India’s leading dance music portal – Submerge brings you Israeli Psychedelic master – DJ Skazi. The tour will be on 6th, 7th and 8th September. Details about the tour and tickets to be announced soon.
About DJ SKazi – Asher and Assaf B-bass have been working together since 1998, producing a unique style of hardcore dance floor trance music. Asher is responsible for writing, producing and mixing all the tracks. He also plays and records all the instruments in Skazi’s music. Skazi have been touring non-stop from 2000 until now. They have played in countries like Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Australia, Japan, etc. and have collaborated with artists like Matt Sorum (Drummer for Guns ‘n Roses) and Arno Carsten (South African Mega Star).
Mihir also released an episode with the incredible Raina brothers – Tochi Raina and Raina Arvinder chatting about some absolutely incredible things. They’ve also sung some great songs in the show. You really can’t miss this! Check it now!!
It was a quiet Friday evening. I was a tad bit late to Garage Jam, but thankfully I didn’t miss anything. The show was featuring 3 bands, one acoustic – Chord Impact; one Grunge – Livide; and one Metal – Deaf. A nice mix of bands and talented musicians for the night in my opinion.
The show kicked off with Chord Impact. A nice 4 piece acoustic band, playing covers of various artists, of various genres. They played the longest set of the night, which officially lasted for close to an hour. Playing for the first time with their two new members, there were times when I felt that they were a little clumsy. But, with time, they’ll surely get over that part. Kusdos to Vaibhav for his crowd interaction, his emcee skills helped a lot there I guess.
Their setlist for the night –
Something in the Way – Nirvana Cover
Zombie – The Cranberries Cover
Thank You – Dido Cover
This is the Life – Amy McDonald Cover
The Scientist – Coldplay Cover
Here Without You – Three Doors Down Cover
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley Cover
Sweet Child ‘O Mine – Guns ‘N Roses Cover
Nothing Else Matters – Metallica Cover
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People Cover
Glycerin – Bush Cover
Walk – Foo Fighters Cover
Somebody I Used to Know – Gotye Cover
Livide were up next. I had heard about them before, but never really could see them live, but needless to say, they made a powerful first impression! Grunge happens to be one of my favourite genres, a genre I usually play on loop when I’m down or I need to take a time out. These guys play the genre in its true colours and nailed every song. The highlight of this 3 piece bands’ show would be their cover of Rape Me by Nirvana – flawless would be the closest appropriate word I can find at this moment to describe it. The best band of the night, in my opinion.
Their setlist for the night –
Spin You Around – Puddle of Mud
Truth – Seether Cover
Everybody Knows
Rape Me – Nirvana Cover
Deaf were the last band for the night. It was getting late already, and most of the crowd had disappeared by the time they were ready to play. Missing their vocalist, they started off by covering Metallica and Judas Priest. Supreet, vocalist/guitarist of Thrash came out to support them and sung Seek and Destroy and Breakign the Law, before declaring he was too drunk 😛 In what seemed to be a nice gesture, Vaibhav, from Chord Impact(also Deaf’s ex-vocalist), joined them to sing their originals – Deceive and Catfight(Chaos). They ended the night with a tribute to Jeff Hanneman, playing the intro of Raining Blood.
Their setlist for the night –
For Whom the Bell Tolls – Metallica Cover
Seek and Destroy – Metallica cover
Breaking the Law – Judas Priest cover
Deceive
Catfight (Chaos)
Raining Blood (Intro) – Slayer Cover
Garage Jam, just like always, was a success. One of the best initiatives taken for music in Bangalore, and they are dedicated to their commitment of providing young bands a platform to perform and showcase their talent. News is they are expanding and we would love to see them expand their wings and reach out to more musicians. Kudos again to the whole Garage Jam team!
Pictures Courtesy – Abhishek BA
For the first time since its inception, Garage Jam came out of their comfort zone and hosted a very interesting event – First Blast. A line-up consisting of 2 DJ’s, DJ Rakesh and DJ Ron; along with two bands, Livide and Thrash; this was one interesting event and I was looking forward to it eagerly(mostly because of my strange likeness of Metal and House/Trance).
The night started on a sad note, Livide had pulled out and it was raining too. The show started a bit late, in a gloomy mood, but the spirits were soon lifted up by DJ Rakesh. Playing a set of some exquisite music and mixing it up the right way, he did a great job behind the console. Highlight of his set, in my opinion, would be when he spinned up “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye; one of my favourite tracks and he did justice to it with his mixing skills.
