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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This Review is cross-posted at Absurd History .

The demons return with metal embossed all over them.

It was in 2005 when a major change of sorts was seen in the Indian metal scene and only a demon(stealer) could have a hand in it. India’s only metal record label Demonstealer Records (DSR) dared to release Demonic Resurrection’s (DR) debut album complete with good recording and an inlay which had been worked on. Things are not the same anymore and it is going to be better.

Back then none new that this DR album (A Darkness Descends) along with their second Ep (Beyond The Darkness) will culminate into a final release in this trilogy of darkness named The Return To Darkness. (now that is four darkness already!). And if you have not heard of Demonic Resurrection you should probably go back to sleep.

This new album has 10 tracks and more on that later. Out of the many firsts this band has achieved, they got their artwork done by this Xaay fellow who has previously worked with Nile, Karl Sanders, Necrophagist and Behemoth. Now that is a lot he has done in a lifetime. The album cover is magnificient and the inlay is detailed complete with lyrics and supporting art (signature DSR). If you have not heard the preview tracks then the artwork should be the reason for owning this album. Class !

Praising the box of this set took up some of my time prior to opening it. I couldn’t wait to play the cd. Before I got lost in the music I wanted to see the huge poster. Instantly my eyeballs caught sight of Viru’s flared nostrils. Only to have my balls drop off by the drumming on the album. He is easily one of the best we have as his drumming is effortless.

The Return To Darkness is DR’s album with a new line-up. Expect a change in their sound and how ! It feels as if the new guitarist Daniel Rego was the only one DR was falling short of. He has changed the way people will perceive DR. He is equipped with that professional attitude towards his role that doesn’t come easily. Look around you and feel the difference.

So we have 10 tracks. Of pure unadulterated melodic metal. The intro to the album Between Infinity And Oblivion personifies what the band believes in – darkness. Great synth work on this one. Talking about synth, Mephisto has raised the bar for synth playing. What amazing work. He stands out on each track. Lookout for the tracks The Warrior’s Return, A Tragedy Befallen, Bound By Blood Fire and Stone, Dismembering The Fallen. Infact this version of Dismembering The Fallen is better than the last recorded one. A special mention to Sahil’s vocals. It sounds more polished now.

I look for melody in most of what I hear, and when I expect it to be there I look for it even more. DR has been promising and on this record the aspect of melody is pushed even further, staying true to the band’s major influences. Infact in every song there is a conscious effort to include melody but the ones that kept me hooked have got to be Where Dreams And Darkness Unite, Omega I and The Final Stand.

The lone track that made news before the album release The Unrelenting Surge Of Vengeance has some great riffs and brutal drumming. They had replicated this song the way it is on the record at Deccan Rock Festival. Followed it up with a video on youtube that catapulted the views on their channel DemonicTube thereby setting some new records for Indian metal.

Now a separate part on my most awaited track – the 11 minute opus – Lord Of Pestilence. Begins with a sound that no doubt will remind you of Frozen Portrait. But then the clean parts on Frozen were not sung by Sahil Makhija . Sahil attending his Workshop regularly has improved his clean skills. And I see influences from his other project Demonstealer too. The song that is over 11 minutes scores in every department. Complete with power drumming, classic synth and guitar solos. So to say it is a complete song.

The production on the album need not be talked about because by now we know what to expect from DSR. Fronted and run singlehandedly by Sahil ‘the demonstealer Makhija, this one man army is a massive reason for the shaping of the scene. Time and again this has been said and he truly lives up to it. And the least we can do is buy the albums, (fvck) I mean an album with this quality really needs to be appreciated and how can that be done ? – obviously by buying them !

I need not mention this separately but this is the best Indian metal album till date. In the words of Saloni Sinha, they sound like a mellow version of Behemoth, can’t believe its the same DR.

Read that ? Everyone is sharing the same feeling over this album, the new DR line-up and sound. Pick up your copy. It is worth your money. And DR at its fvcking best.

