Back to the pit: Is Mumbai's metal music scene seeing a revival? Mumbai musicians dive into the trend

Every year reports about the revival of metal in India surface citing the dozen or so bands scattered across Delhi Mumbai and Bengaluru as evidenceHowever 2024 has been an especially remarkable year particularly for Mumbaibased bands Zygnema released their EP titled Iconic with remarkable tracks like Grind and the titletrack Iconic while Bhayanak Maut dropped two singlesmdashCtrlAllDel and Revenge of the RoachsmokersPerformances have also created a buzz with over a dozen metal gigs hosted at antiSocial Lower Parel throughout the year along with prominent appearances at Mahindra Independence Rock in November and the highly anticipated Scarfest on December 15 where Providence will play their first gig since 2019Zygnemarsquos Sidharth Kadadi at his institute and studio Guitar Garage Inc in Kandivli PicNimesh DaveFor a subculture as niche as metal these are impressive milestones This buzz in the cityrsquos metal community is a welcome change after a long hiatus caused by the COVID19 pandemic And while filmi music may be the overculture in Mumbai therersquos a burgeoning underground metal scene and the city is home to some of the biggest names in the countryDemonic Resurrection has been active for a quarter of a century and continues to thrive despite multiple lineup changes Veterans such as Bhayanak Maut have been around for over two decades and Zygnema is on the verge of completing two decades in the scene These Mumbaibased bands are household names in Indiarsquos metal community Other prominent names responsible for some of the most intense moshpits are Gutslit Dirge Pacifist Oblitera and Darkrypt among othersThe scene in Pune whose players often collaborate with the Mumbai community also thrives with bands such as Kasck making waves globally The metallers performed at Wacken Open Air in Germany in August this year one of the worldrsquos most prestigious heavy metal festivalsProvidence performing at antisocial Lower ParelOver the years the Indian metal scene has undergone a sea change Demonic Resurrectionrsquos frontman Sahil Makhija says ldquoInitially the audience expected covers rather than original compositions It took time and persistence and eventually audiences warmed up to thisrdquo Another reason Indian bands used to cover foreign metal music is because the latter rarely tour India It only makes sense as metal is not deeply rooted in Indian culture Even today to many itrsquos just noiseHowever within the country Mumbairsquos metal scene has carved out an identity of its own The city even influences the genre Makhija tells how Mumbairsquos essence seeps into his music often unconsciously ldquoThere were a few songs that didnrsquot make it to the final EPs because the music company was scared that somebody would vandalise their officehellip The songs carried themes inspired by the cityrsquos changing political landscape issues such as moving to the northern suburbs due to skyrocketing living costsrdquo says the frontman who has released five albums since 2000 The cityrsquos influence on Zygnema shows in their latest track Grind The video has visuals drawn from across the city and the lyrics are in Marathi interspersed with EnglishWhile artistes from across the country share a strong camaraderie Bengaluru Delhi and Mumbai fans frequently clash over which city is more metal Zygnemarsquos guitarist Sidharth Kadadi says ldquoLook Bengaluru Delhi and Mumbai are different beasts Mumbairsquos metal scene has evolved significantly in the last decade with the audience showing more support for local bands Honestly I feel the scene here is leading the way nowrdquoBhayanak Maut at Bandland Rock Festival Bengaluru PicAbhishek GuptaThe Kandivli resident explains ldquoBack in the day it was all about big international acts coming in That was a huge deal for people But now the focus has shifted People are more invested in supporting local bandsmdashlike bringing together the best bands from across the city and really getting behind themrdquoThe economics of the genre are worth noting ldquoItrsquos a privileged form of musicrdquo Makhija says ldquoIt typically appeals to individuals who have access to resources such as music streaming platforms international content and live showsmdashthings that often exclude certain demographics While metal may draw some middleclass fans the majority of its audience tends to come from relatively welloff backgroundsrdquo All the metal musicians Sunday midday spoke to have day jobs because there is hardly any revenue in this genre in India All of them also unanimously agreedmdashthey donrsquot do it for the moneyWhile Zygnemarsquos Kadadi says that a mix of threefour fresh bands in Mumbai can pull in a crowd of at least 150 people for a concert Schubert Fernandes a publicist and Indie artist advisor with over a decade in the metal scene explains ldquoEven for an established band in a city like Mumbai the average attendance is around 250350 people Besides the niche nature of the genre poses a lack of venues that support it The only one that consistently promotes metal gigs is antiSocialrdquo Kadadi Makhija and Fernandes all agree that at every gig they encounter familiar facesmdashroughly 100120 