Showing posts with label Live. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Live. Show all posts

Monday, 1 June 2015

Song of the Week - Blakhole: DUMB FUCK


Founded in 2011, Blakhole is an old school punk band from Kolkata, churning out pure revolution and aggression through their music. And this is just a short and sweet teaser of the brand new lineup with which they plan to strike Strength of Steel! Would be fun to see their Black Sabbath cover!

Over to the shortest song to be featured here till date -

Tuesday, 26 May 2015

Song of the Week - Hellwind: Taste of Metal

Heavy Metal has the passion which most genres lack. Yes, there are bands who have that ego problem, but the music comes from the heart in most cases, like it should be. And for the ego fueled maniacs out there, there will be someone who stands up and shuts their mouths (or ass, whichever speaks for them :P ).

Taste of Metal is one of those tracks where Hellwind speaks about the pretender and fake world surrounding us. Ignoring the negativity by the power of Heavy Metal, Hellwind, which started off as a cheesy metal band, makes it a point to differentiate between what is true and what should have been flushed in the toilet. But somewhere between all the cheese fest and glam metal approach, Hellwind have kept, what vocalist Akshay Deodhar quotes as "...little homage to selling our souls to the devil for heavy metal..."


Waste no time, for you have wasted some by reading this intro and the song has already started playing in this little widget below. Enjoy!

Monday, 18 May 2015

Song of the Week - Primitiv: Taurus

Artwork by Aakash Dwivedi
This week we have something so old school, that they are primitive! Mumbai based supergroup, Primitiv, have made a name for themselves already. Opening for Albatross during Strength of Steel, the band promises to deliver a performance that will be remembered for a long, long time.

The song here, Taurus, is NOT about the sun sign Taurus (you got that wrong :P). Talking about how the Earth has been pushed back into a primitive stage post apocalypse, the Doom Metal influenced track, also the band's debut single release, packs a punch. The hard hitting riffs, along with Nitin's brutal vocals, transports you to a time after the great holocaust (or what has been said and written about in those books people talk about :P).

We won't waste any more time describing the track, it's too awesome for a description. We hope your music speakers or headphones are ready, the track should be playing by the time you read this line:


Primitiv: Taurus

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Song of the Week - Albatross: Jugglehead the Clown

Clowns are scary. Well, sometimes very scary. And, they surely make a good horror story character! Mumbai based Horror Metal group and the headliners of Strength of Steel, Albatross, have ensured the clown comes back to haunt you in your dreams. Every night.

The only song with a riff composed by the mysterious Dr. Hex, "Jugglehead the Clown" is an aural ecstasy! The 4 guitar solos pierce through the heart like valyrian steel, while the melodic riffs make the song an experience of a lifetime. The name comes from a story that Dr. Hex once heard during his college days (yes, even this doctor went to college), of a woman who could detach her head and juggle with it. This story, Dr. Hex claims, is the scariest one he has heard till date. And, how do you make it scarier? Replace the lady with a clown. Hello, nightmares!

The multiple guitar solos, Biprorshee's high pitched falsetos, and the dark ambiance makes us all pumped up for Strength of Steel. Over to the clown!

Saturday, 3 January 2015

An insight into The Metal Expedition



We, at Live: A Gig, are usually not big fans of textual interviews, but sometimes, textual interviews are the ones which can hold on to a suspense in the best possible way! We got a ping from Pune recently about a very interesting concept called The Metal Expedition. Here's Niranjan Deshpande, the mind behind the concept, saying all you need to know. We are excited already!



LAG: Hello Niranjan, nice to have you on board today. How are you doing?

Niranjan: Hey. I am doing great, being a busy mind.

LAG: News has it that you have something big planned on for March; tell us a bit about the plans.

