PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Looking from the outside in, or from west to east if you want to be geographic, it would appear that the Indian death metal scene is very much dominated by one person: we could be (and probably are) very much mistaken in this assumption, but given that a certain Demonstealer plays a fairly dominating role in that part of our moshing planet – not least through his eponymously-monickered label but also as the main man in the most high profile act to have emerged from the subcontinent, Demonic Resurrection.
This side project has been around since the beginning of yer man’s career, tracing its roots back to a five-track EP released way back in late 2001: the story since then, has been of the type that enters into heavy metal mythology, filled as it is with tales of abortive live appearances (they once had to play acoustically because the venue wouldn’t allow distortion pedals, for fear of levelling the building), resulting in rare live appearances interjected only by equally sporadic recordings – the last being a split EP released almost exactly seven years ago.
Essentially recorded as a completely solo effort (with Demonstealer recruiting various other luminaries from the Indian DM scene for both bit part roles hereon and the band’s recently resurrected live career), ‘The Dawn…’, it could be argued, is a well monickered opus, representing as it quite possibly does a new dawn for middle/far eastern black, death and thrash metal in terms of being taken seriously as a viable proposition, and also in terms of the project itself, in that it may no longer be seen as a whimsy enjoyed by its progenitor but something which is worth taking a lot more seriously in the longer term.
In short, this is a damn fine offering: very much in the mould of early Sepultura, and with a hunger which recaptures the spirit of the Cavalera brothers in their bid to prove that the northern hemisphere did not possess all the best tunes, to paraphrase a well-known saying. ‘The Dawn…’ combines the brutality of old school black and death metal with the melodic and technical expertise of both genres’ latter day exponents. The finished result is a series of short, sharp shocks which hit fiercely and leave equally so: the song structures, together with the playing, are tight and efficient, if a little predictable – one could argue clinical even – in places, and the production is first class.
India is proving itself a global force in many regards: the world’s fastest growing economy, a financial powerhouse: now the country can add an increasingly healthy and impressive metal scene to its curriculum vitae.
Tracklist:
PrimEvil / Inchoate / Stimulate Hike Impel Tear / Soaked With The Imperfections Of Puerile Blood / Emerge Hatred Emerge / Distorted By Bondage Blood And Bestiality / Unnervingly Perverted At The Altar / Patchwork And The Art Of Skinning / O / Now You Graze Upon Me / Marvelous Gods – The Apple Of My Eye / Emergence – the World Your Playground
‘The Dawn Of Consummation And Emergence’ is released worldwide on October 10 via Demonstealer Records / Old School Metal Records.
