Tribute to Nitin Rajan

Friend and fellow metalhead Nitin Rajan passed away on 17th November.

A short tribute I wrote for him for Horns Up podcast

Vocalist, festival promoter, digital head, he played many roles in the Indian music scene.

A Metal lifer, Nitin started the earliest know death metal band, Morticide and then was one of the founders of Domination the Deathfest. I remember reading about the festival in the Metal India zine and being amazed that there was an extreme metal festival in India.

I met Nitin a decade ago at the first edition of the Rolling Stone Metal Awards where he was a judge and we became friends then. I still remember how excited he was to bring back the Domination the Deathfest in 2013.

“I prefer performing live” Nitin used to tell me. Anyone who had watched him at a gig with Primitiv or even Killibrium in recent years would agree that he was a powerhouse on stage and commanded the audience.

Everyone who met him even if it was once I am sure has a great story to tell about Nitin.

Thank you for the music and also your friendship. The Bombay Death Metal Legion forever.

Here is a video of an unreleased Primtiv track that I took a couple years ago.

Nitin Rajan Photo by Tushar Dhanawade

Fistful of Metal # 6

One hour of metal/punk from India. All recent releases.

Track list

Primitiv – Taurus
Escher’s Knot – Covolution
Hostilian – Regressive Instincts
Heathen Beast – Bloody Sabrimala
Kapala – Moral Attrition
Plague Throat – The Epoch Of Catastrophe II
Haiku-Like Imagination – Ozzifer
SkyPunch – From Above
Bhayanak Maut – Pinkadass
Pacifist – Pedigreed
FALSE FLAG – Counterfeit
SHEPHERD – Weed Dealer
Rainburn – Merchant of Dreams

Primitiv

Indian death/doom metal act Primitiv are a 5 piece band consisting of members of Albatross and Hellwind. The band released their album Immortal and Vile based on tales of early man via Transcending Obscurity Distribution in February 2016.

Primitiv are releasing a live video for the track Taurus today and I premiered it on The Metal Wanderlust. The video shot to mark 5 years of the band captures their bulldozing live act.

Check it out the video and short inteview with vocalist Nitin Rajan on The Metal Wanderlust.

United We Groove

The past Friday while most of the music lovers in the city we’re at the Bryan Adams, a faithful few were at United We Groove. The gig was at the new centre for independent music, Above the Habitat. BYOB makes it a good deal for the audience.

I managed to catch a couple of songs by the first couple of bands, Karwaan and Punkture and they weren’t by cup of tea. Although I did like Punkture‘s cover of Velvet Revolver ‘Slither’.

Grunge act Hook played songs from their recently released EP Blank Spaces and they sounded good. The surprise of their set was a cover of Split Holy Ghost Machine Gun.

The band I was really looking forward to was Primitiv. The band keep getting better each time I watch them live. Their set list mainly consisted of track from their album Immortal and Vile . A addition to their set is a unreleased track Squishy and Spongy (video below)* . The band are currently in the studio recording and I can’t wait to listen to their new material.

I didn’t stick around for the last band Systemhouse33 as it was late. Congratulations to the band on completing 15 years. 

*Posting the video since I manage to get decent audio.

Now Playing – September 2014

After the good response I got for this feature earlier, here is what I have been listening to in the past month.

Metal

Primitiv – Lords of Primitiv

The new single from Mumbai metal band Primitiv starts off with a catchy riff that you can’t help but headbang to. Awesome vocals by Nitin Rajan (Morticide). Check out the lyric video below to find out why I’ve been listening to the track on loop in the past week.

 

Aramaic – The Fallen

Aramaic are a Death/Doom metal band with oriental influences. I checked out the band as it has my friend Serge (Abhorred) on vocals and I was not disappointed at all. One of the best releases that I have heard recently by a band from United Arab Emirates.

 

Dying out Flame – Shiva Rudrastakam

The debut album by Nepali Vedic Death metal band, Dying Out Flame blew me away with it’s aggressive sound. Fans of early albums by Rudra from Singapore will enjoy this album. Good release by the Spanish label Xtreem Music.

 

7H. Target – 0.00 Apocalypse

I am not a huge fan of brutal death metal but have been listening to this album a lot while working out at the gym. As Kunal (Transcending Obscurity) described the album in his review “It’s like Transformers playing Brutal Death Metal”. The album features Ruslan “Mirus” Iskandaroff (Ex-Katalepsy) on vocals and has killer production courtesy Neil Kernon.

 

Non – Metal

Amogh Symphony – Vectorscan

On their latest release “Vectorscan” Vishal J Singh shifts Amogh Symphony into “Avant garde” territory. The album is “about the cosmic war between positive forces and negative forces of darkness in nano and pico level of matter of composition.” Read the entire story here. Vishal J Singh is a genius. In my opinion, this album is easily one of the best releases by an Indian band this year.

 

Hoirong – दण्डनीय अपराध

Dislike music with clean production? Give the new album from Hoirong a spin. Not sure how to describe the sound of this album as it has pop, disco, grunge and everything in between. Give it a couple of listens and I’m sure you’ll have a couple of songs stuck in your head.