3rd Sovereign-Horrified Vision

“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)

DEFACED & SPLIT (Compilation)

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)

Thank You . Come Again

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)

Avial(Self Debut Album)

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)

Dark Crucifix – Chapters Of Damnation

ALBUM NAME :: Chapters Of Damnation

RATING :: 8/10

REVIEW ::

Dark Crucifix was an extremely talented death/thrash outfit from Cochin who recorded this short but brutal 3-song demo last year. The duo {yes!!} responsible for all the mayhem were Samir doing the gruffy growls and guitars, Jayesh belting out the blast beats providing you the glorious opportunities to break your neck. The band draws its influences from bands such as Celtic Frost, Death and Slayer. This short demo came into my possession only a few days ago and reely blew me away and they could’ve matched any extreme band from B’lore or Mumbai {where it seems the entire nation’s rock/metal circuit is based!}. The first track “The Long Awaited Disaster” reely proves their calibre with excellent riffing and some awesome double bass pounding which gets you into some violent headbanging. Their vocalist reminded me of Max Cavalera in his early days on Morbid Visions. Samir is a truly a beast with his vocals. The band has got a superlative mix too that the lack of a bassist on this demo is hardly ever noticed. But things are just getting started as the next one “In The Dreams Of The Dead” invites some brain and neck damage. The subtle tempo changes and excellent song structure add to your ecstasy. The vocalist reely leaves an indelible mark on you with his brutal chanting, “Die, Die, Die”!! The last song “When Darkness Descends” is by far the best song and is the final bout of headbanging before your neck snaps. A galloping rhythm, groovy yet insane drumming and garbled growls create a truly mayhemic moshing atmosphere. An excellent and furiously fast solo by Samir compliments the band’s technical abilities. This demo is one of the rare Indian demos, which you fall in love with in the first listen. The band could’ve whipped many international bands had they got some good exposure. But unfortunately [and amazingly too, without playing a single gig] this talented duo broke up with Samir pursuing higher education in US. Jayesh, double bass mutilator felt the need to destroy more kits so joined B’lore’s black metallers Arcane Ritual. The band was also marred by the fact that being based in Cochin they didn’t have audiences who appreciated their style. If they were in B’lore they’d be amongst the forerunners of the Metal revolution happening there. A truly great demo for extreme music lovers!

Brahma – The World Beyond

ALBUM NAME :: The World Beyond
RATING :: 8/10

REVIEW ::

Brahma, a Mumbai based metal quintet released their debut “The World Beyond” at Independence Rock back in ’98 through Virgo music, their record label also responsible for Agni’s debut too. Brahma has Devraj Sanyal on vocals, Dean Lazarus on lead guitar, John Ferns handling the rhythm section, Vince Thevor on bass and Cyrus Gorimar on drums. The band is reputed for their excellent stage presence apart from their metal oriented sets. The album “The World Beyond” has a lot of variety, which is probably due to the fact that they’ve tried to pay respect to all of their cumulative influences which may appeal as boring to some though! The album opener is a highly impressive and instantly likeable song “Destroy the Destroyer” which has a very punchy rhythm and is reminiscent of old Metallica. The song has a very good solo too, which takes you higher and higher before finally merging perfectly with the rhythm with every member chipping in excellently. The next in line is the album title only “The World Beyond” which is relatively softer and slower and has Devraj singing like the legendary Jim Morrison and it’s reely hard to digest that it’s the same band as the one who’d just played the previous song. Another angry composition is “Get Angry and Get Even” which has the vocalist venting out his anger with the lyrics propagating people to fight and settle their scores!! The album has a couple more of hard rockin’ songs like “Psychopath” and “Second too Late” and finally comes to a grand finale with “You Must Die”. This song about fate has Devraj at his guttural best in tune with the chugging and bone-crushing riffing on this doom/death composition. The song alternates from an angry death chant to sheer melody and is certainly a treat for all the ‘heavier’ metallers. The tape is a very good buy as is its moderate price at 65 and can be obtained from local music stores nowadays. The lyrics are very poetic and the music good. The album though could have been better produced which due to the bad mix on it mainly attributed to the total lack of sound mixers in this god-forsaken country who listen to rock let alone metal. The record label, Virgo Music on the other hand seems to obsessed with fire as in the case of the Agni album here too there’s a raging fire in the backdrop with the five band members in front of it! Brahma who proclaims themselves as the “Gods of Metal” have done a decent job [8 on 10] on their debut, though we should expect much more heavier music from them in the near future before that title reely has some meaning.