Niranjan: Yeah you heard that right. I have a Tribute gig planned on 7th Match 2015 called as The Metal Expedition. It’s a gig involving home-grown bands giving their tributes to bands from 1964. It will be like the dream gig that you had ever thought of.
I love kids and I understand importance of guardianship, that’s why may be, I am about to launch a Fund Raising campaign which will be called as “Patronize The Rising - Donations for Orphans”.  I will be giving every type of donation to the NGO’s and needy orphans around me.

LAG: That is a very thoughtful act! You just mentioned that it is a tribute gig, which brings me to my next question – the band selection process. Is it going to be based on the same genre as the tribute band? Or, do you have some surprises up your sleeves?

Niranjan: Yeah. I am trying to involve more of the aspiring new musicians.  I have some of the famous people from Pune. And also Vehrnon Ibrahim from Millenium is on Tentative Guest List.

Copyright - Sagar Kudtarkar Photography
LAG: Woah! That sounds great! Now let’s focus on the bands. Who are in the lineup? Any bands we haven’t seen before in Pune?

Niranjan: Yes. There are many new musiscians and old as well, who will be getting a chance to showcase their talent on such a big stage. We have musicians from Solapur & Auranagabad on board.

LAG: It is good to know that the genre being spread across the length and breadth of the country and bands being formed in cities and towns where we never thought live music would be a part of life! Let’s talk about your other projects a bit. You have a Facebook page called Think Metal. Can you please briefly describe the operations there?

Niranjan: Think Metal is a motivational page. I gather life stories of Metal Enthusiasts around us to motivate others towards.  Recently, I have started shooting a talk show for our newly started channel ThinkMetalTv. I soon will be making it a weekly talk show. I have launched Posters and Stickers. I hope everyone likes them.

LAG: You seem to be a drummer too, if I’m not wrong? How long have you been practising your instrument? Have you received any formal training on the drums?

Niranjan: Yes. I have been playing drums since 4 Years Now. I have never received a formal training except for two months. I play drums for Cruoris. I have new projects coming up with fellow musicians. Not restricted to Death/Black Metal anymore.

LAG: Coming back to the show again, it is a very unique and thoughtful concept! Can we expect a series of such gigs in the coming days?

Niranjan: Yes. You might have a second edition of the gig coming up soon.

Copyright - Vishal Clickography
LAG: Will the main focus of the series be on home-grown bands? Or, are you seeking out for outstation bands too?

Niranjan: Yeah i have mentioned few out stations bands. So far I have line-up decided. Outstation bands are welcome for next edition may be.

LAG: Thanks for your time, Niranjan! Wishing you all the best for the show! Will be really interesting to see the show unfold part-by-part and the surprises falling into place!

Niranjan: Thank you so much for your efforts and time. Surprises are there.  I wish Live: A Gig a very great year ahead. Let’s stand by each other to keep the spirit of metal alive.
 

Monday, 10 November 2014

What Went Down: Pandemonium III

Finally the day Delhi has been waiting for! There have been bands coming in and performing in the city for some time now, but none of them on a massive grand scale as Pandemonium III. What would be Impiety's third performance in India after Bangalore and Kolkata, Delhi hosted the legendary band for the first time, to wrap up the Heretical Decimation 2014 Tour. Here's a little blow by blow account of what went down:
The customary tweet commences the ritual:


And the timing couldn't have been more perfect! Poltergeist took center stage as we reached the venue!






We all love Cannibal Corpse, don't we? ;)



And a little Instagram love, because we love our hashtags :P



Next up - homeboys Fragarak!






Some Instagram for them too. Studs love 'em Instagram!
A photo posted by #LiveAGig (@liveagig) on



Next in line were Stark Denial from Mumbai. These guys know their shit!



Some Instagram love for them too!
A photo posted by #LiveAGig (@liveagig) on



Then we decided to give out a quick roundup of the happenings and all before Winter Gate started their massive set. All this because our Facebook page was getting lonely :P

Post by Live: A Gig.

Winter Gate take center stage!









Lots of Instagram love shared here!









