The extreme
metal scene is on a constant rise in the Indian Sub-Continent. While many bands
are trying to create music similar to their European and American counterparts,
some bands are trying to bring in originality to the music by mixing it with
the local influences. Dying out Flame, is one such band, mixing brutal death
metal with the Vedic Himalayan sounds. The result is a powerful debut album.
The album starts
off with “Praise of the Omnipresent One”, which has a bass heavy riff along
with a beautifully played riff on the flute (should remind people of
Eluveite!). The track is more of a traditional intro, than a heavy metal track.
This gives way to a simple yet thundering drum riff providing the perfect
background for female chants, some brilliant flute and sitar playing. Toward the end, the chants and instrumentals
get faster and faster, before fading out into…
“Shiva
Rudrastakam” starts off with a furious double bass and sitar complemented with
a tabla tune. About 50 seconds into the track, the guitars and guttural vocals
blast your eardrums, instantly upping the ante, with some superfast blast beats!
The opening lines are Sanskrit verses praising Lord Shiva, and they fit in very
well with the rest of the song. About halfway into the song comes the group
chanting of Sanskrit verses again, this time with some beautiful sitar work.
Going by the
title of this song “Eternal Mother of Great Time”, I’m guessing it’s about Parvathi,
Shiva’s wife. Starts off with a very Nile-esque riff, that repeats throughout
the verse parts, definitely good news! The drumming on this song complements
the song VERY well, especially the double bass. The lead singers’ voice is
powerful here, driving a jackhammer into your skull. “Vayuputra” is definitely my favourite on the album, no doubts here! Starts off with some brutal riffing and inhuman drumming, again complemented by the guttural vocals that we’ve all come to associate and love with the technical death metal genre. The drumming is very creative while never dropping the intensity, and that guitar solo is staggeringly good. The breakdowns in this song are fucking brilliant, and the way they blast into lightning fast drumming (think Nile with Kollias) is mesmerizing. “Maisasura Maridini” starts off with, you guessed it - the Mahishasura Mardini. It is a Sanskrit chant about Parvathi when she assumed the form of Goddess Kali and annihilated the demon Mahisan. The guitars and drums in this track are especially brutal and heavy, creating an atmosphere of sheer destruction and despair. Again, some beautifully crafted sitar work makes its’ presence felt in the latter half of this six and a half minute monster track. Drums again are brutal as ever. The ending of this track is noteworthy, combining furious tremolo picking, double bass, sitar, bass guitar, and guttural vocals in an amazing concoction.
The album closes off with “Trinetra Dhari (Three Eyed One)”.
An absolutely brutal opening riff, reminiscent of bands like Necrophagist and
Deadborn (yup, the guitars are phenomenal on this tack and album overall). The
title of the track is a reference to – yeah, you guessed it – Shiva. This is
probably the grooviest track on the album with even the vocals being a lot more
“groovy” than the ones on the other tracks. Halfway into the song the band showcase
yet another flawless riff fest combining death metal with Vedic chants, yes! It
closes with the phrase “Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om Mahadevaya namaha...”
providing a perfect end to a brutal, heavy, and brilliant debut album!
One of the best
debuts by an underground band in recent times. Can’t wait to see these guys
live!
