Day 25 of the month October, 14 years into this millennium. I’m at the Dree ground to witness the biggest and the most brutal metal concert of the North-East (as claimed by the Mio event management). This year they have opted for an open-air unlike the previous volumes.
The venue just outclasses all the other concert venues all the sub-continent that i’ve been to. It is five times to six feet under (read below) the national highway that runs between the twin cities. An infamous jinxed zone that has the highest death tolls in account of car accidents, so a few gravestones can be seen. So the Plague Throat bassist Iai is chilling backstage thinking he might find some fans amongst the dead souls.
At 5pm (its dark already), expectations are running high on this chili winter evening and that’s when the band van gets stuck in the mud. I see a big number of metalheads unitedly pushing it out of the swamp. That’s when the event management head Tana Doni shouts, “mera joota bhijne do, ye bhi metal hai (let my shoe get mucky, its all for the cause of metal)”.
The Apostasy:
They were the first act of the evening. One of the three bands that had qualified to play at the main event through a contest that was organized a couple of days back. Quite a young band and new in the scene, this kids were quite tight for a high school band. Even with low budget gears and less experience these guys helped to heat up the chilli ground. And they didn’t seem to disappoint the crowd.
Recommendation: they are young, they’ll get better.
Funeral Ov Carnage:
Another band to have qualified through the contest. If I’m not wrong these guys had already played in the previous volumes. Dressed up like some distant cousins of the Maiden family, these metal soldiers came and delivered what the crowd deserved. “Fearing Night” was one of their own-compositions from the set-list. Crowd grew crazy when N-E-M-E-S-I-S was declared. What followed next was not a thrash infused cover but rather a sudden blast of pyrotechnics that nearly tore off the arena.
When they are on stage you feel the presence of DIMEBAG. The quality they deliver definitely justifies the band name. A treat for the Pantera fans. The band in whole had tremendous energy, no dull moment for the crowd. Either you keep your horns up or swing your locks in unison to the shredder. So, if you are 555, they are 666.
Recommendation: The guitarist is a dimebag in making, Yes.
Sacred Secrecy:
One band the crowd showed the utmost respect to. The front-man Doni took total control with his forceful intriguing voice and some mysterious words. After bringing the inner animals out, they manipulated the crowd like a herd of sheep. One of the O.C.s they played ‘Shitanagar’ told about how shitty our city has become. Thou it was prominent that they could do better. But for being the organizing team and performing too they did a great job. All in all a killing performance.
Recommendation: Hell yeah
...
Seance Dungeon:
(First thing that comes in my mind hearing about this band is ‘I don’t know what the name means’)
I was rather keen to see them live since I had heard quite a lot about them. The front-man Karka was the crowds favorite, he makes all girl broody. So a visual treat from both the sides. One band that deserves more.
Recommendation: Yes
Soul of Phoenix:
They are the sole reason why Sebastian Bach cancelled his North-east show.
After all these metallurgy, Soul of Phoenix brought a new life and got the bodies moving. The band played three of their GnR influenced originals and covers of AC/DC and GnR making the crowd hit their notes higher. The crowd lip-synced to every song they played. And the front-man David’s voice kept me thinking, did the Axl Rose tour to India nine months before David was the born.
Recommendation: For the love of Axl Rose, Yes.
Dark Carnage:
One band the hard to please crowd took a liking to but only after series of swearing during the technical issues they were facing. The raspy voiced front-man and the seven stringer axe brothers really knew how to handle the crowd. They caused an uproar in the mosh-pit which finally resulted in one broken bamboo barricade and the swinging lamp post. They got the best reaction from the crowd.
Recommendation: Bhaal Band Kela, Yes
Plague Throat:
When they are on stage you either headbang or gaze at them awestruck wondering, ‘do really all good things come in small packages’ (read- all brutal things come in slim packages). For them its all a stand and deliver thing and the crowd rhythmically headbanging to it. You know you are blessed when you get to listen to what they had played at the world’s biggest metal fest ‘The Wacken Open Air’. No one dares to disobey their master and the biggies each and every command get executed. I guess the Brutal in the events slogan stood for them. Crowd surfing, mosh-pits and walls is what they make the crowd do best.
After the event i met my long lost school friend who used to be a total Billie Joe fan, and now totally transformed into a real Metalhead. Metal has the power.
IN METAL WE TRUST
P.S.: its in the air that the next volume will be a few days fest
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