They know how to surprise us!



Take a punch, Oxygen. You too, Carbon, you bitch!



Another quick summary and selfless, self promotion:

Post by Live: A Gig.
Cosmic Infusion! And they were sounding massive!







Some Instagram love here because we love to see face paints!









And before the "smartphone" showed how smart it is in conserving battery charge, we caught a bit of 1833 AD on the social media!
A photo posted by #LiveAGig (@liveagig) on






And technology had the last laugh of the day :'(



We didn't get to bring you live updates from the Impiety set, apologies for that. But honestly, the atmosphere there just couldn't have been showcased via some tweets or Instagram photos. You had to be there to witness the mayhem. History was made in Delhi, people were satisfied. And at the end of the day, that's what keeps the music scene going!
Until next time, #LiveAGig signing off!

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Until We Last "Earthgazing" - Live: A Debate

So, even after seeing the low hit count on their last article, the gone case duo of Live: A Gig are back to debate on another latest release. This time they chose Bangalore based Until We Last’s latest offering - Earthgazing. Now kids, if you want to be loved by people, do not try copying these idiots at home. Off to the maniacs:



Abhiraj: So, it seems some people don’t like it when an album is scrutinized of all good and bad aspects. Ahh, it was fun reviewing The Demon King anyway. Moving on, Until We Last! Have watched them perform live a few times when I was in Bangalore and I was really hoping they would come out with a release sooner or later.


First impression - This is the best $2 I have spent to buy an album in recent times, I could have got it for free, but listening to the tracks on their Bandcamp page, I just couldn’t. It’s pretty hard to compile an instrumental album to start off with; but, these guys have hit the sweet spot with it. If I were a random pothead kid, I would say - “Smoke up and listen to them, bro! They’ll get you to Pluto and back!” But really, this is some good stuff here!


Until We Last - Earthgazing

Varun: Well, there's no doubt about that! The album is an absolute stunner. I know only a handful of post-rock bands in India and I've even managed to catch a couple of them live this year; but you know, these guys are the best. I tried to buy the album when it came out a couple of months back; but I couldn't. Something to do with the RBI policies of using the PayPal gateway it seems. I guess I'll have to grab a physical copy whenever I hit Bangalore. Hope the stock lasts!



Anyways, being the post-rock enthusiast that I am, I can say that these guys have not only put out a brilliant release but also something very innovative. Majority of post-rock music out there is either a depiction of urban life or one's emotions or life experiences. These guys made it about the nature for a change. Here’s a little story...

In the daily race of making a connection with my surroundings, I listen to a lot of post-rock (predominantly urban), especially while travelling in the city, and I sort of feel the atmosphere around me. On a fine day (to die :P), I put on this album anticipating a similar connection, but instead I was lost. I didn't feel like I was travelling in the metro with people surrounding me. I felt as if I was in another space, which is what I guess the band is trying to achieve: to connect the listeners to our mother Earth, aurally. The interesting part of the story is when the album ended, my iPod started playing Amesoeurs’ 'Gas In Veins'. The song, with strong urban aesthetics, made me realize where I was, and I was nowhere near a natural ecosystem. Such is the power of music!

Abhiraj: Thankfully, I had a 6 year old PayPal account which enabled me to buy the album. Sadly, only INR 2 was what I ever got transferred to my bank account till date from that account, and that was the security deposit they send when you open an account. Sigh.

I agree with you on the quality of post-rock bands in the country. Well, if you would ask me, Until We Last is currently as close as it gets to the international standards. In a country where the quantity of bands coming up these days is skyrocketing, it’s good to see a band which actually shows some quality among that quantity!

