“3rd SOVEREIGN” the first time when I heard about this band in the year 2002-2003, I was just tremored to know that the corpses belonged to our motherland. Conquering, every battle in the north ,the Indian Death Metal heroes had arrived with their uncompromising brutal 12 minutes hatred filled E.P called “HORRIFIED VISION” to affect the mortal souls with disgust .

Let me freshen you up with the past history of “3rd SOVEREIGN”, the band that plays some intense and aggressive Death metal ,which makes them one of the best Death Metal band from the shores of “Mizoram”(India).Needless to state their consistency, they have always come up more and more with their experiences. When it comes to their gig performance, the band is very much noticeable with the energy and speed they possess on the stage. I think everybody might be familiar with their competitions at “Delhi College of Engineering”,”BITS Pilani “and how can anybody forget their Mumbai’s “Resurrection 5″ festival, they just flooded away the Death Metal scene. With the younger bandwagon, the band no doubt kicked many asses, but they lagged originals like many of the other Indian bands who are still struggling in the scene. The fans started having high expectations with the band, soon the band started to overcome this issue and they came out with a track called “Face of Despair”, which was a mega hit among the listeners across the country. The band “3rd SOVEREIGN” draws their major influences from bands like” Cannibal Corpse”,”Death”,”Carcass”,”Decapitated”etc ,which you can easily make out from their soul originals.

Beheading, the bloodshed corpses in the realm of Death Metal, the band stands out among the various other bands in the same genre. I would just call this E.P as “Fucking Merciless” with “Mala’s” disgorging vocals,”Anshuman”destructive guitar riffs and “Reuben” noisily exuberant drums makes it a package to destroy your mental state. Spinning onto the E.P “HORRIFIED VISION”,it starts with a blistering discharge called “Destined To Suffer” a painful pleasure for the ears procreating some monstrous riffs with terrific tempo and speed changes. The pace of the track grabs almost the listener’s attention instantly, the song goes out with an awesome rhythm .Next comes the rancorous title track of the E.P “Horrified Vision” one of the sickening best and highlights of the releases. There’s no saturation level for this song, the more you hear the more you get addicted. “Ashuman’s” outstanding fret work and “Reuben’s” blasts on the drums, make this track a must listen and very spell bounding. The track starts slowly, but emerges with the fury towards the end. Here comes one of my favourite of the E.P “Everlasting Burn”, a song that will definitely lead you to insane head bang. There isn’t a single moment which allows you to breath, it goes on with continuous drum work and “Reuben’s” agitating guitars added to this is an appreciable stormy double bass work. “Suicidal Corpse”, a track with vehemented aggression, ravaging guitars, depraved growls are just killer and incinerate. I can assure you, once the 12 minutes havoc is over and your ears are drenched with their painful music, you would beg to go through it again. In all the E.P reminds me of their drawing influences drawing from bands like” Cannibal Corpse”,”Vader”,”Decapitated” etc,that make it a must but E.P for all the metal heads.

I’m really short of words to give you the proper review of the E.P, so grab a copy and let your ears have a splitting blast. But, I would like to dispute with the band for introducing only 4 dissected songs in the E.P…I think that’s a curse for all we metal heads. The E.P is recommended for all the true Death Metal fans and I feel it wouldn’t be appropriate to say that it’s worth spending money on the E.P.

Bottom Line: I would declare the E.P “HORRIFIED VISION” as “Impressive and Incomparable”!!!

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)

IMR (Pravin): Hello “KASTADYNE”! At last you people are out with your debut album “ELEVEN COMPLAINTS”. So how is the feeling?
TEJAS (TJ): It’s awesome! It took us almost 4 years to create this album and it feels fantastic to see it in stores and on the web.
SHELDON: It feels good… we’ve got a lot of good response.

IMR (Pravin): First of all, let us know what does “KASTADYNE” mean? Give a brief introduction about all of them and how did the project came together?
TJ: This is one of the first questions people ask when they come to know about us. We wanted a unique band name. So one of our friends played around with words and came up with Kastadyne. Just sounds cool, lol!
SHELDON: Its just an array of words scrambled together in order to form an extremely unique word. When you log on to google and type ‘kastadyne’ you get about 1800 links all directed to us.

IMR (Pravin): Never heard “KASTADYNE” performing in any of the gigs, is it just a studio project? Why?
TJ: The band actually started out with just me and Sheldon. He wrote and I composed. The entire first album was recorded at my home studio. After releasing it, we decided to go live. But we played a couple of shows only to return to the studio. The songs we make have many instruments and often up to 5 guitars playing at the same time. This coupled with the fact that sound systems at local gigs are pathetic, we decided to remain a studio project for now while having a good presence on the web.
SHELDON: We do perform occasionally. Big & small gigs. But we love what we can do in the studio, man. We get OUR sound – the way we want it.

IMR (Pravin): Give a brief introduction about your debut album “ELEVEN COMPLAINTS”
SHELDON: Eleven Complaints speaks about revolution at a personal, social & political level.
TJ: As I said, it took us 4 years to make the album, so some of the material in the songs actually changed as time went by. We had so much fun making this album because we experimented with so many different sounds and song styles. I think the most radical of them would have to be the last track, “Rat Race” since we recorded vocals and made it sound like a reverse flute. You’ll find that none of the songs have anything in common, they’re all different and we love this album for that.

IMR (Pravin): Lyrically, you people are just out of the world. Who writes lyrics for the project and how do you focus yourself to write such beautiful and thoughtful lyrics?
SHELDON: I write about what touches me the most. Hence they are songs I have something to speak about. I started writing when i was in the 9th standard
TJ: Sheldon writes all the lyrics. He’s a genius. Many times when I am laying down a bass track and I find that the lyrics are too short, Sheldon can add more lines to verse or chorus without losing meaning or making it muddy. Crazy talent!

IMR (Pravin): “ELEVEN COMPLAINTS”, the debut album is all about political issues, awareness etc, but not what our Indian Bollywood crowd is addicted. What do you think – how many hearts you will able to reach by these complaints?
SHELDON: We’re trying our best to reach out to everyone, across india and as well as the world. The web makes this possible today.
TJ: Neither of us were ever interested in anything to do with Bollywood. Our songs are about what really happens in everyday life, all the hardships and happiness. Indian Rock has always had a relatively small audience, and we are carving a niche within that for ourselves. The support and interest is growing, though. So it’s only a matter of time.

