Towards Atlantis Lights

Towards Atlantis Lights are an international doom metal band featuring members of Pantheist and Aphonic Threnody. The band released their debut album Dust Of Aeons via Transcending Obscurity Records last month. The album combines epic and atmospheric death/doom metal and is a must listen for all doom metal fans.

I spoke to guitarist Ivan Zara and vocalist Kostas Panagiotou about how the band formed, their debut album and more.

Read my interview on Moshpitnation

Killibrium

The Indian metal scene has grown by leaps in the past decade. The latest entrants are Mumbai based death metal act Killibrium. The band have made their mark with their first album Purge, released last month. The album is a potent mix of brutal and technical death metal.

I spoke to guitarist Keshav Kumar about the origins of the band, their debut release and their future plans.

Read the interview on The Independent Voice

Amorphia

Thrash metal is the most popular metal subgenre in India. 3 of the “Big 4” of thrash metal royalty (the exception being Anthrax) have performed in the country in the past decade. There are thrash metal bands across the country including smaller towns like Cherthala in Kerala where Amorphia(https://www.facebook.com/Amorphiathrash) hail from. The band formed in 2012 and have released 2 singles so far,  Master of Death and Lieber Code. The latter features on their debut album Arms to Death, which will be released on April 15

Find out more about Arms to Death, recording the album and also the Indian bands that have inspired them in my interview with the band below.

Read the interview on Unite Asia 

Unscene – Bear in Mumbai

Belgian metal band Bear kicked off their Indian tour a couple days ago in Mumbai with a smashing set. The band performed tracks from their latest album /// and also Noumenon. Known for their energetic live performances, the band put on a show that will be etched in the memories of the audience present for the near future. Guitarist James Falck got into the mosh pit towards the end of their set.

 

Escher’s knot, the support act for the tour played in Mumbai after 3 years. The band played a 4-piece and their set featured tracks from their EP, Tesselations and single The Grand Design. It was great to see the band live after a while and they really got the crowd going, starting a few moshpits. They ended their set with a cover of Meshuggah Humiliative.

 

False Flag started the night off with their political hardcore sound. Their set comprised of songs from their recently released self-titled EP and soon to be released split EP. I felt the young band need some work on their stage presence which could be ironed out once they play more gigs.

Bear performs in Bangalore today, in Delhi on 12th April and their tour ends in Ahmedabad on 14th April (All details in poster below). Metalheads in the respective cities don’t miss the gig, lest you regret it later.

The Earth Below

A couple of years ago Deepak Raghu, best known as the drummer for bands like Shepherd, Bevar Sea and Mad Orange Fireworks resurrected his solo project, The Earth Below. He released Window Lights for Wanderers, an EP that featured an experimental sound, a departure from sludge/doom metal of the bands he performs with.

I spoke to him about the origins of The Earth Below and the release of his latest EP – Dreams of a Thousand Stillness.

Read my interview with Deepak on Red Bull

 

Now Playing – March 2018

No April’s Fool joke, this feature is back on the blog after over 3 years. Will attempt to publish it monthly. Here is what I have been listening to the past month.

(in alphabetic order)

The first release in 3 years from the Heavy metal act is a belter. The track follows the storytelling vein of their previous material and is a commentary on the current state of the Indian metal scene. By the end of the track, you won’t be able to resist singing along with the chorus “We are all sheep”.

 

Purge is a crushing debut from the Mumbai based death metal quartet. A lethal mix of technical and brutal death metal with sleek production. The razor sharp riffs of Keshav Kumar are complemented by the growled vocals of Nitin Rajan. The Bombay Death metal Legion lives!

 

I somehow missed out on Empires of Ash, the debut album from the International black/folk metal band. Their latest album is a cracker. The guitar playing is accentuated by the dual vocals and sublime production. The album avoid the avoids the cheesy cliches of most folk metal ensuring multiple listens for the rest of the year.

 

The third release from the solo project of Deepak Raghu (Bevar Sea, Dying Embrace) features an artsy and experimental sound. I was surprised to hear a completely different side of the purveyor of doomy and sludgy music. The EP features a refined sound and introspective lyrics, not your typical sappy singer songwriter music. Buy the EP on bandcamp for an exclusive lyrics booklet with additional art by Simon Fowler.

 

The 4th album from the one man thrash act is a relentless assault on the senses. The catchy riffs and raw production will leave you unable to resist headbanging along, wherever you are. Easily the best material from the long standing act.

 

 

Mike Low (The Artisan Era) interview

The Artisan Era is an American extreme metal label. Started by Mike Low and Malcolm Pugh (Inferi) the label has created a formidable roster of artists like Augury, Inanimate Existence and Dark Matter Secret and put out some eminent releases in the past 4 years.

I spoke to Mike Low about the origins of the label, balancing between bands and the label and more.

You started the label in 2014 How does it feel looking back?

We didn’t really know what we were doing, haha. It has been quite a learning experience and has come a long, long way. There was no planning, no promotion game, and just a less professional feel all around. Fortunately we were only releasing our own bands at the time and didn’t have to subject anyone else to that. As we grew and decided to start taking on other bands, we got our ducks in a row and have everything down to a T now.

How did you decide to start a label? Why did you decide to start a label that releases only extreme metal music?

Extreme metal is about 95% or more of what we listen to, so that wasn’t hard to pick. We originally started the label just to release our own music. Actually way back in the day, we had discussed just releasing one-man (or woman!) bands. Malcolm had ALR and I was working on a solo project after I quit ENFOLD DARKNESS. That project never came to fruition because I joined INFERI and ended up using the songs I was working on for The Path of Apotheosis. It was then that we scrapped the strictly one-man band idea and released INFERI and my other band OUBLIETTE. In summer 2015, we had a meeting with ENFOLD DARKNESS about releasing their second album, and that’s when we decided to expand and start working with other bands.

What has been your most memorable release so far?

The Path of Apotheosis. Without that album, The Artisan Era would probably not be succeeding as we are today.

What do you look for in bands before signing them to your label?

Originality, creativity, and not just a run-of-the-mill extreme band. We have to see something in the band that we don’t see in other bands. We don’t have a certain formula but Malcolm and I have to agree on them 100% before we sign them. We have been approached with some more known bands that we are not into… stuff that would have sold well, but we want to stay true to what we like.

What are the problems that you have faced?

Typos and misprints are the bane of our existence, haha. No, there really aren’t a lot of problems.

You are a part of bands like Inferi and Oubliette. How do you manage between the bands and running the label?

I just have to remember to play guitar as much as possible in between mixing and meeting deadlines. Malcolm is the head honcho of INFERI, so I do what he tells me to do. OUBLIETTE has not toured yet, but I do most of the manager-type work for us, as well as all the audio work too (for both bands).

What are the changes in customers and bands you have noticed?

Vinyl is killing right now!

Do you have advice for anyone planning to start a label now?

Don’t do it.

What is next for The Artisan Era? What are the next releases from the label?

Keep an eye on our page!

Here are some releases from The Artisan Era that you should check out: