Come April 16, power trio The Earth Below will join extreme metal act Gutslit and sonic sludge merchants Dirge for their first Mumbai appearance with Immersive Sounds Vol. 1. Not only will it mark Dirge's album launch but it will also be the Mumbai debut for The Earth Below (TEB), now as a power trio.
The group's story began back in 2010 with founding member Deepak Raghu who's a session drummer for pioneering acts like Kryptos, Dying Embrace, Millennium, Bevar Sea, Cauchemar, Mad Orange Fireworks, Alexis, Blushing Satellite and Lou Majaw. In his days with the experimental duo Rat King, Raghu created some otherworldly sounds and even scored the music for a film. TEB began in those days from the seed of an idea he found in their song Vapour. He wrote and released an EP titled Aleph under the moniker The Earth Below.
Ask Raghu what the idea was, and he says, “Rat King was a very experimental project and we wanted to make music to conjure up images of horror, vastness and bleak dystopian landscapes. The song Vapour was the first time I realised I had touched on something that felt a lot more personal and delicate. It became the inspiration to write more things that helped soothe my anxieties, my sense of alienation and make sense of my place in the world at large.”
It would take seven years before there would be a follow-up. By 2011, he formed sludge-doom metal band Shepherd with guitarist Namit Chauhan. TEB resurfaced in 2017 with the EP Window Lights for Wanderers EP, followed by another EP, Dreams of a Thousand Stillness in 2018. The full-length album Nothing Works Vol 2: Hymns for Useless Gods piqued the attention of critics and serious listeners. We didn't hear much about the project until recently, when they performed in March at Stress//Test 2 in Bangalore as a power trio. Guitarist Ashish Dharkar (from Dirge and Pacifist) and drummer Shreyansh Kejriwal have come on board to complete the trinity.
Shreyansh Kejriwal on drums for The Earth Below. Photo by Shruti Nagaraj | Abhishek Kumar
Ask Shreyansh what drew him to join the project, and he says, “I was drawn to the Sound of TEB as soon as I heard it. The first time I heard the full length album, it resonated with me so well, I could already imagine myself having fun on the drums grooving to it. I dig it very much, from the choice of chords, to the guitar tones and the vocals. It's a lot of fun playing these songs live as a trio.”
For Ashish, Bangalore was an amazing experience. “This is the first time I’m playing in a three piece setup and it feels very different and open. Every sound and nuance can be clearly heard and I’m experimenting a lot more with different effect pedal combinations to make things interesting,” says the dreadlocked guitarist.
He had always admired Raghu's vision and the music he was writing as a solo artist in TEB, and also with the bands Shepherd & Bevar Sea. “We get along really well musically and pretty much have the same roots in heavy rock music and its various branches. Also, Shreyansh is one of the most talented drummers I’ve played with. So I'm stoked to be a part of The Earth Below,” he says.
The sound has evolved a fair bit since 2010. Says Raghu, “On the surface, the sound has definitely changed a fair bit over the years. I love the process of learning music and getting inspired by music both new and old. There are some common threads, and at the core of it there’s a feeling, a sound and a philosophy that drives the music that hasn’t changed since the start.”
Raghu has been a “serial drummer” for various bands, but is the vocalist and guitarist on this project. Ask him what he enjoys the most, and his response is, “I played drums and only drums for over 15 years, so I’m definitely a lot more excited about learning and exploring the guitar or bass these days.” He is all for trying out any kind of instrument if he feels like it has a place in the music he is trying to create. “I don’t care about being a virtuoso or anything, for me it’s just about writing music. Performing with these incredible musicians in this lineup has also forced me to get better,” he quips.
Ashish will be on double duty at Antisocial (Lower Parel) on Sunday, since he's also Dirge's core member, but the musician is unfazed. “Honestly, I feel truly grateful to have found these amazing humans and being able to make such meaningful and deep music with them. Playing two sets is always fun and I’m really looking forward to it,” he says.
Raghu's expectations are modest: “We want to invite people to come have a listen and join in the heavy psychedelia laced rock 'n roll experience. Hopefully some aspect of the music strikes a nerve with people.”