I was really impressed with the flow of the arrangements and the consecutive songs. A very well thought out plan and that’s exactly what plays with your emotions. Post-rock is not anyone’s cup of tea, and playing the genre is certainly not anyone’s cup, leave out the tea. I really loved the track “Earthgazing”. The track showcases a nice use of synths and the guitars with a very impressive setup of the panning. Whenever I listen to the track, I feel like sitting on top of my terrace in the evening with the cool winds blowing into my face. Right now though, I’m sitting under a fan in my living room, and it still gives me the same feeling! The way the music manipulates the mind is credible!

Varun: Exactly my point! The music does become a means of escaping from where we are and the flow of the album, like you said, does play an important role in doing that. The focus on texture gradually increases as we move towards the end of the album, making it more ambient and pulling you further away from reality. We notice that the band has used a lot of electronics in the last track, 'Water', unlike the first four tracks which are mostly guitar-based. Those sounds/noises, along with the melodies themselves, nicely represent the aesthetics of a marine habitat.

Another thing I liked was how calm overall the album is. There are no pacey tracks, no intense build-ups and consists of clean guitars throughout. The album's mood remains more or less steady with those beautiful and dynamic clean guitar harmonies and yet you feel it getting more intense. That's not something I exclusively appreciate, but since it has been done quite nicely, I couldn't help but mention.


EP back cover credits
Abhiraj: True, very true! The last two tracks actually, including the bonus track - “Trails” have a heavy electronica sound associated with them. And, I’m not complaining. The whole idea of various layers of sounds amalgamating into a song is beautifully implemented.

Now, coming to some technicalities. Both of us know how difficult it is to portray the exact sound as heard on the album, while playing live. Given the current scene and lack of well acoustic-ated venues to play in, how do you think they will cope up with this very serious problem?

Varun: Well yes, that’s always a challenge. But I believe that that's something they have already achieved. I haven't seen them live but saw a performance clip online and was highly impressed by their stage presence; some really stunning visuals there. Check it out if you can.

The sound seemed alright in that video, but again I would make a better judgement if I actually see them live, which I haven't. But yes, they opened for Tides From Nebula a couple of weeks back and my friend who was there told me that they were "indeed magical". Even you mentioned earlier that you have seen them live, didn't you? How did you find them? Did they play a different set that day?

On another note, there's just one thing I felt the band could have missed in the album. The album tells us with its calm nature how beautiful and pleasant our planet is, but what about the chaotic parts? I mean for a beautiful stream of river in the hills, there's also a lava river from an erupting volcano; for all the green forests, there are also the hot and stormy deserts; for all the creation, there's also destruction. Maybe these guys didn't want to focus on the negative parts, that's why they decided to leave that out. But that's something I would have loved to listen on the album, because nature is not always beautiful, just like the cities are not always grievous and depressing.

Abhiraj: I had seen them live prior to releasing the EP and they seemed really good! But, now that I have heard their studio recordings, it will be really intriguing if they can match up to that sound and stereo effect placement. I would surely be looking forward to that the next time I catch them live.

The chaotic scenery may be a plan for a sequel to this EP, or a full length some time in the near future? Besides we did have our dose of good over evil in our last debate, this is surely refreshing after that :P

I may actually listen to this EP and The Demon King back-to-back, now that you gave me that good vs. evil lecture :P

Varun: Ohh no! I'm done with the good vs. evil fight! Social dynamics is not my thing anymore. I was actually talking about the ecological dynamics, which play an important role in so many album concepts. But you clearly seem in mood for some bacon bombs. So let's end this discussion here and go have some meat now!


Abhiraj: I’m on a diet. I’ll stick to my green veggies. I love greens.

Check out Until We Last - Earthgazing here -



Buy Earthgazing today from bandcamp!


Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Demonic Resurrection "The Demon King" - Live: A Debate

And Live: A Gig presents you the great battle of modern Gladiator times! On one hand we have an ageing wannabe hippie is most likely to end up doing antacids in a few years rather than acids. On the other hand we have a model for shampoo companies, who drinks rum and likes pork. In this battle of the mighty pen (which neither of them use to write this article), get ready to witness a debate as these two bozos try to present their views on Demonic Resurrection’s latest release from this year - The Demon King.


