The DIY ethic has boded well for independent music in India, especially for genres like punk, rock, rap and metal which aren't considered 'mainstream' enough for big budget spectacles. The do-it-yourself modus operandi predominantly has an emphasis on community. It’s about people supporting each other in their musical endeavours by crowd-sourcing for concerts in the absence of sponsors, and showing support in creative ways. Due to its underground nature, you may not hear about DIY concerts as much as popular extravaganzas. One such DIY hard rock event this weekend is Rampage V4 at Stables in Andheri. It's the fourth edition of a platform that's been lending a mic to new and promising underground metal bands in India.
Darkrypt is a death metal band from Mumbai, with influences ranging from Demilich, Adramelech, Demigod, Amorphis, Funebre and Nihilist. Rishabh Ravi on vocals and guitar, Mihir Gaikwad on guitar, Avirath Kadam on bass, and Abil Asok on drums. “Darkrypt has forged a sound that retains the local flavour, yet creates music that's catchy and relatable,” says Mihir. They released their debut album 'Delirious Excursion' in 2016, and plan to release their second album in a couple of months.
Labyrinth is a four-piece alternative instrumental band from Gujarat. It is a little difficult to categorize their music as there is quite a range of genres and moods embedded within the songs. From subtle diversions to sudden bungee jumps into different dimensions, the band’s motto is to cohesively make the listener go through a journey of various vibes and reflections while grooving throughout the songs. Infestation is a five-piece death metal act from Nagpur. With an electric live presence, their songs have a touch of modern and slam elements. The band consist of vocalist Tejas Mundhada, guitarist Vivek Katore, guitarist Aman Sharma, drummer Mridul Mishra and bass Akshay Dhengre. Their songs mainly talk about war and torture.
Clad In Shadows is a melodic death metal band from Pune, and relatively new on the scene. “I look for bands that are tight, irrespective of whether they are playing instrumental progressive metal or melodic death metal,” says sound engineer Adit D Khanzode who started curating such gigs back in 2016 as an engineering student. He noticed that there weren't enough avenues for hard rock and heavy metal groups. As the vocalist of such a group himself (Orcus), he decided to make a difference where he could. He says, “There weren't many venues promoting underground music in the city. College festivals too were switching to other kind of performers. We hope to turn this into an underground fest some day.”