He was soon followed up by a beatboxer – Sanjay. Showing his prowess with his skills, he covered almost all genres of EDM with ease. Performing medley’s between different styles, singing while beat boxing and the best of all – a great show of Dubstep music and beat; all without using any instruments except his vocal chords. A 21 gun salute to this talented man!
After 5 minutes of awesomeness from Sanjay, DJ Ron took the console duties. Spinning up hits after hits, he managed to get the crowd grooving to his beats. Gathering up momentum, he managed to get people dancing too! An energetic set from the man and he got his incentive from the crowd. Arwen secretly told me that he is training Ron to be a Rock/Metal DJ. Now that would be very interesting.
His setlist for the night:
David Guetta – Without You, Titanium, Stay With Me
Thrash – a band that has made a name for themselves. I saw them live first during The Pit 2, held earlier this year. The band has come a long way in terms of their sound as well as performance. Sudarshan’s bass skills teamed with Ashwin’s top class drumming ensured Supreet had full support to belt out their original compositions as well as some classic covers. A regular at Garage Jam, Thrash blazed through their setlist of 7 songs and brought the night to a fitting end, leaving the audience wanting more.
Their setlist for the night:
Warhead
Blow Torch (Demolition Hammer Cover)
Shotgun
Disection
Whiplash (Metallica Cover)
Random Act Of Aggression
Thrash Attack
It is sad to see that even though it is a free show, hardly 30 odd people actually stop by and listen to the bands, and the feedback from them is minimal. Not that the venue can hold more than that many people at a time, but I feel somewhere the bands performing would be more satisfied if they see a good response from the crowd.
All that said and done, the initiative by Garage Jam was pretty innovative. One doesn’t get to see such a mix of genre too often; I was satisfied by the show, to be frank. The enthusiasm and dedication of Arwen to support the young bands and artists is commendable, he makes sure there is no stone left unturned when it comes to organising the events; and this was just another example of it. Kudos to the Garage Jam team!
Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, who would have imagined India to have an independent, non Bollywood, music scene? Who would have imagined Indian bands getting accepted for their original compositions and not for their covers? Great bands like Indus Creed & Zero tried to survive by playing original music but they perished, only to reunite again. Bands like Parikrama, Indian Ocean & Thermal and a Quarter, stuck on, undeterred, and are basking in glory. Yes, as a great man once said, the times they are changing, the indie music scene is brimming with life and we are all part of it. The number of music festivals happening in India is a testament to the brilliance of the music scene prevailing here.
With so many genre-defying bands & artists contributing to this music scene, international tours and international recognition give them the extra impetus to keep doing what they do best. A lot of Indian bands which have taken their music to the international crowd and have got widely recognised for it are:
The Raghu Dixit Project, Advaita, Swarathma, Soulmate, Dualist Inquiry, Thermal & A Quarter, Indus Creed, Junkyard Groove, Skyharbour, Indian Ocean, Papon and the East India Co., Demonic Resurrection, Devoid, Sky Rabbit, Something Relevant, Emergence etc.
However this section is not to talk about artists who’ve already gone global but to talk about those indie artists who deserve to go global. The below, open-to-discussion, list comprises of my pick of those brilliant acts which have rocked the Indian music scene for a while and are all set to put the international stages on fire.
Blackstratblues– The band that comes first to my mind when talking about going international is Warren Mendosa’s solo project Blackstratblues. With two brilliant albums out (check them out here), it is remarkable how he expresses all those emotions and infuses all those feelings in the listener with just the sound of his guitar. He can get you drenched in the infamous Bombay Rain and also take you under the cool shade from the hot sun by playing the serene Ode to a Sunny Day. When asked about his plans of performing internationally, this is what the man had to say “We’d love to. We are trying to put something together that will be financially feasible so we can break even. Being a non mainstream act, this may take some more time but fingers crossed we can find some gigs that will make this possible. If anyone feels like contributing towards the cause, please get in touch 🙂 “. I sure hope the international crowd will soon get to Rock n Roll with the man holding the Black Strat!