Abhiraj: Okay, I’ll be honest - this album didn’t impress me too much on the first listen. But with consecutive listens, it did grow on me. The melody in the arrangement is pretty impressive. The guitar shreds have nice, clean and distinguishable notes, another thumbs up from my side. Daniel’s technical knowledge gets a nice exposure with the solos. Nishith has huge shoes to fill in, but having watched him perform live, I’m sure he’s up for it! I did feel the clean vocals have to be improved a bit, it lacked a definite emotion that I was hoping for. But, the clean vocals are surely better than their previous album. Coming to the quality of mix - it’s the closest thing to flawless. That’s a big advantage when you’re mixing and mastering your own tracks I guess. You know how it should sound and you won’t rest until you get that sound that is circling around in your head.

I love the way every instrument gets a good exposure on the final mix. Each musician given proper space and respect to do their thing and that serves up to its purpose when you give the album a spin. 

Varun: Yes, I hear you when you say that the album's production is good. In fact I would go ahead and say that 'The Demon King' does sound massive and for listeners who constantly look for something heavy and melodic, this is one of the good new albums. Well, Demonic Resurrection has been in the scene for quite some time, working hard and improving with each record. And now we are seeing them making it really big with all the recent performances at Wacken, Sonisphere and Bloodstock, along with their highly successful (so it appears on social media) UK tour. They've all got immense amount of talent and are few of the best metal musicians there are in the country. Yes, I'm not a big fan of Sahil's vocals either but his work on guitars is quite decent. Some of the riffs on 'Trail Of Devastation' and 'Death, Desolation and Despair' really left me in awe.

But all that being said, one thing I always feel is missing in a new DR record is a tad bit innovation in their sound. This record is more death metal than black metal, unlike previous releases, but besides that it's more or less what we heard on 'A Darkness Descends', 'The Return To Darkness' or even on Reptilian Death's 'The Dawn of Consummation and Emergence' for that matter. Sahil has seemingly gotten very comfortable with this particular style of melodies and riffage and they're just being done over and over again. As soon as the first notes of 'Death, Desolation and Despair' (the first promo single) hit my ears, I couldn't help but go "Ohh man! Not again". No, there's nothing wrong with the song, in fact it's pretty driving, but you get my point, right?

Abhiraj: I get your point. Frankly, I am a fan of deeper growls, but not everyone will have the same vocal texture to pull it off. But one thing they can do is have vocal layerings to make the vocals sound more intense. The layering concept has been used to a good effect in the tracks. But, would have loved if something was done for the clean vocals too. A little notice must be given to the vocal sections which have a more Industrial Metal touch than Black or Death, notably at the end of ‘Facing The Faceless’ and the intro of the title track - ‘The Demon King’. Would have loved if they experimented with a layer of growl over that. Some copy-book fry vocals would do the trick!


What you say about the riffing and composing pattern is true. We have seen 3 releases from The Demonstealer in the past one year with Workshop, Reptilian Death and then Demonic Resurrection; so there’s always a chance of growing a liking for a particular style of music, given that he had to compose majority of the tracks in all of the three releases. But, even then, you get glimpses of amazing-ness - ‘The Promise of Never’ blew me away from the first listen!

Let’s talk about the other instruments for a bit. I found the orchestration on the album pretty imposing! My favourite being the intro of ‘Death, Desolation and Despair’. It gives the tracks a nice symphonic feel, as well as contributes a good part in the darkness quotient of the album in general. The drums, Virendra is a beast incarnate behind the drumkit. There is a reason why every band needs to record their drums live for their album, at least, and this guy shows exactly why. If the drums were programmed, I don’t think it would have had the same emotions if it was programmed, like 95% of the albums we get to listen to these days. The intensive hit of the bass drums and snares may be duplicated on the drum machine, but it will always have that fabricated feel to it. And anyways, why the hell would you program drums when your drummer can play better than the software you are using?

