Interview with 1833 AD

The Indian Black Metal scene is an evergrowing one with more and more bands being formed. Leading this scene is Delhi based black metallers, 1833 A.D. Having released their full length last year, the band has been actively touring and are all set to play at the third edition of Black Metal Krieg in Mumbai. We had the opportunity to speak to the band about the event and their music. Here is what happened:

Blackrat - Whiskey And Blasphemy - Album Review

Year: 2013

The problem with many of the Thrash Metal bands these days is that most of it sounds very contrived and forced. The basic difference between the thrash metal back in the 80’s and the thrash metal today, is that back then, the music had a passion and the bands playing the music sounded like they were having fun. That is lost out on most of today’s thrash bands. However, that being said, there is still a hand full of bands that are bringing back that old school passion through their music. The latest album by Canadian act Blackrat is a fine example for this.

Gutslit - Skewered In The Sewer - Album Review

Year: 2013

When someone mentions the brutal side of metal, India is not exactly the country that pops into one's mind. The reason is that there are not many brutal death metal bands from India. The number of proper bands playing brutal stuff can be counted on a single hand. But however few these bands are in number, their music sure does pack a punch. Leading this legion of brutal death metal bands is the almighty Gutslit.  This band has been playing an active role in propagating this heavy art form since 2007. After releasing a split in 2009, the band's much awaited debut full length is finally here! Was it worth the wait?

Facegrinder - Unstable Mentality And Theoretical Convulsion - Album Review

Year: 2013

Every once in a while, I go through a phase, where all I need is a huge wall of music to grind my face. When I came across the band Facegrinder, this is exactly what I expected. Going into this album, my expectations from this band where pretty high, because earlier this year, I had reviewed an album from another band from by same members, called Corpseflesh and that album had impressed me so much. So does Facegrinder impress as much as Corpseflesh, or is it not as good?

Winter Gate - Dis-Illumination EP - Album Review

Year: 2012

Writing a song with a long runtime takes skill. Keeping the listener engaged throughout the length of the song requires even more special skills. The number of progressive bands in India are actually very limited and even the few that do exist, tend to stick to shorter song lengths (with exception of one or two songs ofcourse). But never did I imagine that when I discovered such a progressive band from India, it would be from Jaipur of all places! While the general public had been focussing their attention on bands from Bangalore, Kolkatta, Delhi and Mumbai, these lads have achieved something which quite a lot of bands in this country fail to do - release a spectacular debut!

Aetherium Mors - Entrails of the Soul EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

When I was a kid a long time ago (in the early 90's) the death metal scene was growing, and demos were a big part of the scene. Somewhere along the road, when the scene exploded, it was almost impossible to keep track of all the unsigned bands. There wasn't enough time or money to focus on anything but bands that were signed. This EP from the unsigned UK-based blackened death metal band Aetherium Mors makes me wonder how much I've missed out on.

Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything - Album Review

Year: 2013

It's 2 a.m. at night, I plug in the earphones, switch off the lights, close my eyes, getting ready to explore everything. Arjen Lucassen has given new direction to metal, created a new level of metal. Ayreon's music has never been limited to one genre. It's music has always touched the heart of everyone that listened to it. Arjen, the mastermind behind Ayreon is the master of transitions. With each and every album he amazes everyone and causes them to love him even more.

Cosmic Infusion - Cosmic Infusion EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

Whenever I check out a new band, if I see the words 'keyboard' anywhere in the line up, I automatically turn into a sceptic of the band’s capabilities. It is not that I hate the keyboards as an instrument. Its just that, over the years that I have been listening to metal, I have come across very few bands that have been able to incorporate this instrument in an effective way, that pleased my tastes. The rest of the time, the keyboards always felt like unnecessary additions and they felt over used in the music. The scepticism arose in the case of Cosmic Infusion too. But with only five songs, they managed to lay all my doubts to rest.