Q. Tell us how the band members came together?
Nishant Abraham Varghese – Sushmit (bassist) and I knew each other since 1993. We were in school together and were already a lot into music. Sushmit, I feel has been the foundation of this band. He had the drive to keep going and never quit. We formed ‘Halfway Through’ back in 2004 which is how the whole band scene started for us. When we got a better direction to our music, we advertised for a guitarist and that’s how Rahul came on board. I never knew classifieds were that helpful! Raghav was a sudden addition to the band. At the time, we were looking for a drummer with a passport to tag along for our Sri Lanka gig and he was a lucky find. As you can see, everything turned out well.
Q. What bands inspired you when you were starting out, pre and post-convicted? What do you see as the primary difference in mentality between underground metal bands and the people you hear on the radio?
Back in Halfway Through, we used to do a lot of GnR and RATM primarily. Then a varied mix of new age bands too. I don’t even remember, we were a mess. Playing Black Metal was something I always wanted to do but I couldn’t find like minded musicians. That is when Shashank (ex-drummer) came along. He was totally into Black Metal and that’s how it started. Inspiration came from everywhere. It is not necessary that our inspiration comes only from other Black Metal bands. Any genre could inspire you. Why music, even books inspire me to write songs. I can’t comment on the mentality of others. Some want to make music, some want to get famous and some want to do both. To each his own.
Q. Where do you think 1833AD stands as a band in the Indian metal scenario?
We are still relatively new and struggling. Things don’t come easy for us. Especially because of the kind of music we play. We haven’t played any high profile shows as yet except the one in Sri Lanka, which doesn’t do much for us in India. I am hoping this album (My Dark Symphony – Releasing on 16th June at BOA) turns things around for us.
Q. How does your band feel to be performing at the first ever Bangalore Open Air? Where do you think metal will go next with such gigs?
Feels great! We haven’t played a show of this magnitude yet. We are really excited to be part of it. If festivals like this can happen once a year, we can definitely change the metal scene in India.
Q. When you write music, do you aim for a completed concept, or develop a fragmentary concept and see where it goes? How do you think your lyrics have an impact on the Indian audience?
For a song, yes. I know where I am going with it before I start. But if you ask me about the entire album, then I had to make few changes here and there to get a particular song in sync with the rest of the album. Luckily with my style of singing, most listeners don’t care about lyrics. (laughs) We haven’t released our lyrics yet. Once it’s out, I would love to know how they feel about it.
Q. If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your discography?
Well all we have is an EP and this album so there is not much disco. (laughs) We are very pleased with what we have out there right now. So at this point I wouldn’t change anything. Maybe few years down the line I might feel I could have done something different? I don’t know, we’ll see.
Q. Tell us about one tour/ song close to your band’s heart.
The ‘End of Time’ tour would definitely be my favourite experience with the band. We learned a lot during the tour. It is also when I realised that for Indian bands, touring in India is a lot different than what we’ve seen and thought of tours of bigger international bands. Carrying all that equipment yourself, paying excess baggage at airports, sound checking hours before a show and playing the show later on with not enough rest is really tough. Even though we would still be doing all this for future tours, at least now, we know what to expect.
Q. What would you like to say to the future generation who want to get into metal music? A word of advice?
Do what you believe in. Don’t give in to fads, don’t try to sound like anyone else, don’t try not to sound like anyone else. Do what comes to you naturally. Stay true to yourselves.