Agni – Wind Dance With Fire

ALBUM NAME :: Wind Dance With Fire

Tracklists ::

Wind Dance With Fire (1993)

1. Doggies Do – I Do Too

2. Et Tu Brute’

3. Within

4. Darkening Light

5. Kashmir

6. Angel In The Wrong Heaven

7. Wind Dance With Fire
RATING :: 7/10

REVIEW ::

Agni, one of the premier rock bands of this subcontinent released this classic album late in 1994, some 6 years ago. One of the foremost involved in the Indian rock and metal movement this band heavily worship Megadeth played to metal hungry audiences all over this country and were able to satisfy their headbanging desires. The band s never-say-die attitude is evident from their message on the lyrics booklet – A special F*** you to those who didn t believe in us. The album is a more melody oriented rock album rather than outright heavy as their usual live sets but that shouldn’t stop you from picking up one of very first albums released by a rock bands in India. The band comprised of Koko and Bell on their Ibanez and Gibson respectively, the late Juggie on bass, Ross on drums and the loudest among them Bharath on vocals. A short album released by Virgo music and has been re-released by the music label along with Brahma’s album. Anyway, the bands kicks off the album with “Doggies Do {I Do Too}” which Koko and Bell impressing with the 6-string skills. Next in line is “Et Tu Brute” a very melodic song with Bharath’s operatic (if I might use the word) wailing throughout it besides the impressive twin guitar lead. The song is a killer with the Caesar-era-language and a feel attached to it. A real typical rocker is the next one – “Within” which starts off with Bharath’s shriek where influences of ‘air-raid’ Dickinson are very evident with Bharath exploiting the vibrato to the maximum. This song really has prominent Indian feel to it with an exceptional solo to it too. At the halfway stage thru this album you’d already have realized that by no means is the album a letdown with still two more killer tracks “Kashmir” and “Wind Dance with Fire” left!! Anyway, Kashmir is one of best compositions on the album with an amazing lead and no, it’s not a rendition of Jimmy Pages’ and Robert Plant song though! The last song to wind up the classic album is the long title track, which has the great Indian instrument, the sitar in the background. The starting of the song might scare people into believing an Indian mythological story is about to unwind- far from it is the truth. The song has some very nice tempo changes and ends with everything rising towards a crescendo and then slowly fading away. The solo end is really innovative wherein the sound is almost like a bhajan (Don t get scared by the word bhajan s really cool-listen to it). It’s a really cool way to end this album. I strongly recommend this album to anyone who’s trying to get into listening to Indian rock . For more details, unfortunately due to Agni lacking a website, you’ll have to contact the record label directly at Virgo Music, Shanti Nagar, Vakola, Santa Cruz {E} in Mumbai or give them a tinker a (022) 6183107. This review is dedicated to the late bassist of Agni, Juggie, who had a sad demise due to fatal accident. May his spirit be with Agni forever. R.I.P.

Demonic Resurrection – Demonstealer

ALBUM NAME :: Demonstealer

RATING :: 8/10

REVIEW ::

Demonic Resurrection is a four-piece doom/black outfit from Mumbai who are among the forerunners in the revival of the Indian metal scene with bands coming up with local recordings and demos. Demonic consists of Demonstealer {sahil} on guitars and vocals, Count Varathora on the bass, Yash slamming the skins and Nikita with the background singing and keyboards. The band released this album late last year with the help of good friend Ashish from Abhor {death metal band} lending in on lead guitars. It was completely recorded at home without a studio, which I feel, posed quite a few problems for the band. The album titled “Demonstealer” too has a totally unimpressive cover {pathetic reely!} but like the saying goes ‘never judge a book by its cover’! The album has a totally new and refreshing sound to it and right from the first song “My World of Sadness” the band is all out to impress. This opener has an absolutely killer riff with some awesome double bass pounding accompanied by Sahil’s alternating shrieks and gruffy growls which’ll get you into a headbanging frenzy. Add to add icing to the cake is Nikita’s painful and hypnotic singing. The solo comes as a disappointment as its reely too shrill and slow sounding out of tune for this song, and could’ve been done a zillion times better. Drumming is reely out of this world, literally too, as due to Yash’s unavailability the band had to make do with Sahil’s computer taking a leaf out of Mindsnare’s book {KP Krishnamoorthy}. And for their live shows henceforth their slammer has his work reely cut out and if he’s able to reproduce it live then he’ll in any metallers book be the most proficient drummer in Mumbai. Next track “From the Ashes”, probably the best track on the album is a proper black metal composition [not as the last one which gets slower in the middle] with the typical blast beats omnipresent and doesn’t let you rest your neck even for a milli-second. A prominent Dimmu Borgir influence on that one I felt but as previously said the solo needs to be worked here too. “Darkened Moon” is a good thrash song with a very prominent Metallica/M’deth stamp which shouldn’t surprise some ‘cos Demonic never claims to be an out-and-out black outfit. Following soon in succession is the doomy “My Misery” with a more psychedelic feel to it with a slow, writhing riff and sorrowful keyboards. Sahil sounds so sane here, its actually funny – but my personal opinion is that the growls suit him best and would have added extra effect with the slow instrumentation on this one. “Crestfallen”, another doom composition has a unique blend of melody and sonic heaviness, and the name ‘Theater of Tragedy’ immediately springs to mind, and on listening you’ll know why. Anyway, Nikita’s operatic singing reely makes the solid foundation for this one and Sahil’s voice contrasts like the devil compared to her making this another amazing track. Another nice thing is that solo for a change sounds goodish on the song. Next “The Sadness still Remains” is another nice melodic, doomy song but the band reely let the computer take control with non-stop double bass pounding. Sahil, sounding completely different again tries to sing melodically which he shouldn’t by all means ‘cos he not good at it. I can’t understand why the band included the last track on the CD – an acoustic version of the awesome album opener but this is one-tenth of what that was. It sounds like a senti-pop track and the total metal feel is gone for a toss. It’s a very big mistake by the band as it leaves a sour taste in your mouth before the CD shuts down. And to top things its not acoustic all the way as the electric guitar kicks in for a while. It sucks to say the least!! Overall the album is a very bold step by the band in such a conducive musical environment but should have been more polished before they recorded I felt. The solos are totally bad and reely jab you saying, ‘I don’t belong here’ and the guitar sound lacks the extra crunch which most Indian bands lack – dunno why? A little practice is what’s required and reworking/shortening of some songs as they seem to drag on for eternity and I’m sure these guys will be superstars. Best of luck on your task ahead Demonic! UP THE IRONS!

V/A – Deepthroat

ALBUM NAME :: DEEPTHROAT

RATING :: 9/10

REVIEW ::