With a gig lined up in Europe this year, it is clear that everyone in the band has a passport. That was sad. After all, demonic metal is something only India can offer.

Next stop – Wacken ?

*Itihas Shetty is Mumbai’s well known metalhead, currently re-located to Chennai. He is also a die hard blogger (who checks blog stats even at 3am  do read  ’Indian Rock History’  documented at Absurd History.

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First Impression: It’s been very very annoying to see album updates for the past few months and not hear anything from the album besides a few clips. But I finally got my hands on the album on Wednesday thanks to Daniel Rego. We all have sky high expectations from Demonic Resurrection because they are (at least in my opinion) the best metal band in India and one of the best in the world. The album delivers everything it promises. It is an Epic conclusion to the Darkness trilogy. I applaud DR for this masterpiece. Had it been completed in 2009 I would have included it in my albums of the decade. Anyway time for the details now.

The Package: the first thing to note about the black box , itis very good quality and the general feel of it makes you grin from ear to ear. The glossy finish is a very nice touch. Now the box set contains 2 plectrums (very nice touch) . These plectrums are a heavy 2mm and are the same ones used by front man Sahil Makhija. The sticker is the new band logo in black and white. The poster is beyond epic. If you think it looked awesome on the promo of the box you’ve got another thing coming. I can’t wait to get this thing on my wall. The box contains one more item that will be revealed to you when you get the box set. I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you. Finally the box set contains the cod in a high quality jewel case. The thing I would like everyone to note here is that the place where the booklet sits in the box has the long edges and not the sharp ones that ruin the booklet. Very nice touch. This cd would fit perfectly well in your international metal band cd collection.     5/5

The art: The art for the album and box was done by none other than Michael ‘XAAY’ Loranc of Nile, Behemoth, and Karl sanders art fame. The art on the front of the box is the same as the art seen on the band’s official website.  Now comes the best part of the art. The album cover for The Return to Darkness is one of the best album covers ever. It is comparable to artwork for maiden albums done by Derek Riggs. The album also, unlike most metal albums today, has a beautiful inlay. It really goes well with the rest of the art. The cd label features the portal again. The booklet is printed on high quality paper and features different artwork on every page. The lyrics are printed very clearly and well. Basically the artwork gets a good review in my book.  Mephisto (Jetesh) has dedicated the album to his mother.    5/5

The Album:

Here’s a song by song breakdown of the album, although you should really listen to the album as one complete song to end the darkness trilogy.

1. Between infinity and oblivion (instrumental): this is the intro to the album. It has some music you have already heard. The clip that plays on the bands official website is from this song. It features some brilliant work by mephisto and viru on drums. You could call it the calm before the storm. But don’t go by what I say about the calm. Close your eyes and listen to this and I promise it will take you to a dark place. I hope this is played live and not as a pre recorded clip. One of the best album intro/openers I’ve heard in really long. The best part about this song is during the last few seconds you feel something building and it’s about to explode. 9/10

2.   Where dreams and darkness unite: the song starts instantly with the guitars and Viru’s blast beats. Sahil Makhija comes in with the first line” this starting confusion of where I am…” the song features amazing riffage and the atmospheric effect provided by Mephisto makes you wish this album was available in 5.1 . At about 1:32 into the song the insane section starts. This gave me goose bumps when I first heard it. I know most of us had seen this song live at I rock and maybe Deccan rock in Bangalore  but the album version is beyond words.  The song is different but similar to stuff on A Darkness Descends. One more thing to note at this point is the genre for this is more progressive demonic metal than just demonic metal as the band calls their genre. If you’re expecting the standard fast drums and growls with a stupid solo thrown in you have the wrong cd. This song features clean vocals by Sahil. Lyrically this song is about the struggle and confusion faced and the decision to return back to the darkness.  Between infinity and oblivion going into this song will be brutal live. This song is a must see live. For all you DR purists out there, you could call this the dreams of the dead of this album. 8.5/10

