Year:2014
Dynamic,Powerful and Relentless -That's how one can describe Albatross's music. From 2008, these guys have been delivering a perfect amalgamation of thrash, heavy and doom metal which they have bracketed into their own genre-"horror metal". Come Thrashfest, these guys are all ready to deliver their unrelenting talent and energy upon the stage again
Metal Gallows talks to their founder and bassist Dr.Hex ahead of Thrashfest, about their plans and their future, as well as the gig.
MG:First of all,Albatross has had a great
year.You guys have played at cities you’ve never been
to,and also crossed borders to Australia.What do you expect of 2014?
Dr. Hex: Hey. Thank you for taking the time
to interview us.
It’ll be very hard to top 2013, which was
the best musical year of my decade long career. 2014’s already begun on a great
note with a headlining show at IIT-BHU, Varanasi. We have Thrashfest lined up
for February, and it promises to be a truly explosive lineup. The highlight for
the year is definitely the album release, and 'Fear From the Skies' comprises of
some of our most exciting, adventurous and explosive songwriting. Vignesh,
Nishith and Jay are pushing me to play till my hands start aching, and Biprorshee’s
really come into his own and become a vocalist with his own distinct style. So
there’ll definitely be a tour to launch the album, and we hope to hit cities
we’ve not been to, such as Delhi and Ahmedabad this time round. Promoters
who’re reading this…please consider us for your fest!
There’s a special gig planned for March, on
the outskirts of Mumbai…but more on that some other time. Keep checking our
Facebook page for more details.
MG: So, going back to basics, what is the basic
fundamental idea that makes Albatross i.e. how would you explain the band, the
music and the ideology to someone who’s never heard of you guys?
Dr. Hex: Haha, our only ideology is that
there’s no ideology, in the literal sense of the word. Our songs are rooted in horror stories, without
only one message…be scared! It’s entertainment for entertainment’s sake. If you
like heavy metal that is a little off kilter, such as King Diamond, Hell, Wolf,
Manilla Road, Nevermore, or even Death…if you like soaring vocals, blistering
lead guitars, masked bassists and topless drummers (and hopefully read the
lyrics), chances are you’ll like our music.
MG: Both your releases,The Kissing Flies and
Dinner is You,are concept releases which
follow independednt storylines.What about your new album,Fear from The Skies?
Another independent concept? If so,can you please give us a small synopsis of the storyline?
Dr. Hex: There are 3 stories in the album,
spread across 7 songs. The first is based on a story I wrote, of which ‘In the
Lair of Dr. Hex’ is the first song. If you’ve checked the song out (http://transcendingobscurityindia.bandcamp.com/album/fear-from-the-skies),
it’s about Dr. Hex hard at work in his laboratory, at the end of a rebellion,
creating a winged monster. The second story was written by our drummer Jay, and
is far more classic horror, than the fantasy tinged story I’d written. If
you’ve heard ‘Children of the Cloud’ from our live set; the song is the final
track of that story. This one features a clown too, so one must wonder if it’s
children of the cloud, or of the clown. The third is the only non original
concept for a song we’ll partake in, because it’s written by one of my
favourite writers- Mr. Jeff Vandermeer and it’s the most chilling part of his
novel- Veniss Underground. It’s a love story mixed with…well a lot of gangrene,
severed limbs and children plucking eyeballs. Jeff loved Kissing Flies, and
gave us authority to use any of his stories to make into a metal song. Of
course, the opportunity was too good to resist, since Raptorsville is derived
to a certain level from Ambergris, his fictional town.
MG: For Dinner is You to Kissing
Flies, you’ve,a distinct change in songwriting and song structure is to be
observed. The latest split seems to be more urgent,fast paced and also some
death metal riffs (and growls) and even a subtle black metal influence is
observed. Is that due to the change in lineup or a shift in thought?
Dr. Hex: Well, every story borrows from the
story it’s written around. But yes, changes in lineup (Shrikant, one of the
best guitarists I’ve played with, making way for Nishith, the best guitarist in
the world) and shifts in thought (making a split with Vestal Claret leading to
a doomier sound) had a lot to do with it. I still believe Bipro doesn’t know
80% of the stuff he is capable of doing vocally, as schizophrenic as he sounds
on our releases. He’s played a cannibal with a laughing disorder, a terrorized
man who’s escaping a town infested with flies, and even a crazed Dr. Hex in the
new single. He’s always claimed that he could never pull off a Halford-esque
scream, which is why we cover a song like Night Crawler live, as opposed to
something more demanding vocally such as say, ‘Rock Hard. Ride Free’. But when
he was introducing 'Night Crawler' in Varanasi, he introduced the song in a note
perfect Halford falsetto imitation, which left me stunned. Vignesh and Nishith
are as different as chalk and cheese. Nishith’s riffs are dripping with
testosterone, and Vignesh is more eccentric and contemplative. In ‘In the Lair
of Dr. Hex’, the initial heavy metal bit was written by Nishith, and Vignesh
wrote the more soulful end. Each soloed on the other’s parts. Together, these
two are breaking new barriers in speed everyday, and yet I can hum each and
every note of their guitar solos. Jay is innovation personified, and because of
his highly progressive background, his ideas are not conventional at all. He
puts in a lot of hard work and practice everyday, and is achieving a deadly mix
of precision and innovation, with each passing day. It’s a lot of fun to write
music with this lineup, and every new song is better than the last. This is
what Albatross is…a bunch of folks who make music that surprises even us every
subsequent week. Many people were disappointed that the song wasn’t a hard
rocking number like 'Uncle Sunny at the Tavern'. Well, the subsequent songs won’t
sound anything like ‘Uncle Sunny At the Tavern’, or even for that matter ‘In
the Lair of Dr. Hex’.
MG: Going back to Thrashfest, some scene
patrons(for the want of a better word) are complaining that Albatross, not being
“pure thrash” and all,should not be playing at the Thrashfest. What’s your take
on that?
Dr. Hex: That is the first thing I told
Kunal, when he booked us. He told me it’s a thrash + heavy metal lineup, and
we’d be perfect for it. To be quite honest, every band on the bill is a friend
and all it’s going to be is a huge party. I don’t think any band, except for
maybe Chaos and Deadbolt fit the pure thrash genre anyway. If anyone reading
this doesn’t want to catch Albatross because we’re not their definition of ‘actinglikeamaniacwhiplash’
thrash, I’d recommend Akshay Bar across the street, or if they’re feeling
affluent, Sheetal Grill right next door. Their starters are excellent.
MG: Thrashfest is certainly your first 2014
gig in Mumbai. Any surprises that we should look forward to?
Dr. Hex: During our third song, Kunal
Choksi will do a somersault. We’ll do 3 covers, and hopefully have time for 3
originals too. 3 3 3, the number of Choksi!
MG: A message for all your fans please, particularly
the ones attending Thrashfest
Dr. Hex: Thank you for all your support. We
had an unbelievable 2013, and it was all thanks to you Albatross fans, friends
and supporters across the world. Wherever we’ve gone, we’ve been greeted by
metalheads in Albatross tshirts, asking us to sign their CDs. Thank you for
everything. See you at Thrashfest, where we are going to have the party of our
lives! Make sure to wear an Albatross tshirt or cap or a labcoat, because
that’s going to spur us on to kick some serious ass. Stay evil!
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