Throatlatch Records {TL} is the first full fledged Metal label in this country which caters to the talented Indian bands who’ve never yet had a chance to get their original music to the metalheads. The Cranium guys {heart and soul of TL} have taken a very bold step into the murky depths of the Indian record industry with TL as the ephemeral bands here live and die out playing just covers. But the vision shared by TL records and studio should soon take shape as some bands are already trying to break out from the vicious cycle of being a covers band. This album “DEEPTHROAT” comes as TL’s first release and was recorded during last years ‘Domination – The Deathfest’ – a 2 day spectacular dedicated to extreme music fans organized by another intrepid company InTune Entertainment. This 11-track album was completed in record time during Deathfest with the bands shuttling non-stop between the venue and TL studios. But it took an additional 4 months for this well packaged product to hit the markets early last Nov., but I guess its been worth the wait. And one listen to this and u’ll be nodding your head in agreement with me. The album has also been engineered and mixed by Ranjan {Cranium- v/g} too – phew! The album starts off with a song by Cranium [but, of course] titled “Pariah” with an added Indian flavour to it, as the drumming is reminiscent of the Bengali ‘dhak’. I guess that’s attributed to the amount of time Cranium’s core, Rajan and Jose have spent in West Bengal. Next track is by Mumbai’s black/thrash band Demonic Resurrection who contributes a relatively slower song with “Creatures of Ancient Blood” than their debut ‘Demonstealer’. But let that not fool you into thinking that it’s boring or monotonous guys. Next track “Descension” by B’lore doom/black metallers Kryptos is my second favourite of DT only to Blasphemy. The song is an absolute masterpiece if someone were to ask me, but some people felt it dragged along for too long unnecessarily towards the end. I eagerly await their future 5-song debut that is slated to May this year; again under TL records. Great solo by Nolan on this one! Metakix or rather Kix as they loved to be called re-do their groovy song “She’s the Incubus” for DT which is much improved compared to their previous ‘Consume Raw’ version! Sceptre recorded a new song of theirs “The Lost Empire” with recently recruited hotshot guitarist Amar. This song is a really nice thrashy and headbangable number but takes some time to fully grow on you. Next Pin Drop Violence, nu-metallers from Mumbai take full control of your music system with their aggressive song “Full Body Burn”. The band was themselves stumped at the amount of ferociousness this song has when the CD was released!! What really impressed me were Pradeep’s vocals and I for one will be moshing at their super charged live sets! Black Metal band Fate’s “Deathless” is a different version as on their 5 track debut ‘Lead us to Darkness’ ‘cos it doesn’t have Nitin Rajan [of Morticide, who composed it!] doing the backing growls. Also co-incidentally Fate were amongst the first to recruit the services of TL studios for their atmospheric debut. One listen to them and Roshan’s haunting shrieks will definitely prompt you to pick up their {just released} album. Arcane Ritual, another black metal band but now from B’lore raise the tempo by a notch with “Massacre of Souls” as a build-up to the last track by Blasphemy. The band spilt soon after recording this song and had a funny one too when it did but Count Vishal never fails to impress with his vocal range but Jayesh’s {session drummer from Dark Crucifix} drumming was a sorta let-down as I’d heard lots more praise for him. The song was a tad bit boring too!! Ahh finally Blasphemy with their uncompromising brutality in the death/gore genre reely have the last word as you are demolished with all the madness happening on that song. This track is well placed on the cd as it leaves mighty impressed with “Butchered and Raped” being of very high standards after their dismally sounding demo. I was stupefied by the intensity with which they belted out this song as well as Phebeian’s {also in grind band Intestinal Butchery} frenzied growling. The band recently recruited Vikram of C.T. {grind, B’lore} on the drums changing the name to Blaspheme and the deathheads are expecting more carnage with this line-up and the soon to be recorded album {not to belittle the fact that Marky reely pelted out some great blast-beats!}. DeepThroat stands apart not only in its packaging but the really good mix unlike other indie-releases in India. I guess TL studios will soon be a hot spot for future bands to record their demos! The CD could’ve been made better if they’d have included contact e- mail ids of the bands as I think the purpose of compilation cds is to either promote or popularise new bands. And thus if any international label were interested in any of the bands they’d have to constantly go through TL records. The inside mini-poster doesn’t make much sense {it sucks in fact!} and that space could’ve been used to print all the lyrics of the bands or a brief bio about them instead of just providing 4 lines of lyrical content per band. Anyhow such a release is momentous enough for the Indian scene presently and will do good to help bands securing deals abroad I’m sure. DeepThroat has been playing quite regularly on Delhi and Mumbai radio and TL records is currently looking forward to airplay in US. There are also plans to get some good international distribution label in the pipeline to help Indian metal conquer the world. Anyone who hasn’t a clue on how to get hold of this album {CD- 250, tape – 90} can visit the TL website www.throatlatch.com and have the CD delivered to their doorstep too! SUPPORT INDIAN METAL!