IMR (Pravin): Let us know, if you people are planning to release a video for your album as it would boost the album promotion. If yes, for which track you will make a video and what it would be like?
SHELDON: Yeah, in fact, we already made a music video for ‘Victim of my Anger’. It will be aired soon. We are working on some more vids in the meanwhile. Basically we intend to reach out to many people as possible & fulfill our producer’s desire to dominate the world with quality music
TJ: Our video for ‘Victim of my Anger’ is set in the lush hills of Karjat (outside Mumbai). It should be out on TV soon. It’s quite intense. Just another way to reach out.

IMR (Pravin): Which are the instruments that “KASTADYNE” uses for their sound production?
TJ: Kastadyne records in Studio B, with all the latest equipment.

Ibanez SA series Guitar

Ibanez BTB Bass Guitar

Samick Guitar

Ovation OP30 Semi-Solid Guitar

Samick Bass Guitar

Fender Rumble Bass Amp

Line6 Spider Amp

Line6 X3 Processor

Protools Software

Digidesign 002

Presonus Preamp

Dynaudio Monitors

And mics by Shure, Rode, Brauner, M-Audio and Sennheiser

Not to mention, the countless software plug-ins from Waves, McDSP, Massey, URS, etc.

IMR (Pravin): List down some of your major Indian/Foreign influences from whom you draw inspiration?
SHELDON: Tool, Porcupine Tree, LimpBizkit, Perfect Circle, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rage against the Machine, Korn, Audioslave, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. etc.

IMR (Pravin): Which is the Record Label that you people have signed up for releasing “ELEVEN COMPLAINTS”? Is that true that the album have been mixed and mastered mostly in Germany?
SHELDON: We self-released the album. Yes the songs were mastered in Germany but mixed here by Da Producer (Narayan Kumar).
TJ: The album is an indie effort. All the tracks have been recorded and mixed in Studio B. Only the final stage of Mastering was done in Germany by XARC to bring the songs to commercial quality.

IMR (Pravin): Which was the first track that you people recorded along with your project, how was the feeling?
SHELDON: The first track that we composed & recorded was ‘I Don’t Know Why’.
TJ: ‘I Don’t Know Why’ is a very simple song with a hook and has a special place for us because we have discarded a lot of songs and this one has always stayed.

IMR (Pravin): Most of the Indian bands go out for Death/Black/Heavy metal bands that are what the scenario demands. What made you choose Nu-Age as your musical genre?
SHELDON: Why be like most bands and do the usual stuff… we’re mainly influenced by alternative & nu-age rock. So we tried our best to come up with some thing truly original that falls in these categories.
TJ: Both of us always liked music that could make a band stand apart from the crowd. And we never found this in death metal. We never decided what genre to play. In fact it took us a long time playing before we could figure what our genre was.

IMR (Pravin): List out some points, why are we lagging behind in the music scenario even though we have plenty of well deserving bands?
TJ: There are tons of good bands in India! It’s just that people are used to certain heavyweights in Indian Rock, so it’s tough to find a good gig to play at. There are always many gigs for upcoming bands and they really don’t get the best of equipment for such shows.
SHELDON: It’s the audience that they reach out to. We should know no borders and try our best to reach out to the whole world.

IMR (Pravin): So, until now how is the review for the debut album “ELEVEN COMPLAINTS” and are you planning up for the next full length album . What it would be like?
SHELDON: Eleven Complaints received spectacular response & still is… we’re currently working on our second album and will keep on making music for ever… our second album is even more power packed.
TJ: It’s been received very well. We’ve already sold many of the songs online and one of the Planet-M shops Mumbai actually ran out of stock. We’ve already started work on a second album, and the songs are more clear in terms of what we want to convey.

IMR (Pravin): Any message that you’d like to give to Team IMR and all your fans out there around the globe?
SHELDON: We’d like to thank team IMR and all our Kastadyne fans for all their support & their faith in our music. To all who’ve not been anointed Kastaholics yet, go get your self a copy of Eleven Complaints
TJ: Thanks for supporting Indian rock! Do keep in touch with us and write to
kastadyne@kastadyne.com

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BAND’S WEBSITE: WWW.KASTADYNE.COM

Thank you “KASTADYNE”, Team IMR wishes you good luck for the future . Rock On!!!

IMR: How did the project “BLIND IMAGE” come up together? Would you like share something about your beginning days?

BlindImage: Yes, Krishna (Drummer) met this young guitar genius during a show when Prashant aka Demattio was playing comfortably numb by pink Floyd after which they had a talk about music and got to know each other. Later Krishna gave a call and then Prashant and Krishna jammed Master of puppets by Metallica and tornado of souls, which felt good. Then during the search for other band members they jammed with many people and after many line up changes they found a bassist (shricharan) who was Krishna’s friend for 4 years and the most committed member of the band since he left his house in Mumbai and decided to stay in Chennai for the band. After trying out many vocalists the band found the whako aka David Simon who completed the thrash identify of the band. And then the blind image line up was stabilized. Since then they have been burning every stage on which they play, with their heavy stuff. Presently they are working on an album which is expected by the year end or latest by Feb. 2008. Mean while they will be playing more live shows.

IMR: What is the concept behind the name “BLIND IMAGE”?

BlindImage: An image being a portrayal or a replication of things that we hear and see around us within our hearts and minds, things that are sometimes too real for comfort, facts that are too hard to swallow. And hence once in a while we tend to purposely hide such uncomfortable images away, blinding them from our vision to satisfy our own sense of vanity. These images become our blind images, representations of the devil within us all.

IMR: If I am not wrong you guys are about to release an album somewhere in June. Let us know when it is going to be released, I am really very much excited about it and I think so is everybody? Would you like to tell us something about the album?

