It’s been about a year since I had attended my last underground metal gig in Bangalore, so it was obvious I was looking forward to the inaugural Doom Over Bangalore. With a line-up of Mortar, Witchgoat, Dhwesha, Dying Embrace, Bevar Sea and the mighty Kryptos; one had very little to complain. Sadly, due to unavailability of Nolan Lewis (who was suffering from dengue) and Avinash Ramchandar not being able to practise much as he was still recovering from a collar bone injury, Witchgoat had to pull out at the last moment. Pretty sad turn of events, I was looking forward to seeing these bastards on stage.
After a little alcoholic adventure and getting semi-drenched in the rain, I entered the venue and was greeted by the Thrash militia from Kolkata – Mortar. Playing what most say is by far their best performance till date; the four piece band from the City of Joy presented an impressive set of 6 songs joyfully to the crowd, including their cover for the Motorhead India – Tribute album. Starting what seemed to be a semi-moshpit, the band earned everyone’s respect with their performance. Vocalist/guitarist Samrat was even treated with some beer by a member of the crowd, who went up on the stage and let him have a nice gulp from his bottle. Total Thrash brotherhood scenes 😀
The power-packed performance by Mortar was followed by Dhwesha. These Euro-Deathmetallers from Bangalore have earned quite a respect for themselves in the scene, putting in 110% every single time they perform. There was a little surprise though, Adarsh, their bassist was missing. Later on, I got to know from their guitarist Somesha that he left the band about 2 weeks back. But being a 3-piece outfit without a bassist didn’t stop these maniacs from bringing the house down. Performing a solid 45 minutes set with the crowd favourites Yuddhabhoomi and Hoy! Sala in the setlist, they gave some neck breaking moments. With an already high standard which they have set for themselves, the band is due to record a full-length this year, I’m sure they’ll be delivering to everyone’s expectations.
Next up – The Lords of Indian Underground – Dying Embrace. The name alone is synonymous with pure, unadulterated awesomeness. The legends were missing their current bassist Pritham “Metal Farmer” D’Souza for the show, but there came the surprise – Jai “Sarge” Kumar was seen on stage with the band. Playing after more than a decade, he blended in with the band very easily and was seen supporting Jimmy effortlessly throughout their set. In my opinion, this was the best Dying Embrace set I have ever seen. Playing a set of 7 songs, debuting their new single – Horns of the Divine and then ending with an encore; the veteran band showed everyone why they are so highly respected in the scene. An enthusiastic Argha Ganguly went on to say – “Man these guys were intense, I’ve never seen a performance like this in my life”. Well, that is exactly what Dying Embrace has been known for throughout the 2 decades, and especially after returning back from their hibernation.
Their setlist for the night was:
The Ascendance Of Namtar
As Eternity Fades
The Passing Away
Grotesque Entity
Spawn Of The Depths
Horns Of The Divine (new single)
Blood Rites
Encore –
Drum n Bass Jam
Oremus Diabolum
Next up were the second house band for the night – Bevar Sea. These Stoner Doom metallers know how to throw a party and this day was no different. Playing their usual set of 4 songs pitched 3 special covers. The crowd favourite for the night (mostly because most of the people were stoned or drunk 😛 ), the band saw the crowd singing along with them throughout the set. Interestingly, Srikanth and Rahul exchanged positions on the stage. Usually Srikanth stays at the right side of the stage along with Avinash and Rahul prefers to stay lonely on the left side, but on this day it was Srikanth on the left of Ganesh and Rahul on the right. I don’t think that was pre-planned, they may have been a little too excited about their first gig of the year and had no time to think about where they are standing 😛 . Bevar Sea ended their doom filled set with the all-time favourite – Abishtu, a song everyone present there knew by heart. The Bangalore Doom duo of Dying Embrace and Bevar Sea set the mood for some classic Heavy Metal from Kryptos, who were up next to perform
Their setlist for the night:
The Smiler
Universal Sleeper
Dragonaut (Sleep Cover)
Sleeping Pool
Turn You Round Again (Motorhead Cover)
Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd Cover)
Abishtu
When I entered the venue, I was told that Nolan was down with dengue and would not be performing with Kryptos, an instant frown was upon my face, Kryptos without Nolan would not be the Kryptos we are accustomed to. But while Dhwesha were killing it on stage, Nolan entered the venue. Much filled with joy, the little fanboy inside me came out and I couldn’t resist shaking hands with him and asking him about his health. Knowing that he was in hospital a day before and still showed up for the gig, my respects for the man increased tenfold. I have seen Kryptos many times before, but this show was special. With Nolan still not fully recovered and no proper jam sessions with the band; he still managed to rock out the show. I couldn’t resist but to take the camera from my photographer friend and click the crowd; the sea of horns up in respect and appreciation of the band was a treat to watch. Starting off with the crowd favourite – Nexus Legion, not for a single moment did it seem like Nolan hasn’t been jamming with the band. They were as tight as ever. Jayawant had some issues with his bass in the first song itself, but was soon taken care of. A full energy packed set of 9 songs, ending with The Mask of Anubis and Descension gave the inaugural Doom Over Bangalore a perfect finish. They leave for Europe in the first week of July, wishing them a successful tour and a kickass gig at Wacken Open Air 2013.
Their setlist for the night:
Nexus Legion
Serpent Mage
Heretic Supreme
Satyr Like Face
Visions of Dis
The Revenant
Spellcraft
The Mask of Anubis
Descension
All that being said about the performing bands, a special mention goes out to the organisers – Srikanth, Vikram and Sandesh; for putting up such an awesome show. This is certainly the best show Bangalore has seen in a long long time. “We had doubled up our budget just to give the bands a good sound”, said Vikram during a mid-gig chat. That is the type of dedication and support you expect from organisers to the bands. The show saw a very decent crowd of 200+, which is way better than most of the gigs in Bangalore in recent times. A fitting pre-party for BOA 2013 and a perfect official launch party of the Motorhead India – Tribute album. Hopefully we are up for more similar shows in the near, never far future. Next up – Bangalore Open Air. See you there.
