them away. This was almost 2 years back…

When I did hear they were coming out with a full length album in November 2009 I was all but kicked about a band that I had just heard about but never seen live before. ‘More Than Human‘ is a metal record the way a metal album should sound like. In your face and heavy at the same time. A concept album, about a scientist who is doing an experiment which goes awfully wrong. Pretty much a drift from the usual themes of death and suicides which metal loves to talk about.

Music can be best described as a sheer sonic assault on your senses with varied degrees of complexity. Something like the complexity of Tool meeting the sheer brutality of Slipknot. The first track I ever heard from the band was ‘deciphered’ which made me stand up and take notice of the band’s sheer talent to write and compose some real nerve cracking heavy music. The razor-sharp riffs on this one and the vocals take the listener to a neck snapping fest. David Simon’s vocals are a treat to hear. Clean vocals with some trademark screams and growls which gel perfectly with the riffage being churned out.

Prashant Mathias & Shricharan on the guitars make sure to give the tracks an extra edge with some brilliant solos and riffs bordering on modern thrash elements.’ Ominous’ is my favorite track of the record. A memorable solo with a breakdown which makes you want go crazy in the pit. A song which is going to be a favorite at live shows for its energy and intensity it generates. The opening title track ‘More than human’ is the perfect album opener. The opening gut rattling riffs which just pave way for Srikrishna’s drum attack before David’s vocals come in stamp the arrival of Blind image’s brand of contemporary metal.

Tracks like ‘Epitaph’ & ‘Circle of the unique’ showcase the band’s progressive leanings, brilliant compositions. Ballads which are a welcome change to give a metal album the uniqueness it requires to stand out from the rest of the metal releases in the scene.’ Glitch in the system’,’ Axioms Of Synergy ‘ and ‘allegiance in defiance’ are all tracks which are going be crowd favorite at live shows for its insane thrash riff attacks. To translate the same energy which a fan experiences while listening to the record on to the live stage is what you expect a metal band to do. Minor glitches such as absence of a booklet with the CD and lyrics to the songs are my only complaints. But the Music more than does it for me. Cant wait to see Blind Image live. Watch out for these metallers when they visit you city. They for sure are going to bring the roof down !

* Jitesh Rajan is a Ad professional by day and a die hard  ’Metal head’ by night. He is one of the handful of guys who work selflessly to promote  the Indian underground Scene.

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