BlindImage: Yeah, the albums are metal with experimental touch and thrash bass and groove bass. We have aimed to make the sound of the album really dynamic. All the songs have come out will. The album will be having a ballad also. And a small interlude called SAY NO MORE. The songs in the album are:Skin, psycho babble, Shit happens, Read my lips, MOB Anthem, Effigy, Say no more and kiss of anarchy.

The album had title, but then we have decided to change it… so we will soon, update u guys with the title. .. The album is very contemporary and unique. The lyrics are like from sex to politics to about life to girl friend dumping… The song effigy is about, a guys standing in the twin tower during the crash and analyzing how to die, either jump off or get burnt with the building… it has turned out very well… and skin is about sex.. lol. Well sex is an important part of life…lol… psycho babble is about, a random promise by politicians, kiss of anarchy is about “Let me go, set me free, kiss of anarchy” (girlfriend) u get the concept J….. Say no more is about life again… read my lip is also philosophical. So lyrics are pretty interesting… all the songs are catchy.

IMR: You guys sound to be more like legendary bands Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica etc. Nodoubt many of the metal-heads like heavy metal stuff, but why not something original?

BlindImage: Well, We are not like our influence. am sure of that… That’s the opinion ppl had when we just started because initially all bands play like their influences… Now its original contemporary sound. Every note played composed is original, contemporary and carved out like a sculpture… We are very confident about that… Megadeth is our influence… that’s all… but We don sound like any of our influences… Am sure the Blind image has evolved to give a new sound a real fresh and GROOVY ONE. So Its blind image the original and contemporary now… J u will be seeing that in the ALBUM

IMR: Let us know how is the metal scene out there in “CHENNAI any more underground bands around your local circuit in the black/death/heavy metal genre, which are much, appreciated by the crowd?

BlindImage: Metal scene in Chennai is Little bad only… but its increasing. There are ppl who takes effort to improve the scene… but right now it’s bad in chennai. But many other bands are coming up now… More death metal I must say… But crowd here is bad and still slowly improving.

IMR: I still remember the first time, when I saw you guys performing live at the “MUSICIANS MALL”(Mumbai). You guys almost had the crowd with the way every one of you was involved and hats off to your energy level. What you would like to say about it how was the experience?

BlindImage: Oh, Musician mall is like an evergreen memory. We can’t forget that day… We played for an Awesome and energetic crowd. I must accept that, it’s one of the best gigs that we have played for sure… It was so awesome and a fabulous gig. Crowd sang along for every original and covers. What can make a band more happy than to see the crowd singing there originals. Mumbai crowd is crazy and we love it… We love to play in Mumbai as many times as possible. It’s a wonderful place with wonderful crowd. Mumbai rocks. We will come there and release the album soon. J

IMR: List down some of your Indian/International major influences that really inspired you to enter the music stream?

BlindImage: Megadeth, Metallica, Freak Kitchen, Pantera, Slayer, Lamb of god, Pink Floyd, rush, The WHO, Dave Mathews band, Queensryche, Meshuggah. Jazz artist like: Frank gambale, Dave weckle, Chickorea, Ron thal, Shawn lane, Guthri govan , Guitar Prasana , Steve Vai , Joe Satriani.
Indian bands we like , Moksha, Joint family, Zero, Pentagram,

IMR: Recently, you guys had shared the stage with one of India’s famous band “METAKIX”. How was the feeling?

BlindImage: Yeah it was good. It was a nice gig. Had loads of fun.

IMR: Have you guys participated anytime in any of the talent hunt shows (Yes or No)? Why?

BlindImage: By Talent show you mean COMPETITION ? Well we ve participated in very few competiton and won like underground 07 etc. The main point is , we don believe in the concept of competition. We feel that , its absurd to judge bands which are different.. every band is different. U cant really judge, all are good in their own way. I think instead having competitions , they should have more open festivals in which all bands can play , that will be a great platform for all bands and its awesome fun.. We find the idea of competition , really stupid.. so we don participate in competition. We concentrate on Professional shows only.

IMR: What do you think, do we have to adapt ourselves into the western culture to step in the Rock and Metal music?

BlindImage: Not really , WE can be ourself. Music dose not belong to any one.. its for all.. Just because , we play music which was originated in west, it dose not mean that we have to force our self to the culture.Its jus my opinion. and NOTHING WRONG IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW THE WESTERN CULTURE ALSO> Its ones wish.. Every one has their life to life. And they live the way they want to . WE are no one to say anything about it. J

IMR: Which is the record label that you people are going for, and are you making video for the album as it is very much important from the promotional aspect? Are you making the album available in all the 4 – zones?

BlindImage: Well,. We are sending the album to few international labels like, century media , nuclear blast, metal blades etc. and we all have to wait and see what happens after that.
And yeah , we will be making a video . not sure when. And yeah we will be releasing in all 4 zones . we are working on release gig in all the four zones. So yeah , it will be avail in all 4 zones.

IMR: According to you , what role do these music related websites supporting Indian bands play in focusing the bands potential and making them familiar in each of the zones for setting up a fan base ?
BlindImage: They play a very important role.. they are doing a great job in supporting bands and spreading the bands music. Publicity is important for all bands. It’s a great initiative.. hope it grows and continues.

IMR: Describe “BLIND IMAGE” in one sentence?

BlindImage: Well , I’ l describe in one word. Contemporary.

IMR: What message would you like to convey to all your fans out there across the country?

BlindImage: We take this opportunity to thank all the fans for supporting us all this time… And we will deliver more music for you ppl….. We love you all and thank you again… See you soon with our new album .

Keep head banging \m/ .

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)

• Q. Hi Gaurav ! At last a sigh of relief, your album is out. So how are things at your end?
  A. Lol..yeah..it is a great feeling that the album is finally out! It had been almost a year and a half that I’d been working on it!..:) And I’m really glad with the way both the album and the video have turned out! At the moment, we’re doing a lot of shows to promote the album, most of them college fests and also quite a few public shows. The platforms on some of the music channels have also helped and the title track is catching up with college students!
• Q. What is the concept of your album & what message have you tried to spread through
  it? Any USP?
  A. This is a Hindi Rock/Pop album with 9 tracks on it. It’s not a concept album; each of the nine tracks is independent of one another and has something to say! “Om Namah Shivaya” talks about living for the moment and for one’s dreams. We plan to make a concept video for it though! “College Days” reflects upon college life while “Fighting All Alone” is a song that talks about the life of a street kid! There are also a couple of love songs and a track called “Aaj Tu Yaad Aayi” which is my take on Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss”! The USP of the album is probably the simplicity of the songwriting and the arrangements!