regular fansmdasha proof of just how niche the genre remains in a city of over two crore peopleRaunak Singh a metalhead since 2009 who has seen both Indian and international acts says that in hypermasculine spaces such as moshpits 9999 per cent of the attendees are men ldquoThough itrsquos a rare sight moshing with women metalheads is always a treat In my 15 years of attending concerts I have seen less than fiverdquoIn a conversation with Sunday midday tech columnist Jaison Lewis former bassist and founding member of Bhayanak Maut we learned that even in the early 2000s the crowd at their gigs was made up of familiar faces Lewis recalls ldquoWhether it was college fests or major events such as Independence Rock Festival it was always the same people in the audiencerdquoToday Lewis based in Germany says ldquoOne aspect I deeply miss is Gigpad an online forum where metal and rock enthusiasts could connect exchange ideas and share their passion Alongside Rock Street Journal forums it served as a hub for likeminded individuals Interestingly Bhayanak Maut was born on that very forummdasha year or two before we ever played a gig Many of the bandrsquos founding members including Venky Vinay Venkatesh vocalist were active on Gigpad which fostered the initial connectionsrdquoItrsquos perhaps this community of musicians that has since evolved into the Bombay Metal Project a collective that brings together vocalists drummers bassists guitarists and even a keyboardist from Mumbai and Pune bands such as Bhayanak Maut Zygnema Devoid Pangea Cosmic Infusion Gutslit and Goddess Gagged to name a fewHowever despite the uptick in shows and releases this year Bhayanak Mautrsquos bassist guitarist R Venkatraman believes that the scene always seems to be in a constant cycle of comeback but never fully taking off ldquoMumbairsquos metal scene has always been active on a small scale And despite the genrersquos evolutionrdquo he says ldquoThe regular opportunities for bands to perform have unfortunately diminished Earlier many college gigs and college festivals played a key role in promoting metal Today there are fewer such events and most venues are no longer as welcoming of metal music Many promoters have shifted their focus towards electronic music events because they draw in larger crowds leaving metal bands with fewer places to performrdquo He feels Bengaluru is better in that sense because there are more metal festivals and venues that welcome metal Makhija echoes this sentiment saying ldquoWhile platforms like Mahindra Independence Rock do support metal bands there are very few specialised platforms for the genre Scarfest is one of the exceptionsrdquoKadadi finds the scenersquos selfsustenance the most important thing Today it is also more techenabled ldquoWhen we started out in 200506rdquo he says ldquorecording music was a challenge You had to find the right people pool resources and put in significant effort just to produce a demo which would cost around R20000 to R30000 Today with modern software and easier access to the Internet and highperformance PCs you can record an entire album for the same amountrdquoMetalheads are a breed apart For creatures that only wear black spend a significant number of hours annually perfecting their hair to look like Megadethrsquos Dave Mustaine or headbanging so intensely they canrsquot move their necks veterans believe itrsquos no longer just about the ldquocoolnessrdquo factormdashtheir taste and sense has evolved Demonic Resurrection for example which is categorised as a symphonic death metal band has a layered sound and its own dedicated followers who truly understand and appreciate these subtleties ldquoWithin metalrdquo Makhija explains ldquosome sounds are more popular than others Our sound more than being layered or complex is simply less mainstreammdashitrsquos a niche within the already niche genre of metalrdquoHowever itrsquos worth noting that symphonic death metal like many other subgenres doesnrsquot enjoy the same mainstream appeal as more common or straightforward metal variants such as thrash and groove In a previous conversation Makhija had mentioned ldquoIndian Metal seen quick evolution in the last decade but the audience hasnrsquot grown at the same raterdquoGlobally the scene has gained a sure footing In a research conducted by Spotify heavy metal fans were named the ldquomost loyalrdquo and British music magazine Kerrang published statistics that heavy metal was the fastestgrowing genre globally with a 154 per cent rise in streaming and download numbers across iTunes Apple Music Spotify Amazon Deezer and Google PlayNevertheless Makhija offers a harsh reality for aspiring metal musicians in India ldquoIf you want to pursue music as a career especially metal be prepared to take on everythingmdashfrom Bollywood gigs and ad jingles to wedding covers and corporate shows Metal is driven by passion and culture but itrsquos not something that will sustain you financially There are two paths in front of you Itrsquos time to choose the red pill or the blue pillrdquo he saysWhile the scene in Mumbai may not be as robust as in western countries the horns will always be raised in the moshpit as they always have through band breakups a global pandemic and an overwhelming mainstream crowd