Uncle Martin: My 2014 playlist

Dec 30 • Articles, Indian News, News, Releases • 2446 Views • No Comments on Uncle Martin: My 2014 playlist

When 2014 came around, I knew one thing – this would be Indian metal’s year. Looking back at it, there’s very little to prove otherwise. We saw releases by the top Indian metal acts – from Demonic Resurrection to Undying Inc to Scribe to Bhayanak Maut, as well as intriguing singles from the likes of Zygnema and Providence that was probably a taste of things to come. Here are the songs I had on repeat the most often this past year.

Bhayanak Maut – XOXOXO
If there was a mammoth (sort of) concept album that really turned heads this year, it was Bhayanak Maut’s surprise album, Man. It dropped out of nowhere on Halloween, and couldn’t have been a better way for the Mumbai metal band to say trick or treat in the most twisted, scariest way possible. One of those characters who showed up at your door would have been the perverted serial killer with a thing for cheerleaders, the subject of the groove-heavy “XOXOXO.”

Demonic Resurrection – The Demon King
I’d put this entire album down if I had to, but the title track from the extreme metal band’s fourth album is a great example of DR’s evolution. The music has got a lot more tech metal elements, but “The Demon King” drives one massive riff home throughout, with Mephisto’s regal keys being a bedrock layer.

The Demon King album cover

Scribe – The Fumanchurian
Yes, in retrospect, it’s disheartening to know that Vishwesh is no longer the frontman for Scribe – this track is complete proof that what he does for Scribe can’t be imitated and truly makes them one of those unique Indian metal bands.

The Shreyas Skandan Project – Astron Nomos
The main man behind Limit Zero, Shreyas had a few collaborations on his band’s first album Gravestone Constellations, from Keshav Dhar to Siddharth Basrur, but with his solo project, he travels out to space with his trippy lead single. It’s the best parts of artists like Animals as Leaders and Plini made into almost easy-listening metal.

Feeding In Atlantis – The Firefly
Now here’s a name that needs more light. These Goa experimental metalheads really caught my attention when they released their first single. There’s been a slowdown and no word on that album called Releasing The Kraken, but here’s hoping there’s much more tight, baffling prog metal from Feeding In Atlantis in 2015.

Undying Inc. – Ironclad
Is there anything left to say about Undying Inc., the monster metallers who completed a decade together this year? Their EP’s title track was a testament to just how much heavier and groovier they can get, with each member playing the shit out of their respective instruments as Shashank Bhatnagar unleashes the beast within during the outro.

Trigger – Yakuza
A wide look at the kind of upcoming bands from Delhi will tell you they are broadly influenced by either Skyharbor or Undying Inc (prove me wrong). Trigger fall into the latter, with some insane metalcore influences that really make “Yakuza” one of my favourites this year.

Aberrant – Collateral Damage
There are no second thoughts about including any song off Aberrant’s debut EP Aberrant on this list. All five tracks are a blast, but it’s their opening track that really hits hard – riffs and beats getting absolutely frenzied between killer grooves. This band is going places and there’s very little doubt about it.

Skyharbor – Evolution
The first single off the prog metal band’s second album Guiding Lights, this song just proved how important second impressions are. For Skyharbor, Evolution showed a side that stayed true to their djent roots but also explored a new direction, vocalist Dan Tompkins outdoing himself, even beyond his work with TesseracT. This is evolution, indeed.

The Down Troddence – Nagavalli
Granted, it wasn’t necessarily a song that was first heard in 2014, but Bangalore’s The Down Troddence made a big mark with their album, How Are You? We Are Fine, Thank You, taking it to newer cities and wowing audiences with their brand of monster folk and groove metal. Nagavalli is the best example of that.