Agam– A band which has defied all standard genres to make a genre for themselves is Agam. Their progressive sound fused with Carnatic melodies and metal riffs feels like a collaboration between the great M. Balamuralikrishna and the mighty Dream Theater. With their debut album The Inner Self Awakens (Buy the album here) doing very well with digital downloads, they are definitely capable of rocking any international crowd. Their live performances are filled with mesmerising music and improvisatory jams which leaves the audience in awe of their brilliant on-stage presence. Their ‘language no bar’ attitude towards composing music and their performance in MTV Coke Studio Season 2, of their song Malhar Jam have only helped build their popularity in India.
Lagori – They are a band from Bangalore who have been rocking the whole country with their unique blend of hard rock and melodic vocals. It is very difficult to not fall in love with their sound and at the same time its even more difficult to define their sound. This year has been pretty awesome for the band, from releasing their self titled debut album (Buy it here), being top of the charts, to pulling off a ‘Let it be’ on the Bangalore crowd by playing on the rooftop of Lee, Brigade Road. All I am waiting is for them to announce a big fat tour abroad so that the whole world gets to experience the brilliance of Lagori.
Tough On Tobacco – This band which is fronted by Sid Coutto, has a sound which cannot be defined but can only be felt. You listen to one song and you categorise them as reggae but you soon realise your failure when you listen to the next song and say, fine they are pop rock but then the next song you listen to is Forrest Of Doom which is a psychedelic tribute to The Beatles and then you realise, some things are just meant to be. This is exactly what happened to me when I picked up their first album The Happy Goat (Listen and buy here). Their second album cover is the funniest I have ever seen (their profile picture on Facebook). Their live performances are so much fun that it’s hard to stand still and not groove along and laugh your ass off. I truly believe that they should start touring internationally so that the crowd outside gets to laugh as loud as we do here.
P.S. You have to check out this interview that they did with eightoctaves.com. It is insanely hilarious.
Zero – Arguably the best band coming from the Indian indie music scene is Zero. They are just an out-and-out alternative hard rock band. So why do I choose them if their sound is so easy to define? That’s because they are just too damn good at it (see it here). It’s a freaking treat to hear Bobby laying out those bass lines in unison with Sid’s drums, Warren playing those face melting solos on top and Rajeev going crazy on the vocals. The only problem is that they just play one gig per year. So, I placed this issue of national concern in front of Warren and this is what he had to say about it “Rajeev lives in London and not too many promoters are ready to cover international airfare. If travel, accommodation and our fees are taken care of, we’d be willing to play as we love hanging out together. If thousands of people are keen, maybe start a collection ;-)”.
Here’s Zero performing their cult classic PSP 12
Mad Orange Fireworks – The groove band from Bangalore is my next pick for the list. They have come up with a brilliant album called Lifeline Cast (Buy it here) which is one of the best albums in stores right now. They just know how to groove and know how to get the crowd grooving with their orange rock (Their words not mine). Be it their ode to a working Saturday in Empty Saturday or the crowd favourite Feet Ain’t Movin’ where three of them (excluding the drummer for obvious reasons) stage an absolutely endearing dance sequence, when performing the song live, thus contradictorily justifying the name of the song. Innovative lyrics, clean guitars, soaring vocals ably backed up by groovy bass lines make their sound very pleasant to listen to and is one of the main reasons that I want to see them take this sound to the international audience and groove them out.
Bevar Sea – The Indian Sabbaths, as I call them, are a band from Bangalore who define what Indian doom metal means. Their first self-titled album (Buy it here) is so good that it can be placed next to a lot of top doom & stoner rock albums ever produced. They are a breath of fresh air amidst all the death / thrash metal bands that India seems to be producing now because of their 60’s & 70’s blues rock influences. I just have a dream to see them open for Black Sabbath and in the middle of their set Tony Iommi walks in with his guitar to join them on stage (Like Santana did for Soulmate. Picture here) Aaah pure bliss!!
Goddess Gagged – One of the most popular metal bands in India currently is the Djent/Ambient/Progressive/Post-Hardcore band Goddess Gagged (check out their debut album here). They have a sound which is so international that only Skyharbor could manage to pull off a similar sound and that too with Daniel Tompkins as the vocalist. It’s their sound that attracts me most to this band because it is so much more than the genres written above in its uniqueness and that’s what differentiates Goddess Gagged from all the other metal bands in India. I am pretty sure that it’s just a matter of time that we will be seeing Goddess Gagged playing in a lot of good metal fests of the world.