Rock Machine(Mumbai)

ALBUM NAME :: THE SECOND COMING

RATING :: 8/10

REVIEW ::

(1990) 1. Turn It On 2. Bowl Of Madness 3. Crazy 4. Die For Your Country 5. Believing 6. Cinderella 7. Pretty Child 8. Screamin’ .

Out Three years after the ambitious 1987 debut Rock N’ Roll Renegade, Rock Machine released their second and last album under their name. It was called The Second Coming, contained the same lineup as the debut, and I will tell you immediately that this was much better, and in my opinion, should be considered a classic of the Indian rock. Mastered onto compact disc, The Second Coming is more mature, harder, better written, more memorable and better played than the debut, and this time the album mix is much better too! Not a perfect mix, but excellent for the time; the guitars are louder, the bass is louder so we can hear really how good Mark Selwyn is and generally everything sounds full and clear. Of course, if Mark Menezes used real drums instead of digital pads, this album would sound even better! The album also features more of Zubin Balaporia’s excellent keyboard work. Lyrically, Rock Machine partially moved on from the typical 80’s lyrics and concentrated on more interesting topics such as empty patriotism and personal frustration, always stressing on the belief than an individual should do what he or she believes in. Fans of the first release need to worry though, the corny love numbers are still there, just in better musical form. An outstanding feature of this album is the memorable songwriting and varied song structures. Songs range from straight out rock formats to a moderately progressive construction. I couldn’t have asked for a better opener than Turn It On; it kicks off with a simple Van Halen-esque keyboard melody and riff, a flowing bassline, and a very rocking chorus that is constantly repeated. Uday’s vocals are significantly better, though he still isn’t going wild on the choruses. Midway, the song attains a very progressive structure; a few off breaks and one killer, feel oriented lead played by Mahesh Tinaikar, backed by outstanding bass playing. Even vocally, there’s some duality going on, reminding me of a song by Bangalore’s progressive rock band, Cryptic. The song features environmentally aware lyrics, and musically Rock Machine have done everything right on this. Mid-era Def Leppard song structure is obvious on Bowl Of Madness, a straight forward hard rock number. Guitar picking followed by a nice riff and similar keyboard melody start off something that turns into a very impressive song. Mahesh’s lead is absolutely blistering; the song has a lot of those funny Def Leppard style effects and contains one infectious chorus. Uday, who in parts sounds a lot like Joe Elliott of Leppard, is quite impressive as well. “Turn It On” and “Bowl Of Madness” are two excellent openers for an album of this style. The two love oriented songs fortunately aren’t mushy AOR pieces, as on the first album, and instead are pretty fast and hard. Crazy really grows on the listener; the first listen may make it sound a bit confused as it is quite long, but after a couple of listens things seem a lot clearer. The song fades in after a silly sample; the verse is typical to this type of music and the rhythm section is very tight. Uday manages a nice high pitch on the chorus, which is another infectious chorus that may have you singing even when you’re not playing the song. The song is primarily simple, but midway the guitar and keyboards do form a progressive feel; Mahesh as usual is top-notch on his solo. Zubin too, experiments with his keyboard tone, applying a flute sound during a bridge part. “Crazy” is very good though Cinderella is even better. The structure is similar; however everything is executed with more finesse. The song sounds a lot like Leppard’s faster love fantasy songs, especially the catchy chorus. Both the guitar and bass playing are stupendous; Selwyn forms a strong backbone to Mahesh’s leads and multiple guitar melodies. “Stay the night, don’t go away This doesn’t happen every day It just happens every night! Night! Night!” Heh, that part sounds very amusing. Die For Your Country, at 7 minutes, is almost an epic and possibly the best song on The Second Coming. Lyrically, Rock Machine really cut to the heart of the matter and I agree with them a hundred per cent. Modern war is bullshit, and politicians send the youth to “fight for their country”, and as these kids die, them politicians enjoy their black money. I, for one, am not dying for my country anytime soon. There are no heroes in modern war, only victims. The lyrics are written with conviction, but Uday could’ve delivered them more convincingly later on in the song, when they carry the most importance. The song moves along nicely, going through verse and chorus, and is crafted agreeably and simply. Almost midway, it becomes quite progressive as Zubin plays a keyboard solo that would feel at home in the vaults of Dream Theater, and Jayesh Gandhi’s rhythm playing moves well with the keyboards. The last segment of the song is most effective, emotions ranging from sadness to anger, backed by army-marching like drums before the song plunges back into its original structure. The lead didn’t impress me though, it had Slash written all over it. “The war is over, and you’re another name on a slab of stone The politicians played their game; they made you throw your life away How come they never die for their country? How you wish that you were there, To hold her hand, to touch her hair, But you had to go and die for your country.” Believing contains the best riff of the album. The guitar volume is suitably high, and the riff has a funk chunk feel to it, much like Purpendicular-era Deep Purple. Good use of backing vocals, a good chorus and a virtuoso lead make “Believing” another rocking, memorable song. As with the rest of the album, the rhythm section is impeccable. Zubin’s keyboard playing goes well with the guitar melodies, especially in the end, though the keyboard is too low on the mix. Screamin’ Out has trademark Motley Crue riffing, and if Uday sounded anything like Vince Neil this song would fit well in an album like Theater Of Pain. It has cute cock-rock feel to it, and it would sound perfect if there were no keyboards present on it. The organ tone doesn’t particularly suit the song, but the various breaks and changes along with another excellent chorus, lead and lyrics turn “Screamin’ Out” into a perfect end to the album. The second last song on The Second Coming known as Pretty Child, got Rock Machine some amount of fame, as MTV made a video of it and it won the “Best Music Video in Asia” award at the 1993 MTV Awards. It also has Rock Machine, for the first, fusing an Indian instrument (tabla) and the soprano sax with a rock ballad. This style is used in extremis in Indus Creed’s album (The 90’s form of Rock Machine). However, in my opinion, this is the weakest track on this album, though it isn’t bad. It moves well, the fusion parts sound nice, but the lyrics don’t suit my liking. The vocals are too obviously up-front and this can get rather irritating. The fusion aspect is utilized better on Indus Creed, and if a song from The Second Coming was to get famous, it should’ve been “Die For Your Country” or “Turn It On”. Trust MTV to choose the most commercial song, eh?! The Second Coming has no bad songs on it, and has a few undeniably brilliant moments. In its own genre, I consider this a classic, and coming out of India this is quite a big deal. This is an immensely enjoyable album, and the more I spin it, the more I like it! Another glam release such as this wouldn’t have hurt anyone, but Indus Creed’s self titled album was brilliant too, on a whole different level. Kudos to a these six musicians for releasing some truly memorable original music at a time when there was hardly an Indian rock scene to talk about. (4/5)