3.   The warrior’s Return: song no 3 starts off with Mephisto and viru with the atmospheric effect. This song reminded me of the march towards battle in all war movies. Daniel and Sahil come in blazing with their cut throat riffs. Mephisto’s keys go very well with the riffs. The growling in this song has been taken to a whole new level.  Mephisto really stands out in this song. The drums are absolutely insane in this one. At about 2:45 the song has a break where Mephisto comes in with his beautiful piano melodies. This part is eerie reminiscent of old opeth. Daniel comes in with a brilliant solo here. Not the usual shredding nonsense. This song is very progressive. You shall be thrown into battle again after the solo section. For fans of double bass drumming, this song and the one before will be a double choc chip sundae.  The song is called the Warrior’s return but with this album I think the warriors have returned with a new found brother.  Just when you think the song is just about over Daniel comes in with a blazing guitar solo that will melt your face right off. Again the solo has soul and feel to it. It’s not mindless riffage. Power metal fans would like the solo. It has a very Adrian smith influence to it.  10/10

4. A Tragedy befallen: We all heard the clip on MySpace but believe me that does no justice to this song.  This song features excellent lead parts on both the guitar and the keyboard. Sahil’s clean vocals really shine on this one. I would’ve liked the entire song to feature his clean vocals. The guitar + keyboard harmonies really make this song stand out. This song features many sections as well. This may be a live favourite. It’s definitely one of my favourite songs on the album. The second section in the song is the one that is featured on the MySpace clip of it. It has the catchy chorus as well that everyone will sing along to. The chorus I’m talking about reminded me of the part in apocalyptic dawn where he sings “the shadow of darkness has fallen before us, this war is won…” Daniel’s first solo of the song follows the chorus. It is not a long solo but an apt one for the occasion. The section after this solo is my favourite. It features my favourite riff on the album. This song becomes maiden meets death metal now.  Mephisto’s keys here akin to Dark Tranquillity songs lead into Daniel’s final solo which is one of the best solos I’ve heard in long. Nice sweeping. The song ends with a clean riff and Husain’s bass really standing out here. The bass mix is a little low in most parts but not here. The clean riff ends with a harmony leading into the next song.   10/10

5. The unrelenting Surge of Vengeance: the song everybody has heard and talked about. It’s the first single and has a brilliant video. The riffage is mad here. It’s a monster of a song. Sahil and mephisto seem to be working together here. They complement each other on this track. This song was seen live by whoever went for the Deccan rock festival. The keyboard section in the middle leads to more riffage. A nice groove riff here. The drums on this one again are brilliant. My only complaint about this one is the absence of a guitar solo. I guess the band felt it wasn’t needed. It has already got more than 6000 views in 6 days on YouTube.  It’s not my favourite on the album but nevertheless it is a very good song. It’s the weakest song on the album in my opinion and that’s a very good sign of the things to come.    7/10

6.  Bound by blood, fire and stone: This song starts off with some nice 6th string chugging leading into Sahil coming in with the vocals and Viru’s drums again. This song is another one that features clean vocals but not in the foreground. The foreground has the growls and the clean vocals sound like they’re coming from far away. I cannot stress enough on the keyboard effect on this album. It really shines. This song features very nice bass lines as well to complement the guitars. The stereo riff effect in the middle is a very nice touch. It features some nice blast beats and Sahil’s soft growls (as I call them) akin to Dani filth. The rest of this song is very proggy and I love it. I had heard a very early of this song at Sahil’s house long ago and I’m happy with the final result. I love the vocals on this one.    9/10