• Q. What made you enter into the music stream, considering the fact that you are a MBA graduate?
  A. I was the vocalist of my college band in TSEC and absolutely enjoyed performing to a live audience! I also started writing songs during that period and realized that it was something I enjoyed doing the most! So while going to IIM-A, I decided to make use of my MBA degree in such a way that it would take me where I wanted to go! I think that’s what education is meant for! So I kept pursuing music whilst studying at IIM-A, and simultaneously planned my moves for the future.
• Q. Is it by your personal choice that this is a solo flick, or is it by fate that you don’t have a band?
  A. Since I’d done all the songwriting for this album and hadn’t come across a steady set of band members at that time, it made sense to go ahead as a solo artiste. Today I pretty much have the band in place but I’ll continue to be a solo artiste. So its something like how Bryan Adams is!..:P
• Q. Any artists/bands that has been an inspiration through out the whole journey?
  A. Many of them, and over different periods of time actually! When I was in my junior college, about 7-8 years back, bands/artistes like Strings, Junoon, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Euphoria, Lucky Ali, Silk Route, KK etc were a major inspiration. I still dig that music! It was during engineering though that I got introduced to rock by a few close friends. Some of my favourite bands/artistes include Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater etc. Played and covered some of them during engineering and MBA. It was only after I started learning Indian Clasical music and studying Urdu a couple of years back that I began to appreciate Indian music well. Writers like Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Gulzar etc are source of inspiration even today. Also composers like Shankar-Jaikishan, R D Burman, A R Rahman & SEL have created stuff one can learn from. Ghazals are also a great source of learning of Hindi/Urdu poetry though the topics they cover are usually limited!..:)
• Q. What comes deeper from your soul music or lyrics?
  A. Hmmm…For me the music comes first and the lyrics follow. So it’s really the mood of the composition that generates the concept of the song! Writing lyrics is the harder part really, cuz most of my thoughts are in English and they need to be translated into Hindi while retaining the idea and avoiding clichés at the same time!..:) So for me creating the melody comes naturally and is more fun!
• Q. You are an old horse as far as concerts are concerned, any reason why Indian Rock Scenario is light years behind and very uncommon among the local crowd?
  A. I don’t know if 1 year of playing live qualifies me as an old horse or not!..:) Anyways, as far as rock shows go, I can only say that they appeal to those who can appreciate this genre of music! And though it’s going in size gradually, it’s still a small number – mainly the college going crowd in cities. And that’s fair enough, cuz if you go to the interiors and have a look at the people there you’ll realize how far behind our country still is in even basic education, forget listening to rock music! So rock shows are restricted colleges and bigger cities only. Also in most colleges, 80% of the crowd still digs Bollywood or Pakistani Pop/Rock. So there is still some way to go before rock becomes more accepted. In the meantime shows like Channel [V]’s Launchpad etc are doing a lot of good for the scene in terms of increasing the commercial appeal of the genre. Hindi Rock meanwhile is doing great and is gradually becoming mainstream with composers like Pritam and SEL blending soft rock and Hindi lyrics together.
• Q. What made you select the album title as ‘College Days’, or it is just a catchy title that suits the present music scene in India?
  A. College Days was the best title the album could have had not just because the first video single is that of College Days but also since most of the tracks on the album were written during the period I was in college. Also from a marketing perspective, it makes sense for the album to have a name that can be easily recognized by the buyer, especially since I’m a new artiste and people may not know my name! So they might listen to “College Days” on the television or on Youtube and then seeing the album with the same name might prompt them to pick it up.
• Q. Tell us something about the “College days” video shoot? What is the theory behind releasing 3 different versions of your song?
  A. I wanted to shoot the video at IIM-A not just because I had studied there but also because the Institute has a great architecture. We were given the permission to shoot for 2 days. The production house “Via Us Productions” (previously having done videos for KK, Abhijeet Sawant etc) and I did the pre-production for about a week in Mumbai where we finalized the script. The whole crew went in from Mumbai except for the actors which we thought we’d get from Ahmedabad. That proved to be a major problem since most IIM-A students were on vacation. We luckily managed to get people from NIFT and a few other colleges. The shoot was great fun and every shot produced great entertainment with the cast and crew joking around with one another. At the end of the shoot we had a great party on campus on the terrace of one of the dorms with the entire cast and crew. It was great fun! There are essentially 2 versions of “College Days” – the unplugged one (Track 2) and the fast one (Track on the album. The video edit was also included cuz we thought there might be people who might wanna use that audio track too.
• Q. Many of the famous guitarist and drummers have played with you, how was the experience?
  A. Certainly a highly enriching one! Ranjit Barot is not just a great drummer but also a great producer. He had a vision of how the album was gonna sound like and that really made a difference cuz he chose musicians accordingly. So right from getting Amyt Dutta to play on “Aaj tu yaad aayi” to Sanjay Joseph on “Alvida” & “Manzil”..they were all his choices. Chandresh and Nicolas Fiszman also played on the album. Its always nice as a songwriter to have such a high degree of musicianship going into your songs. Also I learnt a lot during the recording sessions at Ranjit’s studio (Nirvana) which I think is one of the best in the country. All in all, it was a great experience.
• Q.  How has been the overseas response so far?
  A. The album is available in certain select stores in the US and UK. I really don’t know the sales figures there but there are people writing in from these countries saying that they loved College Days. My platform on B4U helped me here as it is the only Indian music channel broadcast in the US. College Days is also in the Top 7 on Radio 4 Dubai and will soon play on Radio Tarana in New Zealand. The fact is that there are a lot of young Indians who’ve just graduated from India and are working abroad. College Days will definitely appeal to them.
• Q. Your debut performance was in the IIM’s how was it ? What exactly did you feel backstage at that time?
  A. My debut show actually was the JAM CAT Concert 2006 in Mumbai where I opened for Sona Mohapatra and Parikrama. Except from the die-hard rockers who cant stand anything in Hindi, we got a terrific response from the crowd. The real big show however was at IIM-A where my band and I opened for Silk Route and Junoon. Somehow that night we were at the top of our game and we rocked the place! It was great to share the stage with bands that have been my influences and also holding my own in front of them!
• Q.  What would have Gaurav been if not an artist?
  A. Wait and watch…Gaurav is a lot more than just an artiste and will show all his sides eventually!..:)
• Q.  Any incident in college you really remember? (We expect some unexpected answers)
  A. Haha..I remember this crazy incident during Engineering when some freak sent out a newsletter to the entire college that blew the lid off several secret relationships on campus including mine in great detail. It was really embarrassing and the girl never spoke to me after that!..:) I wrote plenty of sad songs in the months that followed!..:lol!
• Q. Rapid Fire (no half page answers please) !
  ? Rock/Metal/Bollywood  : Rock