In a surprising turn of events, Kryptos part ways with bassist Jayawant Tewari and drummer Ryan Colaco. It was declared by frontman Nolan Lewis on Facebook last night that they have parted ways with the long time members. The official statement stated –
The band has amicably parted ways with long standing members Jayawant Tewari and Ryan Colaco. We’d like to thank them for everything over the years, for their unwavering dedication and for all the fantastic times we shared. We wish them all the very best for the future and we’re sure they’ll kick ass in everything they do.
As the legendary Freddie Mercury once said, ‘The show must go on’ and we welcome back founding member Ganesh K. (Bevar Sea, Witchgoat) on bass and skin slammer Anthony Hoover (Witchgoat, Neolithic Silence) on drums.
Jayawant was not a part of Kryptos’ recent European tour too. Madhav (ex-Greyshack) filled in as the bassist for the first couple of shows and then Ganesh joined the band for the rest of the tour. Going on with the farewell note, they went on to state a funny fact –
Things have a strange tendency to come full circle especially since it was 15 long years ago, during this very month in 1998 that Kryptos first saw the light of day and now here we are 15 years later with the feeling that it has started all over once again. Kryptos are taking a break till December this year, and the band will not be playing any gigs until then. We at Eight Octaves wish all the very best to the new recruits of the Old School militia and Jayawant and Ryan for their future endeavours.
It has been a pretty dry year for gigs this year in Bangalore. Compared to last year, the major gigs have dried up, but the underground gigs still go on steady and easy, like always. After a very successful Doom Over Bangalore, Bangalore Doom Syndicate were out with their second gig of the year – Echoes From Beneath. Bangalore city’s hunger for metal was definitely restored by Echoes From Beneath. 7th of September perhaps has witnessed the most extreme and biggest underground gig hosted in Bangalore for quite some time. With the super heavy Indian line-up of Djinn and Miskatonic, Witchgoat, Shepherd and Bevar Sea it also featured two of the most extreme bands from Sri Lanka – Manifestator and Genocide Shrines.
It started with a good note of a very gloom filled day and why not even the eternity was crying seeing the underground just exploding. The scene just exploded with “Bass-Driven Droning Doomroid Rock” by Djinn and Miskatonic. The band just mesmerised us with their heavy bass driven music and Oh boy! What vocals! Looking at Jayaprakash, the bassist, people commented – “Hendrix with the bass”. Well, why won’t they? After all he is left handed and holds the guitar exactly like Sir Jimi Hendrix himself. Sriram, who was seen rocking it with a B.C. Rich, made it felt that he was a part of the band right from the beginning! He has gelled in very well with the band and the band sounds better than before! The headbanging which was slow at the beginning increased with the bass drums kicking in at the end.
Setlist –
Weird Tales
Book of the Fallen
7 Year Witch
Next up was Witchgoat. This Black/Thrash band is the dirtiest of them all. They missed out during the inaugural Doom Over Bangalore, but made sure they make an impact during Echoes From Beneath. Their blazing fast performance was a real kick to the balls. The vocals were raw, powerful and hard to handle. But among all the chaos, one could feel they were having fun while performing. You could easily find Goat Krvsher fooling around while he was playing the bass. It would be injustice if i call it a mosh pit, it was a real CARNAGE. These goats with bullet straps all around them surely gave me a serious neck pain. The crowd response was tremendous! Even Necromaniax’s broken guitar string was cheered!
Setlist –
The Old Rugged Cross
Sacrifice (Bathory Cover)
Apostles of Baphomet
Death or glory (Motorhead Cover)
Goatspawn Militia
Tormentor (Kreator Cover)
Into the Black
Witchgoat was followed by Shepherd, who unfortunately performed as a 3 piece band due to some issues. It was more of a jam session with some extraordinary melodious guitar playing by Namit. However, they called upon Ganesh from Bevar Sea as a guest vocalist, who was in a quirky mood and didn’t fail to address the ladies in short skirts. Ganesh performed 2 songs with the band and after that 3-piece moved ahead and did covers of The Melvins. It was an excellent exhibit of drums and vocals together by Deepak. It reminded me of Blue Cheer.
Setlist –
Crook
Turdspeak
10000 Years (High on Fire Cover)
Blank (Eyehategod Cover)
Undergod Dog
Bogslime
Night Goat (Melvins Cover)
Wretch Salad
Stalebait
Then came the Sri Lankvlt giant Manifestator! And man, they were ready from the word go. Wartek was superb! Correction, he was electrifying! They addressed the crowed very well and categorised their music as Speed meets Black/Thrash and Doom. The crowd’s fantastic response was awarded by a stage dive from Wartek. The guitar playing of Blashphemous Wargoat reminded me of some iconic guitar solos of Exodus. Just when I was thinking about it, they covered Slayer! Being my favourite band I burst out into tears, they followed it up with a cover of Turbonegro to end the set. Khaoshiva was looking evil with his bass. They thanked the Doom Over Bangalore crew for their hospitality during their, a very rare scene, you rarely get to see bands thanking the organisers these days.