Varun: Haha! Well the answer's simple. Cost. Not every band can invest the kind of money which live drum tracking requires. But again, if you're really serious about your work and you are seeking recognition, then that's something you would not want to compromise on besides all the real effort which is required. A lot of Indian bands have been coming up with new stuff but very few of them actually spend time jamming and working on their sound… and yet they feel entitled to people’s support. But coming back to Virendra, he is indeed quite impressive. His drumming adds a lot dynamics to the tracks, which I felt most in the tracks, 'Trail Of Devastation', 'Even Gods To Fall' and 'The Promise Of Never'. I even remember seeing him live a couple of times last year and being simply amazed by his flamboyance and flair. So, there's no doubt that he is an excellent drummer and I even look forward to listening his work on Scribe's new album, 'Hail Mogambo'.

Speaking of orchestration, there were a few places where I wasn't very happy with the tone of keyboards and a few places where I felt it overpowered the guitars. Frankly, I'm more fond of the work on guitars on the album. 'The Promise Of Never' exhibits that great work and is definitely the highlight for me as well. The guitar melodies on the song are quite captivating and it does stand out from the rest of the tracks in terms of sound. So you could say I found the "tad bit of innovation" I was looking for in that song.

Abhiraj: And folks, here is a rare case where Varun and I actually have a common opinion about a song. ‘The Promise Of Never’ agreeing to each other is broken for at least this album :P

I agree with the cost of actually recording live drums and given the current scenario, not everyone is rich enough to do that. And the non-paid gig scene adds to the misery.

Coming back to the album again, let’s talk about the concept. The concept revolves around the age old policy of without any good, there won’t be any bad! The story starts with the assassination son of God, who was also the King and rules from the land of man. But, during this time, the Demon King is awakened for some reason and he start creating havoc in the land we call Earth and upsetting the balance of the universe, in short - making bacon bombs out of everything he saw in front of him. In order to restore the balance and harmony, the God, who was until then a silent spectator, descended down to kill the Demon King. But it seems all these silent years had taken a toll on God’s fitness level and he gets slaughtered by the Demon, classic Mortal Kombat style. That’s how the story goes, except the unnecessary jokes I added. A very well thought out plan taking a slight dig at basic human psychology of judgement and normality.

The songs, hence, are chapters of the story as it unfolds. Looking at the lyrics, though they get a bit monotonous at times, maintain the fluidity and spontaneity of the story, without being too dramatic. Your views on that?


Varun: Well, the concept sure does sound interesting and I guess the "Mortal Kombat" you speak of, is depicted in the cover art, which is quite good I must say. I spent a good amount of time yesterday staring at the high resolution image of the cover art and appreciating the details and the vicious and kinda indiscernible face of The Demon King. I think that's what makes him even so frightening and dangerous - his incomprehensible features. The good guy had to lose!

The lyrics seem alright to me. I don't generally put much stress on the lyrics because I have my love for the instruments and at least in metal, I really believe that the pen is not quite mightier than the sword (or axe or guitar or whatever instrument you play). Yes, of course over the years we have seen bands like Ayreon, Wintersun, Dio and King Diamond whose lyrics are as good as poems and that only adds to people's listening experience. And then I come across bands like jesu, who barely write 4-5 lines in the song, but the atmosphere of the music lands you in a chronically depressive state and you simply lie on your couch eating ice cream directly from the box. That reminds me, have you tried the new flavour of chocolate at Baskin Robbins?

Abhiraj: I prefer Gelato over Ice Cream. Baskin Robbins never impressed me, just like Shah Rukh Khan’s movies don’t. Coming back from the dessert-ed talks, final verdict on the album? If I was good in mathematics, I would have rated the album. But, I’m dyslexic, so, I can’t rate :’(

Varun: I'm still thinking about the ice cream!

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