Formed in 1991 as Misanthrope, Dying Embrace is a name synonymous with the Indian underground scene. Having a cult following in India as well as abroad, the band recently released their discography and was featured in the Motorhead Tribute – India album alongside veterans Millennium and others. We caught up with the legendary Vikram Bhat for a little interview on the band and their plans:
Eight Octaves: Hails from Eight Octaves! How have you been lately?
Vikram: Greetings & Salutes! Been busy actually, juggling between my day job, rehearsing with Dying Embrace and final organisational preparations to the first edition of Doom Over Bangalore! My hands are full but I am pretty much used to this now, wish the day had more hours though!
Eight Octaves: How is the split with Dusk coming up? When can we expect it?
Vikram: The split with Dusk titled “Through Corridors Of Dead Centuries” should be out tentatively in September/October 2013 and Cyclopean Eye Productions will be releasing it. We will be having 3 songs on it and 1 bonus cover track. We are half way through the recording process right now and it should all be done by end of July or early August. We are recording the material with Premik Jolly at Area 51 Studios and Srikanth Panaman will be mixing and mastering it at The Doom Cave.
Eight Octaves: Your cover of Deaf Forever for the Motorhead Tribute – India album got some mixed responses. The surprise factor in it was the different approach to the vocals, from regular Dying Embrace songs. Why the change in the vocal style for this particular song?
Vikram: Frankly speaking, the band and a lot of fans were very impressed with the cover, the very fact that a Doom/Death Metal band did a complete turn around and chose a hard rocking track to cover instead of going for a mid tempo or slower song was an approach liked by many. Of course you can’t make everyone happy, but then we have always been a band who first and foremost did what we loved, in the process if somebody can relate and connect to it, brilliant, if not, tough luck mate, we won’t and never will do shit to please you! Haha! The Dying Embrace material is written differently and needs a particular vocal delivery style and approach, when we did the cover I just felt the song needs a different treatment, the band loved what I did and here you have it!
Eight Octaves: What are your views on the current trend in decreasing audience pattern in gigs? It’s very disheartening to see such a low turnout, especially for young, upcoming bands. And I’m sure even you would have felt the same way at some point or the other.
Vikram: Frankly speaking I feel that a gig with a good line up of bands and correctly priced tickets should bring in the audience also things like quality sound production and a professionally managed event will always work in the long run for an organizer and build trust and goodwill which will directly result in a better turnout. Sometimes a gig with all the mentioned factors still won’t work well but then you win some you lose some so it’s always a gamble. I feel bands should play to their full potential irrespective of the turnout, even if there are 25 people in the audience you have to give them the best show possible!
Eight Octaves: There have been some controversies in the Bangalore scene in recent times, where it is said that a few organisers are deliberately charging a performance fee from the bands rather than trying to pay them. What are your views on this?
Vikram: I have no idea at all about this, no organiser has approached us yet with this “business” model nor have we worked with anyone who is interested in milking the musicians in this novel method.
Eight Octaves: Haha! Moving on, Bangalore Open Air is just around the corner. The line-up this time is very varied and it surely has a lot to offer to lovers of different sub-genres of Metal. What do you guys expect from the show this year? Any personal favourite acts?
Vikram: I think it’s a line up which has something for everyone, a Fest of this size has to think about the larger picture and since huge financial numbers are involved, breaking even and making the Fest a success is top priority for the organizers. Personally I am looking forward to Sodom & Iced Earth! \m/
Eight Octaves: Rumours has it that the gentle giant and your original bassist, Sarge, is coming back with Dying Embrace. So, do we get to see ¾ of the original Dying Embrace line-up in Doom Over Bangalore? Or do we have to wait a few more months for that?
Vikram: I would like to say that these rumours are false, Jai or Sarge’ as he is called is not coming back with Dying Embrace, he has his work and family commitments which do not give him much free time to rehearse with Dying Embrace on a regular basis. We all are still great friends and the memories we share from the early years will always be cherished!
Eight Octaves: That is sad, I’m sure many are hoping to catch him live! How has it been working with Pritham, considering that he is more of a guitar player than a bassist? Does the fact that he lives in a different city make it hard to coordinate and meet up to jam before gigs?
Vikram: Pritham is a fantastic musician and his self-taught unorthodox playing style perfectly blends in with the band and we couldn’t have asked for a better Bass player. Pritham staying in Mangalore or Mozambique doesn’t matter because he is such a rock solid and professional musician that he walks into the rehearsal room a day before a gig and has all his parts ready and puts them in place perfectly! His sense of humour is bizarre and twisted but then the rest of us are pretty retarded as well so we wouldn’t want anybody else!
Eight Octaves: Is it time for the Dying Embrace fans in different parts of the country to get a taste of heavy, old school doom in the recent future with maybe the band touring other cities? Or do you still plan to perform exclusively in the Bangalore scene?
Vikram: We will still pretty much stick to performing exclusively here in Bangalore, work and family commitments are keeping us tied down as well and also we love playing to our audience here, they have been awesome and supportive from the time we returned back in 2011 after a 10 year hiatus. Playing in other cities is a dream of course, meeting new supporters and making new friends but at the moment that looks like a distant possibility, maybe in the future …
Eight Octaves: Lastly, what can the fans expect in Doom Over Bangalore, from the legendary Dying Embrace?
Vikram: A solid 50 minute setlist with a selection of tracks spanning our entire discography as well as one new single “Horns Of The Divine” which we have written and we will debut at Doom Over Bangalore! We have been looking forward to this gig as all the bands who are sharing stage are great friends and its going to be a blast both back and on stage! We look forward to meeting all our friends and supporters who have been there for us from the start and brought the band to where it is today!