? The place you would love to perform, Mumbai, Banglore, Delhi, your alma matter : Bangalore      (have never played there & have played at all the other places).
? Jal/Indian Ocean / None : None.
? MTV / Channel[V] / FTV : Channel [V].

“This is from team IMR, we wish you all the best, and May you get all the girl friends you want”.

This is from me. Regarding the girlfriends part, I have my hands full but thanks for your best wishes anyways!..

Pravin Prajapati (LordMessiah)
Mahesh Puttapaka (K.I.N.G)

1) Hello “DARK PROJECT”, good to see you guys still in the music scene. How are the things at your campaign?

DP: Well the   movement is a little dormant now as in everyone is a little busy mending their fences when it comes to personal academic careers. But as they say there is always “Silence before the storm”, so just waiting in the back to make that leap.

2) Why is the name “DARK PROJECT”, describe the name in your own words. Any other names you people had come across?

DP: Dark Project was derived from Dark Faith initially which Sudipto( Lead Vox) had come across, reason being that he and his school buddy  Sauvik (guitars) ,thought that they found solace in tragedy. It does not refer to being “sadists” but rather it has  to do with the energy they used to derive from pain for writing their initial material.

3) Things started off with just a handful of instruments at the nascent stage? How did things come your way?

DP: Well they say “Necessity is the mother of invention”. It applies aptly in our case. We were a bunch of college goers and with all the money for the hunger in the belly, there was not much left for to spend on instruments after you digested the rest. So we decided to turn our gizmo dreams into reality by ourselves. We got hold of this guy called Rakesh who was keen on fulfilling his dreams in electronics despite being a Bio Tech engineer from IIT KGP. We got this bread board and a couple of ICs to build the whole setup for this Gyro epic, for a meager 140 bucks (that saved the money for our donuts). We recorded our entire album using that. We glad to say that the things have changed now.

4) What made you choose alternative rock as your music genre?

DP: We never choose it, it chose us. It’s basically to do with the genre of music we guys have been eating as a part of our daily diet. The other reason is that there were no such acts from India playing this kind of music.

5) When did you guys stepped down performing live for the very first time at Haldia Institute of Technology, how was the feeling. Any special moment that you would like to share?

DP: Well HIT was the college where Sudipto hailed from. Being very youthful and popular with his solo acts, the authorities invited DP to put on a show on the final day of the annual college fest in March 2005 as an opening act to Parikrama. This was a special show for us as each band member was putting their first joint effort into this venture. It was commented as one of the best acts the college had ever seen from an amateur band perspective. It gave us the zeal that we could even rock the stage after being reasonably popular with our singles.

6) How do you people manage to jam together as every band member belongs to some or the other place?

DP: Yes the biggest pain has been the geographical distance that we people have between us. Now that Sudipto is working in Bangalore, it becomes a little tricky for us to come together for a jam. But we believe “where there is a will there is a way”. Ugyal (guitars) and Sauvik sit together to put their efforts for our latest offering and thank god! We have IT to the rescue. For live jamming we all make sure that we are together at regular intervals to synchronize our efforts which we would otherwise do alone.

7) List down some of your Indian and Foreign influences? Which was the first ever song that you people covered?

DP: We have always made a conscious effort to sound alternative as well as progressive to a certain extent. That way bands like Opeth and Dream Theater form the basic sources of influence for us. Along with these we would dig most of the songs by Incubus, RATM and etc (etc set should occupy all other acts that we listen to which almost covers everything that’s music). The first ever song that we covered on stage was the immortal “Smoke on the Water”. But it has been a conscious effort that we play our originals more than we call ourselves a cover band.

Any other underground bands out there in KGP or in the local area around you, let us know?

DP: Well sure, Kolkata is one city which is coming up with a zillions of acts to cover the horizon. It should be great to find one such act and pass it on to you guys.

9) “CHAOS SESSIONS”, can you tell us something about this album in brief?

DP: “Chaos sessions” was named due to the amount of chaos we had put across people’s life, ones who were living in adjacent rooms to Sauvik while recording it. This album was made with an alternative sound. Recorded within a span of 4 months, all in a hostel room was a memory to cherish. After that the whole album was mixed down all by ourselves. We got decent reviews from various corners. The album took us to become the highest played Indian contemporary English acts by far on last.fm. We are currently more than 13k plays on last. Responses from different corners of the world have just made it a success for us in our own rights.

10) If you will be asked to play music in BOLLYWOOD, what kind of music you will play. Will you meet the people needs with all that booty shaking stuff or be what you are and change them to hear you? (Or you will simply refuse)

DP: Look we believe that a single band can’t play all kinds of genres of music and that way it becomes very difficult for us to put our steps in bollywood as Dark Project, but independent filmmakers who want original stuff in ENGLISH would really be the comfort zone for us. Otherwise maybe a different day, a different name and a different band should be able to make the cut.

11) What message you would like to convey to all other underground bands regarding making good music and coming up as a professional band?

DP: What we believe is that there are a handful of acts already in India who are playing hell lot of tight music. What matters on a longer run and on making your memories prevalent is original material. The Indian audience is still a lot influenced by the act of the 80s, though alternative is coming of age here. So a message to those bands out there would be to do something new and creative which is not done before, which we are sure is very much on the way.