Setlist –
C.V.L.T.
G.O.D.
Terrorstorm (Witchaven Cover)
Piece By Piece (Slayer Cover)
Killing Magnet
I Got Erection (Turbonegro Cover)
Manifestator was followed by our very own stoner boys from Bangalore – Bevar Sea and the crowd cheered to hell. Clearly the crowd favourites (till now), they started the gig with their signature addressing style – “We are Bevar Sea, so are you”. They played their new song – Bearded and Bizarre, which has a different kind of drumming which I have never heard in any other Bevar Sea song. I need to say Ganesh was the busiest person that day, as this was his 3rd performance of the day. It was sad to see that they couldn’t perform Abishtu due to time constraint and that was mainly due to the late start which was a result of a monitor blowing up during pre-gig preparations. Overall, a kickass performance as always and the crowd favourites still keep their tag.
Setlist –
Bearded And Bizarre
The Smiler
Where There’s Smoke (There’s A Pyre)
Universal Sleeper
Sleeping Pool
Then came the moment we were all waiting for – Genocide Shrines. They came, they performed and they just conquered. Their stage presence was totally out of the world and the interaction with the crowd was just brilliant. Their performance transformed the place into a black worm-hole. It was just one of those performances that would really standout from the rest for quite some time be etched in the viewers mind for a long time. The drumming was loud and ear shattering, Blashphemous Wargoat (also the guitarist of Manifestator) my suggestions for the weak hearted would be to wear ear plugs. They were loud and looked evil in the mask. Tridenterrorcult’s vocals were real Death, the echo-delay effect on the vocals made it sound even more evil. Khaoshiva (also the bassist of Manifestator) looked straight out of hell. Most people in the crowd had just one thing to say – “This is the most evil band”. They were just killing it with one song after the other and were dedicating their songs to our very own Dying Embrace (horns up for them till death). Genocide Shrines reminded me of the early garage days of any big 4 metal bands, it was like they were to just blow up the place.
Setlist –
Devanation Monumentemples
Apparitions Of Spiritual Obliteration
Shivatandaviolence (Cleansiege)
Nectars Of Tantric Murder
Gasmaskgauthama (and other assorted ressurections) – Song from the upcoming album
INRI (Sarcofago cover)
Militant Thrishul (eradiction pooja) – Song from the upcoming album
Lord of the Void (Archgoat cover).
.
Echoes From Beneath, just like Doom Over Bangalore, was a flawless event; both in terms of management as well as execution. And a special mention for the hospitality, they planned out everything for even the outstation attendees! The Bangalore Doom Syndicate deserves a big pat on their back for yet another successful gig. A pretty impressive turnout of around 160 people, these 160 people got their money’s worth for sure. Looking forward to the next edition of Echoes From Beneath, and some rumours about it have already started circulating. Just in case you haven’t been confronted by any of the rumours, let me tell you, you are in for a HUGE surprise.
A big shout out to Argha Kamal Ganguly for filling up as the reviewer in a short notice, we are grateful for your inputs. And a huge thanks to Danish R.D. from Danz Photography for the awesome set of pictures!
Baiju Dharmajan – the very name of the legend relates on to the iconic Carnatic Rock band Motherjane. His solos in Chasing the Sun, Mindstreet, Fields of Sound; to name a few, rings in the head of anyone who thinks about Motherjane. It was a sad day in 2010, when Baiju officially announced his departure from Motherjane, to give time to his former band Wrenz United. But that didn’t last long. Baiju started working on his solo project and started working on his solo album – The Crossover.
The Crossover is a pretty interesting album to start off with. People accustomed to Baiju’s sound in Motherjane, will be surprised after listening to this record. There is a total change in sound, hence the title – The Crossover fits perfectly. The album kicks off with Alchemy, a calm and serene song with Carnatic influences at times; moves on to a totally different faced paced number – Demented; and then on to a pretty interesting Techno-Rock influenced Cyber Reptile. The versatility shown is mind blowing. And though, some people who I had talked to about the album said that Baiju didn’t play to his full potential, I would still stick to the versatility and adapting to different types of styles and rate that of higher importance. You have solos that sound like someone is speaking to you in Alchemy and Halo; a classic example of Joe Satriani/Steve Vai-esque attempt in Demented; and to top it all probably one of the best solo guitar instrumental I’ve heard in recent times – Philia.
