A metal head’s journey

A new year is upon us and metal fans in Bengaluru are reveling about the fact that they will be able to headbang their way into 2014. Yes, our city’s very own metal outfit, Inner Sanctum, has lined up a special show for all the metalheads of Bengaluru at Counterculture on December 31. The band also plans to go on a European tour next year after the release of their second album.

Inner Sanctum, comprising of Gaurav Basu, Chintan Chinnappa, Suraj Gulvady, Abhishek Michael and Abhinav Yogesh, has prepared a set of new songs for the year-ender show which will see them deviate from their traditional death/thrash metal sound.

“We have added a little with melody and symphony to six new tracks but we have kept the sound that symbolises Inner Sanctum intact. For example, Legions of Awake, a song about a man who starts a revolution against the establishment, has a lot of symphony and harmony added to it. Also, in March of the Wounded, we have added a lot of groovy beats and melody, which gives it a unique feel. We plan to release an album early next year consisting of these six songs. Then we plan to go on a European Tour with the album. In 2013 we toured Germany and Poland and it was a great experience. So, this time we will cover the two countries as well as a few others,” says Chintan, the guitarist.

Inner Sanctum has almost done it all. From opening for metal legends such as Slayer and Metallica to supporting Cradle of Filth, to being awarded the Best Band of the Year in 2007 and 2009, the band has emerged into one of the premiere torch-bearers of metal music in India.

“All those shows were a great experience but the Slayer concert stood out. All this wouldn’t have happened if Chintan and I didn’t decide to play together in the first place. Then Abhinav and Gaurav joined us after an audition in 2007 and after that Suraj was roped in after Rajeev left. That completed our band and defined our sound,” says Abhishek, the bassist.

An interesting fact about the band is that they are one of the first Indian bands to have personalised the fliers of each of their shows. Gaurav, the vocalist, designs all artwork for the band.

“After establishing ourselves as a band, we thought of incorporating our other talents into the band. Chintan became the manager since he was a lawyer and I started designing fliers and posters for the band as I was good at art. Personlising fliers had not been done by any other band in India and it gave us a unique identity apart from our music,” says Gaurav, the vocalist.