7.  Lord of pestilence: The intro to this one has a very Frozen portrait feel to it. (Don’t get excited. The rest of the song is nothing like Frozen ). Once the clean vocals come in I am reminded of the song “and the dream will cease to exist” from the Beyond The Darkness EP. This song is what will bring the band into a whole other league. It builds up like a volcano about to explode. The clean riff and Sahil’s vocals are an excellent combination. At about 3 minutes into the song, it undergoes a complete phase shift with Sahil’s coming in with a spine crushing growl. I’m not a big fan of the vocals in this section but the instruments have done a brilliant job.  Is it overkill if I say this song is very proggy as well?  I was quite sceptical after hearing there was going to be an eleven minute epic on this album because I had heard only short songs by DR before but the song put me in my place. I knew the song would be good but I did not expect this. The next section is what I call the Opeth Watershed section. It reminded me too much of that album. Daniel’s solo is very akin to an opeth solo from watershed. In fact his playing on this section makes this song listenable over and over again. Again this is not an opeth rip-off it just shows the influence. The harmony at the end of the solo before the vocals is beautiful. Sahil’s clean vocals add to the effect.  At almost 8 minutes into this epic we move to the next section. Mephisto begins this one followed by the guitars complementing his playing and viru + Husain very nicely adding to the rhythm of the song.  The last 3 minutes of this song are progressive death atmospheric metal. Let’s leave it at that. This song is exactly what I wanted to hear from one of my all-time favourite bands. All I can say now is that this will be the song everyone looks forward to seeing live. Bravo Sahil et all. 10/10 (understatement)

8. Dismembering the fallen:   The first taste of RTD that we all got last year. The song has been mixed and mastered properly and does not sound like a demo/rough mix anymore. I really like this song. This song features nice guitar + keyboard harmonies as well. I love Husain’s bass lines in this one and can’t wait to see them played live. It’s a very melodic song and it features clean vocals as well. The call and answer riff (guitar plays something and keyboard follows) has been modified slightly and features a pinch harmonic now. There’s not much else to say about this song besides the fact that Daniel has 2 solos on it. One solo is reminiscent of Cryptopsy or so I’ve been told. I really like the solo.  The riff’s here are very catchy and yet intricately placed. When you least expect it Daniel’s second solo arrives. It is a very short one but placed correctly. The song ends with the intro riff fading out. You can really hear Husain here. 9/10

9. The final Stand:   This song is a gem. It’s my favourite song on the album right now. It begins with a keyboard and drum intro. Very nice keyboard parts. This song should have been the first single from the album in my opinion but I guess it was too long for a single. Sahil’s vocals really shine on this one. Clean vocals followed by growls with the same lyrics. The main tune reminds me of an old sci fi movie but the name evades me. I love the lyrics on this one.  The second section here is very melodic and atmospheric. The best part about this section besides Daniel’s solo is the keyboard and bass backing the solo. The tempo changes midway through Daniel’s solo. This is my favourite solo on this album. It has a slight john petrucci feel to it with an Adrian smith influence again. I know Daniel will deny the petrucci influence but I felt it here. The final section here features a nice effect on the same bass keyboard backing making it sound more and more atmospheric. This continues to build for the album closer.    10/10

10 Omega, I: This song is the only one that features a lyrical contribution by Daniel (The rest of them were done only by Sahil).  I said a lot of the songs on the album were proggy but none as much as this one. There is something about this song that makes you want to listen to it over and over again. I don’t know if it’s the lyrics or the guitar melodies or the keyboards. This song also features a 14 second growl by Sahil. Bravo Mr Makhija. Another thing to note here is growling harmonies with nice music always work. The riffs on this one are some of the best that I’ve heard in a long time.  I think the band will need a sheet of paper next to them for this song for all the different sections in it. 5 minutes into this song you will really feel sad. I say that because this is the best close to an epic album ever. I’m not joking. There is bass tapping here. This is what great songs are made off. Sahil comes in with a nice vocal harmony while he and Daniel continue to riff. This part features some of the best work on the album by all members. The song slowly starts to fade with one of the best riffs ever and goes into something familiar. It took me a while to get this one. The song ends with a section lifted off the song Beyond the Darkness from the EP with the same name. This is a sign of the bands direction in the future. The darkness trilogy has ended and they are moving beyond the darkness. This is one more part that I hope is played live and not just on the PA.   10/10

Final verdict on the music on the album 4.6/5

It’s definitely worth more than a listen. I think this album is going to be a breakthrough album for the scene here.  It’s just a matter of time before the band is signed to an international metal label. They’re already playing the brutal assault festival with the likes of cannibal corpse, Devin Townsend etc.