Along with the guitaring part, two things that stand out is the level of detailing given to the backing tracks. The drums, the bass and the key (wherever used) has been given the exact exposure needed and just enough volume on the mix to perfectly blend in with the music. Though, I felt the arpeggios in Alchemy could have been a little higher, they had a nice feel to it on its own. But apart from this minor factor, Baiju has made sure there isn’t much to complain about.
Coming to his guitar solos now; even though some people may think this work is not at par with his Motherjane era work, one thing still stands out in the album – his effortless mix of Indian and Western scales. Credited with pioneering the trend in Indian Rock and influencing countless guitarists and bands alike, his signature tube amp tone and blended scales are evident even in this album. The Crossover marks his journey into music as a solo guitarist. Something rare in the Indian scene, but not surprisingly he has been well accepted by the crowd; Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate is making waves in the country at this moment. On that note, many fans, like me, are eagerly waiting for Baiju’s next album.
Final verdict – Keep Calm and listen to the God of Small Strings 😉
12th grade – one of the most boring and tiring phases of a student’s life. On one hand, there is a pseudo assurance by seniors that this would be the final year of hardship (Trust me kids, that is totally wrong. Don’t fall in the trap.), and then on the other hand, we start to miss the student life as days go by (it gets worse after the final exams). I remember, when I was in 12th grade, I was into writing poetry a lot. Things really got boring during the final exams and I ended up writing a 500 line long poem before my Mathematics exam (I hated the subject. Still do.). Something similar was faced by Srimanta Mitra during his days in 12th grade and it resulted into this 4 song EP – Monochrome.
Dedicating the EP to his parents and his piano teachers, Srimanta has started on the right foot or rather, the right note, on his journey into music. Any kind of solo instrumental is a tough thing to crack, but here he takes it to a totally different level! The very feeling of boredom and the sense of escapism is evident in his Waltz’s, especially Waltz for Madame Distressed. The mood changes in the song can very well depict the general nervous breakdowns we face from time to time. Though, I’ve never been a big fan of Waltz’s personally (maybe because I suck at dancing or just because I’m too dumb to understand the music), the two Waltz’s here – Sonatina Waltz and Waltz for Madame Distressed, deserve utmost respect from the listener. Broken Road is a track he has been working on since he was 13! And you will be surprised at the sound and the ambience created. There is a deep feeling of sadness involved and a grim atmosphere in the song and it somehow tends to stick to your mind and keeps on playing in a loop, unconsciously. A beautiful composition and can certainly change anyone’s mood in the 3:37 seconds of the song!
Though, the EP has no particular connection between the songs (except for them being played on the piano), there is a sense of serenity hidden somewhere. It is like a cool breeze on a hot and humid day; relaxes the mind for that particular time and is desired more. This is a perfect album to listen to during relaxing and detoxing in between long office hours or after a tiring days’ work. Broken Record makes way into my personal playlist of songs, for obvious reasons. A must check if you are a fan of instrumental music.
If one Black/Thrash band was not enough, the Echoes From Beneath crew present to you one of the finest from Sri Lanka – Manifestator. A super group, intoxicated with alcohol and porn, playing their hearts out and not giving a damn about other things; Manifestator are all set to thrash you alongside Witchgoat during the inaugural edition of Echoes From Beneath. Wartek takes some time out to speak out his mind in this candid interview:
Eight Octaves: Hails from India! How are we doing today?
Wartek: Sex!!! Uparima..!! Athal!!!
Eight Octaves: Tell us a little about your early days. What led to the formation of Manifestator?
Wartek: This was a prolonged project by me. I always wanted to play extreme speed music. Mainly Thrash. So, I tried forming a band after my previous band Forlorn Hope spitted, and I worked with 2 guitarists, 2 bassists and 3 drummers before anything happened. B.W.G (Genocide Shrines) was really interested in playing with me on the guitars, as he knew my vision for a Thrash Attack and it has always being really comfortable in making music with him. Then everything else just fell in place and we created the black thrash arsenal Manifestator with Nuklear Toxicator & Khaoshiva Solasthar (Genocide Shrines).