12) Let us know what original music means. Why is the Indian rock scene behind and do not have a platform even though we have plenty of well deserving bands? Any suggestions?

DP: People tend to confuse original music with self compositions that one comes up with. We believe that original music not only should have a new song to its name but also should be unique which can trade the band’s name along with it. Indian rock scene is behind is true but then it always takes time to adapt to the changes and the amount of finance that’s going in now was like never before for the Indian bands. So maybe we should keep our fingers crossed and appreciate our acts which are truly “Original”.

13) What is your future planning as “DARK PROJECT”? Through this entire journey to whom all you would like to give credits for the same?

DP: It’s a long way to go from here. We are in the process of recording our first EP which follows Chaos Sessions. Play shows here in India to a varied audience by giving them a treat of our songs in the next one year and mostly take it from there to see if we land up on the moon or we are just made of grass and oxygen. Credits are due for our friends, our families and mostly for the perseverance we have in each of us.

14) Which Indian band/bands you would like to cover and why? Never seen any Indian band covering other Indian bands. Any reason behind that?

DP: Well we have already played Parikrams’s But it Rained in one of our shows. But as mentioned previously, we are in no mood to sing covers if given a choice. Its all about playing what you have made and to leave a trail with that.

15) Most of your songs are freely available for download on your official website. How does that work for promoting your music?

DP: Well yes. Chaos Sessions has been a promotional act in itself. It has worked well for us so far. Site counts going past 66k, play counts on last.fm, responses on the website are just the alibi we need. Free download has enabled us to communicate with people who gave us their feeds not only from India but from UK and the US as fans rather than listners. So it really does work when you are new to the scene and you want to spread the noise.

* Team IMR wishes “DARK PROJECT “, good luck for the future and hope that you people soon come up with a new album!!!

Pravin Prajapati (LordMessiah)

“NINTH SIDE”, is an Indian independent/underground rock band coming all the way from the eastern hills of “MIZORAM”(INDIA) . Initially,the band was just a solo homeproject started by the front man and their lead singer,”PATRICK LURA”, a real talented and a true musician. Looking at the ever increasing numbers of rock addicts and the craze for  rock music , the band however in April 2008 released a low-budget music video for their very first single called “BLOW”  through “www.youtube.com” on the internet . The video started gaining enough attention around the local scenario , but yes even the listeners from the other zones started recognising them . Ultimately, the video became a mega hit among the viewers and by then, the band  begin to climb up the popularity ladder . The video deserved it all and incidentally became the most viewed music video of Mizoram  within a one week time span . The band was immensely appreciated for their every gig performance in the local region spellbouding many of the rock lovers. Due to their unexpected success on the internet and among local viewers, “NINTH SIDE” decided to hit the target audience again with their next weapon “ALL THAT YOU ARE”, and released the same on “http://www.youtube.com/“  on April 28th 2008.
To know more about the frontman , the lead singer “PATRICK LURA” had been invited to participate in the RSJ’s GREAT INDIAN ROCK (GIR) a couple of times by many of the famous Indian Bands including Friday the 13th in 2006, Cannabis in 2000, and Sacrilege way back in the 90s. However, due to his strong belief in original and self produced/recorded music, he refused to join any of the above mentioned bands and made a move alone towards his musical career. So, starting from 2007, with the help of childhood friends, , an experimental home project was setup,  which eventually became “NINTH SIDE”.
“NINTH SIDE”, comprises of 3-piece musicians ::
Patrick – Vocals
Albert – Drums
Zorama – Guitars
Thangtea – Band Manager

“Lura” and “Zorama” will be in New Delhi by the second week of May 2008, in search of a better quality recording studio and a bass player. The band  will try to spend most of the time in a dormant state in the studio  and will not enter in any music competitions .
“NINTH SIDE”,  love making original music and does not sell their music . Their mp3′s and videos are freely available for download on the internet . So,do enjoy their lively music by stealing them from the virtual world .
You can even follow the below youtube video links to know more about them ::

1)     1) Blow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE9UJ5wPbxs)

2)     2) All that you are (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmWE6QEOBJw)
Bottom Line :: “NINTH SIDE” loves making original music with a vision to serve music whole -heartedly .

Pravin Prajapati (LordMessiah)

Its really true that the underground bands just need proper backing and platform to mark their presence ,this is what “PROSODY” has shown in recent times . Recently, the rock and metal scene has improved a lot as more and more number of rock lovers started stepping up into the musicstream . Initially , the crowd only from the major cities like Mumbai,Bangalore,Delhi,Mizoram etc  were floored with what is called “ROCK” music . Later ,the change was noticeable ,the music started building up the rage against the music in the heart of the addicts . In the past even Pune produced many such good bands and  has definitely seen a growing music culture with more & more youngsters getting involved and making it their tool for expression. Competitions like Campus Rock Idols & shows like Live Storms, Bombay Rock Association, NoiZ Gate, Yamaha Roxx etc,  provided our young rockers a platform to show what they got and music has definitely got a whole lot of attention.
Among all these traffic, there originated a band called “PROSODY”comprising of all the fresh blood talents  from Pune(Maharashtra).One such band was formed when six musicians all coming from diversified backgrounds and cultures met together to realize their dreams and make them true.