I’d like to end this review by requesting everyone who has read this far to go order the cd if you haven’t done so already. A lot of hard work has gone into its creation and it is really a brilliant album. Do not download this or encourage piracy in the music scene here. People put in their blood sweat and tears into their music and deserve album sales. SUPPORT INDIAN METAL.

*Mikhail Madnani is a huge metal fan, a guitarist and an electronics and telecom engineer from Mumbai. He calls himself a maiden psycho fan and is currently working hard to form his own band.

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Arguably the strongest band to come out of the south since Motherjane, the trio known as Null Friction has taken a gigantic leap in focus and consistency since their EP .World Wide Quiet. Even though their sophomore album doesn’t include songs as emotionally involving and popular as ‘Somehow’ or ‘Reason to Rise’ featured on the 4 song EP, their new album Madras still has all the makings of a classic. It is the sound of a confident modern rock band drawing from a plethora of influences while at the same time coming into their own. This album is a slow grower with repeated listens revealing a set of guitar driven hard rock with enough experimentation to keep the listener on his toes.

Throughout the album the band clearly wears its influences on their sleeves be it the charging opening track ‘Mud’ with its tactful RATM scratching or Silverchair post grunge structure in ‘Sailor’. The band knowingly delves into more darker territory with the almost metallic ‘The Pind’ while calmer songs like ‘Inside Jokes’ and the title track itself provide the album with a much needed slow down. ‘Bahrain’ is a mid tempo track that despite a dynamic riff that draws out, never really delivers on its promise. Albeit a mixed bag, the weaker tracks on the album are easily compensated for by passion, drive and involvement of melody on the standout songs.

A tight rhythm section with bassist Abhishek Singhal and Ansh Sanyal on drums provides guitarist and vocalist Shreyans Jha enough leverage to meander onto untested pastures. The most experimental track on the record comes in the form of ‘Discreet’, an atmospheric instrumental number where guitar and bass float over a distorted sampling of Al Pacino from the Devils Advocate bringing forth an unnerving yet dreamlike state.

Overall the album ultimately succeeds in its purpose and for all of the elements it gathers from, appears as solid and cohesive as the band itself yielding a life of its own. The band has proven themselves to be wise beyond their years, crafting an arresting album that transcends the local scene and positions them to be heard in the near future by a much bigger audience.

* 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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Band : Khiladi .

City : Mumbai

How was 2009 for you and your band, what do you think has been the best thing to happen for the Indian Rock scenario in 2009?
2009 was good for my band Khiladi, got to play a lotta different and weird venues. Some competition sucesses and got to meet some awesome musicians and bands. Best thing for Indian Rock scenario in 2009 was the showcasing of Indian bands to the music bigwigs from abroad, and how they loved the Indian bands ! be it metal, folk, fusion whatever !

What are your Favorite song / album from 2009?
The Circus and Bhayanak Maut

Please share an instance on/offstage that you can’t forget from 2009.
Definately playing at the Mumbai Marathon, man, I am gonna talk about this gig till the day I die!!! Started playing from 5:30 am on till 12 pm, with breaks of course, but managed to rock it out and stopped the marathon couple of times with the runners gathering in front of the stage to party! Was insane and the craziest gig I have ever played

What is your and your band’s plan for year 2010?
Play more, release an EP, lose weight, and practise more !

If you had to change something from the year gone by what would that be?
Hmmm… na man, I don’t look back at events like that

How do you think the Indian rock scene will change from 2010 onwards?
It will go up, with more releases from Indian bands, and some of them hitting foreign shores and festivals and putting India on the global metal and rock map ! fuck yeah !

[ Interview questions compiled by Ashwin Sharma ]

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