Eight Octaves: Coming to your genre, what was the reason behind choosing to play Black/Thrash? It is one of the least common genres around, at least in the subcontinent.
Wartek: 1st it was going to speed thrash, like we were going to stick to that; then suddenly everything changed. The desire for Black Metal is tempting. I and B.W.G come from Black Metal Bands, and our sound is very crustier and for Manifestator lyrical themes there is no other genre that suits.
Eight Octaves: Tell us about your composition process a bit. How do you go about composing a new song?
Wartek: 1st it’s the name of the song and then I write the lyrics and a concept for the song and I always have a melody or at least a style for each song in my head while I write. And I explain it to B.W.G and he comes up with the craziest riffs and both of us get together and construct the main sound and we jam and we make the song. But the lyrics always changes until I feel it’s right.
Eight Octaves: When you first started out in 2009, how did the local scene in Sri Lanka respond to your music? Any criticisms or praises that you received during your first gig, which may have changed your mind set and helped you improve and adjust to the scene?
Wartek: Bewildered!! We were great. Tight like a virgin cunt. Apart from the part that we were so wasted that I started vomiting on stage while I was singing. Only praises as no one knew that we will sound so great. Since we know a lot of people and being here in the Black Metal scene from the start everyone was really surprised at what we make from our music. Anyway we knew from the time we started we can’t stop this band, because of the sound we create makes us go crazier every time we play.
Eight Octaves: You had plans of releasing a studio EP/demo sometime back, but it didn’t happen due to some reasons. Any plans of releasing your materials in the coming future? Maybe, a split release with some other band?
Wartek: We do this through a lot of hardships, and we all have our personal problems to deal with, so we have now settled back again already started composing more noise. There will be an album and a couple of splits too.
Eight Octaves: Bangalore is all set to witness the Sri Lankvlt warriors. What do you have in store for them?
Wartek: Sic, Six, Sex!!!
Eight Octaves: Your personal favourite band from the Echoes From Beneath line up, if any, would be?
Wartek: That would be Genocide Shrines, not only coz we are brothers, it’s the music. I’ve checked all the other bands, they are all Killer!! It’s only my lack of knowledge in the industry.
Eight Octaves: Any other gigs planned for the year as of now?
Wartek: No. We want to record and next year on we will be ready to tour.
Eight Octaves: If given a chance, one band/artist you would like to open for or play with would be?
Wartek: Inquisition!!!!!
Eight Octaves: Let’s have a round of 5 quickfire questions. Write down the first thing that comes to your mind:
One band from Sri Lanka everyone should check out would be?
Wartek: Paranoid Earthling
Favourite Manifestator song to perform live?
Wartek: G.O.D.
The most memorable Manifestator gig till date?
Wartek: Siamese True Metal Fest, Thailand(2012)
One song you would love to cover live?
Wartek: I got Erection by Turbo Negro.
One festival/gig you would die to perform in?
Wartek: True Thrash Fest Osaka (2 days of fucking thrash)
Eight Octaves: Lastly, any words of wisdom for the young bands out there? Wartek: Fuck You..!!! And All of you!!! – That’s the only attitude you need.
Probably one of the youngest bands in the Bangalore circuit playing own compositions, Shepherd have been gaining a steady fan base since they debuted in 2011. Though a little low on the experience side (as a band, certainly not as individual musicians), Shepherd make it up with their stage presence and a perfect mixture of originals and covers in their setlists. Shepherd will be the second band to play in the inaugural edition of Echoes From Beneath; here are some interesting facts about them:
Mahesh was in a band called No Speedos for Pedos before joining Shepherd.
The original band name they came up with was Thornweaver.
Namit used to have an afro before he started balding. And he used to play drums for local rock band – Supernatural.
Deepak plays in Bevar Sea, Dying Embrace, Witchgoat and Shepherd and is currently doing drum duties for Mad Orange Fireworks.
Abhishek also plays for the popular Metal band Inner Sanctum, who opened for most of the major International bands performing in Bangalore in the last couple of years; including Metallica, Slayer and Cradle of Filth.
Deepak studied music from the Los Angeles Music Academy before coming back to India and playing in various bands. He was also the former drum faculty in taaqademy.
Some of their influences include The Melvins, Black Flag and Sound Garden. They played in the 3rd edition of Trend Slaughter Fest, which saw Blood Division rip apart Bangalore a new one.