“PROSODY” consists of 6 young gunners ::

• Andy – Vocals
• Cariappa – Vocals(Hindi)
• Abhay – Guitars
• Sumit – Bass
• Kirti – Lead Guitars
• Angad – Drums

  “PROSODY” have  been hitting the Pune circuit for quiet sometime with their musical aggression capturing many hearts. All this started when all of them met in during their college time and started exploring ,what how they can contribute towards music. No disputes ,the band firmly believes in maintaining originality and giving quality music to the listeners,they also believe in letting out their thoughts bluntly . When it comes to playing live, the centre stage is taken by Andy with his energy and power-packed vocals layered with Abhay’s thrashing guitars, Sumit’s grooving bass, Angad’s beat science and Kirti’s shrilling leads.
  Abhay(Rhythm guitarist) says, “Since all of us have more or less different musical backgrounds and influences, it makes us easier to venture into different styles and sounds giving us an infinite number of opportunities to explore & discover. This makes our music difficult to fit in a genre which is the best part.”
  Abhay cultivates his musical influences from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, R.E.M, Megadeth and our very own legends Kishore Kumar & R.D Burman.
  Kirti and Angad  have spent their childhood listening to bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Black Sabbath, Beatles etc.
  Sumit draw his influences and he says, “My major influences have been RATM, Victor wooten, Pearl Jam and also a lot of native Nepali folk and fusion.
  The Band recently participated in Campus Rock Idols in Pune and were the runner-ups in the national competition. They have also won the hindi band competition called ‘Mantra’ at IIT Pawai’s annual cultural fest-Mood Indigo 2008 where Prosody’s hindi vocalist Carriappa Prasad took charge of the stage.The band keeps performing in Pune at some regular venues constantly trying to take their energy, restlessness and love towards music to the next level .
  Prosody has played over 25 gigs in 3 different cities  and has opened for artists like Atif Aslam, Sukhbir, and have given guest performances in various colleges like Symbiosis, Cummins college etc.
  Right now , the band is focusing most of the time jamming together and their studio recordings. The band has already recorded four songs ,but wants to make some more originals for their love for fans .All and all, with the kind of commitment Prosody has put into making music, they definitely have a long way to go.

For More Bands Details And Information Visit The Following Links ::

Official Orkut Community :: http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=48261006

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)

ALBUM : DEFACED & SPLIT (Compilation)

LABEL : DEMONSTEALER RECORDS

PRICE : Rs.200

RATING:  9/10

“DEFACED & SPLIT”,is a quartet split CD comprising of 21 tracks featuring death metal bands like  Exhumation,Narsil, Warface and Reptilian Death adding to this are the two bonus tracks by  Infinite Hate Project .Thanks to “DEMONSTEALER RECORDS” for releasing this remarkable and awesome compilation featuring all the extreme metal projects of India ,which will  brutally murder many of the rotting corpses . The time glanced at the album cover art ,i was so much fascinated that i pasted it’s print-out on my walls. Hats off the work done on the album art , even if one is not a metal-head he would add this one into his collection .

I read about this blood clotting compilation on the internet and could not give anymore pain to my ass,so i just made a move and brought the compilation home . So, here is my journey through the shade of this incredible album .
The march towards the unholy death begins with a Mumbai based based band “EXHUMATION’s” E.P called “FOR PERSONAL CONSUMPTION ONLY” , i really liked the name of the E.P . In a very simple language, their title speaks it all .According to the band , “FOR PERSONAL CONSUMPTION ONLY” is “An anecdote of a vegetarian cannibal, an animal lover who craves the flesh of beautiful young women that are charmed by his ways, only to end up on skewers as human sizzlers”. Everbody by now, is familiar to “EXHUMATION’s” music,they have been doing it quite well all along . And the same thing you can expect with their recent E.P , the savagely cruel growling vocals, speedy flesh butchering guitars with uinteruppted hitting on drums by the monster makes it a necessity to have it in your blood . The music and composition is damn appreciative ,which makes to be partial with “On the platter” and “The House I Built” . Lyrically,the album is boisterously merry. So, be gluttonous to consume it raw ,all in all the album is “100% Gujarati Brutal Death Metal” as quoted by the band itself .
The next are the carcinogens arriving from New Delhi with their E.P “CARCINOGENIC” , anybody who would have seen their gig would not go for searching the band history,their core music reflects thier influences. Assaulting the circuits of New Delhi with their relentless death metal music,the band had now moved upto the mainstream level. The E.P has a blend of Death and Grincore metal ,which will lead you to rot in the chamber of lepers,reminding me a bit of the band “BERZERKER”.”Carcinogenia”,Depletion Of Vital Forces” and to some extent “LUGUBRIOUS”are pretty impressive on the vocals ground ,violent guitars and rapid succession on the drums won’t let you stop from bleeding . “NARSIL” stands true with its name and has marked its presence in the Indian Metal Scene.
Coming onto the third band of the compilation is the “WARFACE”,an international band . Musically ,they are good ,but the songwriting and composition are not upto the mark . Just have a respect for music and give them a break . May be next time they can do alot more better .
There comes the “REPTILIAN DEATH”, the god’s of deception who has always kept Death Metal alive. “Ghouls of war” and “Grasp of the Anaconda” are my favourites that have been featured in the compilation . The band has always been sure with their  anxiously killer guitars, disease infected vocals and their sound quality which makes them unique in their genre . Musically and lyrically ,the band is pretty destructive and will let you to agonize.
“INFINITE HATE PROJECT”, i think everybody if familiar with their track”Fuck The Sena Masters”. They have been  added with two off their bonus tracks in the compilation  . The band is influenced with a grindcore essence . The music reflects excessive degree of brutalism,which can bring ascension of terror in the near future . Beware !!!
“DEFACED & SPLIT”, a must buy compilation that will slay and incinerate numerous metalheads . Pick up a copy and get yourself into the vacant grave.
Bottom Line :: An eviscerated and souldevouring compilation for the lambs of perdition . Pay to die !!!

* If you want to purchase “DEFACED & SPLIT”compilation , please contact Demonstealer Records at +91 98206 43313 .

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)

ALBUM :: THANK YOU . COME AGAIN.

BAND :: HELGA’s FUN CASTLE

LABEL :: ONLY MUCH LOUDER

PRICE :: Rs.100

RATING ::  9/10

If you want to sit back and enjoy some real true music amalgamated with entertainment ,here they are “HELGA’s FUN CASTLE”  with their debut album “THANK YOU . COME AGAIN” released long back in the year 2005 . A very antique band with a very lively and amusing music that would have ever come across.The first time, when i heard about them, i was just quivered by their name . I started google search engine and begin to collect information about the band. Their first impression for me was very bad with all that crapy lyrics title,but the moment i heard their few tracks i was just left with a amused expression on my face . I still remember the first time when i completed listening to the album,i was totally pleased .I started enjoying those lyrics and crazy vocals with extremely groovy drums,which hanged me up to their fanlist.

