There’s gonna be music’s dragon tongue spew death and gore. Screams from the depths of the vocal chords. Death Metal scene sees a revival as Kochi gets jiggy with the second edition of the Southern Death Fest in April. Two long years went blank in the collective Death Metal music scene in Kerala and now is the time of comeback. Five music bands — four based in Bengaluru and one from Kochi are there to make the heads go bang bang. The rousing reception for the Southern Death Fest first edition has made organisers, Moshpit Concerts, not to give up on carrying forward the series. They feel a steady group of dedicated metal followers should be provided with opportunities in ‘Live Metal’ indulgence.
“Compared to the previous fest, a big crowd is expected to turn up for the event. Extreme Metal, the world over, is expanding and the number of followers is increasing. Its vibes are felt here with a gradual but steady increase in the number of followers. Unlike other music genres, it won’t go down well with all kinds of music lovers,” says Arun S. Kumar, musician and one of partners of Moshpit Concerts. Coming from Bengaluru are Pisakas, Necrophilia, Antakrit and Nihilus. Amorphia is the only presence from Kerala. Pisakas is a four-piece Death Metal band. It has lyrical contents focused on social atrocities, gore, obscenity, filth and violence. Since 2008, Necrophilia has been in the experimental death metal circuit in the city with interest in Satanism, Paganism, nature, war, religion and human atrocities, Antakrit sticks on to the black metal genre. Nihilus, the two-member band, has been exploring on technical death metal since 2010. Though very few in number, Amorphia, rooted in Cherthala is a thrash metal band to represent Kerala. “Barely two music bands are in existence in the death metal scene here. About four to five bands have emerged, but all lost to the battle of sustenance.
Necrophilia
Taking the mainstream band circuit, like rock bands, here there is a dip in financial sustainability. A migration to Bengaluru helps many bands face the challenge and survive,” adds Arun. Death Metal is an extreme sub-genre of heavy metal music. Ardent Death Metal lovers wholeheartedly welcome the fest and sense the positive vibes it sends out. “As a music lover, I am happy to see good gigs happening in Kerala. Extreme metal gigs are pretty hard to organise in a place where we are still judged by our looks and musical taste. Organisers of this event have always given high quality gigs and kept the flame burning. Kerala is a tiny state, yet has got a diverse music taste. Gigs like Southern Death Fest give a good platform for upcoming talents and provides a gathering place for people who are into extreme metal,” feels Vijin Vijayan, a music lover and healthcare professional.
Pisakas
Be it Kerala or its neighbouring states, musicians bear the brunt when quality music goes for a toss making the future of the genre become further tougher. Siddharth Manoharan of the band Nihilus gives the current picture. “Bands that have been there for a while make good business because they build a name for being polished and refined. They are the easy pick for the organisers as well. New bands find it difficult to explore and stand in good stead. Also when musicians think of buying instruments and immediately form a band, the quality suffers. Instead of fine tuning the performance, they focus more on these aspects. Nihilus is our passion — not something to make money and become famous. We have other projects as well,” says Siddharth, drummer of the two-piece band. Siddharth finds there is a better market for Death Metal in cities like Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, and Kochi also do well. “It is quite well because there is a huge turnout in Kochi,” he remarks. Mark April 8 on your calendar and walk in to Imperial Regency in MG Road. More details can be had from Facebook.
