Artist: Solar Deity
Album: Devil Worship
Produced By: Ashwin Shriyan at Mindmap Productions
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Label: Independent
Some people have that commitment and perseverance in what they do, that they put their entire effort in doing it without giving much damn about the feasibility and monetary factors involved. No matter how many hurdles they face, they would just keep going on. Aditya Mehta would be one of those guys; be it his famous blog, Mehta Kya Kehta, or be it his musical career, he has established his name in the industry by putting in a lot of dedication to his work. What started as a two-piece Satanic Black Metal band, featuring him on vocals and guitars and Yash Pathak on drums, gained a full-fledged line-up and created a stir in the metal scene across the country, even though it was just for a few shows that it delivered. Sadly, Solar Deity is back to being a two-man band with Aditya Mehta on guitars and vocals and Animesh Das on bass. But then who said that that would never work!
Solar Deity was formed in late 2011, and within this short period of less than two years, the band has released two EPs and one single, all to be given to the fans for them to download for free; validating my point on his dedication. And yet again comes a vicious release from these matadors which, in my opinion, is much more ferocious and much more expansive than its predecessors; a release so brilliantly titled ‘Devil Worship’. ‘Devil Worship’ is the follow-up of the band’s last EP, ‘Darkness Of The Being’ and a sequel to wicked ‘In The Name Of Satan’. And yes, this one is free as well!
The EP, though just consisting of three songs, lasts for twenty five minutes and delivers enough savagery to weaken you in your knees. Entering subtly with thunder sounds, ‘Raise The Horns’ takes us right into the chaotic sections constructed faultlessly with rad guitar progressions and brilliant harsh vocals. The song is mostly built on tremolo picked riffs which are laid over skilful double-bass drum lines. It is rather nicely structured and the flawless production makes the listening experience even better. The sound is not too fuzzy, at the same time isn’t too modern either; to say it in a very typical black metal way: it is trve kvlt! Daniel Kenneth Rego and Ashwin Shriyan have indeed done a good job on the production side, I must say.
‘Supreme Evil’ is one of the most interesting tracks I’ve come across by any Indian band. It is pretty melodic and beguiling to the ear, yet possesses a strong essence of devilishness in it. The track drags you through an intro, which is built of one of those super-catchy melodies that you would look for in any track, followed by medium-tempo paced heavy verses and choruses, connected through rather orgasmic bridges (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you listen to the song!). I really loved the work on vocals, especially on this track, where the grunts pretty much tear things apart.
‘Through The Hallways Of Narak’ is set in a dark and wistful ambience which somewhat reminds me of the early works of Norwegian black metal bands; the fast tremolo-picked progressions, electric blastbeats and a perfectly gloomy atmosphere, they just make you say: Yes, this is it. The high-tempo paced track takes you through really frantic progressions, grasping the apt amount of melody to create a balance in the dynamics of the song. The long instrumental sections and dark descanted vocals make the track very ambient, although the galloping bass lines fill in for the heaviness and aggression, which is one thing never comprised in a Solar Deity song.
With ‘Devil Worship’, the band has certainly reached a higher level of ascendancy, leaving absolute quality material for us to listen and headbang on. For those for you who want to hear it like this: yes, it better than their previous releases! Now go f*cking get it!
Listen to the album on the Bandcamp page