The band is pretty famous for their insane lyrics and the crazy performance when they step up on the livestage. A band that really enjoys performing live on the stage,this is what i noticed the first time when i went for their gig . The band is pretty confident and has the potential in producing the compositions instantly on the stage . The album has 8 enthusiastic tracks running for about 41 minutes , but won’t let you warm your benches…for sure . The album is a finished product of excellent catchy and joyous music with freaky lyrics.
“THANK YOU . COME AGAIN”,an insane tour with the album starts off with the track “For Luke”,the song immediately processed and dedicated for Channel [V] “Luke Kenny”  during the Launch Pad competition. I would say that this song is the USP of the album with extremely enthusiastic vocals,excellent drumwork and killer riffs,which even makes it the most preferable song for the fans. Next comes “Mr. Fancypants”,frankly speaking  still investigating about this song,i did not get what this song is all about but i really enjoyed the music and the catchy chorus. The third track of the album”Sometimes”,a very beautiful solo about expressing his feel for lost love with exceptionally masterpiece guitars,but not a kind of “HFC” song. Yeah! Here comes the song ” Lil’ Bit Of This” ,a quality pack and charteristic example of their genre . A perfect song wih no disputes . “All Is Lost “, another beautiful solo in the album. The song is just fantastic , i really loved the lyrics and the melodious ending. “Marching Song”,this song is based on political issues with thoughtful lyrics,listen what they gotta say . The heaviest track of the album and a major gig favourite,wherever they perform . “Smoke Some Ganja” ,the second last track of the album and the anthem for all the doper’s . I don’t think i would be able to let you inform anything about this one, even if anybody does’nt know who “HELGA’s FUN CASTLE” is ,but they would be familiar with this track for sure.  Whenever i come across this song, i just have a question that was the vocalist high while recording the track or not . According to me this song proves,that there is no need for you to sniff grass for getting high ,the music alone can drive you crazy. The last track of the album is the title track “Thank You.Come Again”,i really don’t know whether this is a song or just recorded while they were chatting . A total freaky track ,i just feel like laughing whenever i remeber this one. Listen to it and let me know what you gotta say about this title track .
“THANK YOU . COME AGAIN”,a superb album for all the rock listeners . All the tracks in this album are recorded and mastered beautifully,which makes it more preferable to hear on headphones . Enjoy music with “HELGA’s FUN CASTLE” and live life at it’s best.
The album allows you to enjoy some real smoky mindfucking crazy songs by “HELGA’s FUN CASTLE” . So,people smoke up their music and roll over in the loop.

“HFC Rulzzz” ! ” Get high on music ‘n’ Not on drugs”!!!

Bottom Line :: Paying is more than being worth for this extremely insane album . Let there be noise !!!

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)

ALBUM :: AVIAL

BAND :: AVIAL

LABEL :: PHAT PHISH RECORDS

PRICE :: Rs.157

RATING ::  9/10

Yeah , you heard it right ! “AVIAL” , is a malyali rock band coming  from the southern core of Kerala , Trivandrum(India) . After hearing to all those common english puking bands , i wanted to hear some original music that could easily enter my blood and make me headbang . I asked one of my friend to refer me some new and soul original stuff that i could listen too . The first thing which came out from my mouth was “WHAAAAAAT” , when he informed me about “AVIAL” , a regional language based “MALLU ROCK BAND” . In the same manner as you got shocked, even i was  after hearing that ,  but at the same time was much eager to know and hear them what they derived from their regional language with all their experiences .I brought a copy of their recent debut album and i just thought of hitting my ears with the noise of Kearala’s shore .  All my desperation came of being worth and here is ,what i found about their endless music . If i have to say something about them , i would really be short of words to define about what their music is composed of . They are exceptional, they possess the potential to change the whole music scene and can inspire several other regional bands to achieve their dreams . They made the genre “MALLU ROCK” came into existence , which i think is quite a big achievement for any band . One would really think before starting such a project , but they made things so very easy & clear . So,here’s the delicacy and i am sure you gonna love this !

So here is the best eponymous rock album with an  blend of all music genres  with amalgamation of “INDO WORLD FOLK ROCK”,embedded in each of the eight songs .”Politically-aware and ideologically driven”, thats how “RAVE” magazine described Malayali rock band “AVIAL”. The moment i started listening to them , i was just carried away by their music . I was not able to catch up with their malyali lyrics , so i started digging the meaning on my virtual world ,as it reflected a sense of awareness and were quite intense  . The mixing done by the band is just upto the perfection and because they hold their ground only with the music they have even acquired many global listeners too . So, altogether they have come up with a very unique and heavy-hitting sound which will drive you insane . To start with the album’s journey , i still remeber the first song which i heard about them was “NADA NADA” , a song which every rock listener has to fall in love with . A total hard – rock kind of stuff to headbang and the best part is the video of the song , i am sure everyone might be having it uptil now no need of describing it . “AADU PAMBE” & “ARANDA” are some of the other tracks which are heavy with all those guitar riff’s and masterpiece work done on the drums . I really love the way the track “AADU PAMBE” goes with all those up’s & down’s , the composition & vocal’s are just far beyond imagination . Not to forget the center of attraction of the album with two original folk song “CHEKELE” & “ARIKURUKA” , if you like folk music these are just the best one’s to enjoy . “NJAN AARA” , is one of my favourite in the album next to “NADA NADA” & “AADU PAMBE”. This album is truly self – propelled with creativity through all their journey which makes it unique and outstanding unlike other albums you would have heard before .
I  really appreciate the hardwork done on the composition & music part beacuse this is what will count for the global listeners becauseeven they won’t understand what lyrically they want to speak , but their music will make their ears addicted to listen only to”AVIAL”. Lastly ,i would  even like to thanks  “PHAT-PHISH” records for realeasing their debut album by giving them a platform  and even making us listen to a very beautiful album . So,do pick  a copy to beleive all these lines , i am sure you would scribble more than me praising “AVIAL” .  Don’t even dare to miss this one !!!

Will be waiting desperately for the next thunderstorm to arrive .

Bottom line :: There is much more to listen and undrestand than what i have scribbled .

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)