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Insurrection v.2 Cover Art

Insurrection v.2: Plethoras Of Metal

Tinga Tinga Bar seems to be the latest “it” place for local gigs in downtown Bangalore. With Ion Bar and Kitchen no longer hosting events, semi-pro band gigs and competitions are now turning elsewhere for venue support. Tinga Tinga Bar, which recently replaced popular lounge bar Couch, was chosen as the venue for Insurrection v.2 and will see more gigs over the course of the month.

Held on the second floor of the pub, and with an analog mixer setup, each band took quite some time to adjust their dynamic. After a late start Necrophilia, starting the show, pulled off an energetic set. Expressing gore musically, the four-piece played many original compositions, including “The Harlot”, before belting out an insane rendition of grind act Grossty’s “anal fuck balls clapping near vagina when the dog is licking my ass”. Festered Wound, who took the stage next, were short of musicians, and played as a two-piece, with backing tracks. This somewhat diminished their live vibe, but on short notice, pulled off an agreeable set.

Shepherd, who have been playing as a three-piece since the departure of their vocalist, sounded sublime instrumentally. Deepak on drums, and Namit on guitars performed some loud, but shaky vocals.  With a typically “Melvins” inspired groove, deep bass tones and screeching guitars made for an eerie and intense instrumental backdrop.

Orchid, who performed next, showed off new introductions to their songs, complete with samples and sound effects. With a style and dynamic that will still take time to be fully appreciated in an “extreme metal” environment, their latest track however saw fans from all sub-genres grooving to a sound that seemed to flow through many different styles, from avant-garde to doom.

Xector, the re-incarnated form of popular Bangalore metal act Spitfire, were entertaining to say the least. Unbelievably fast sweeps from the guitars clashed brutally with some heavy bass and drum lines as they started off with a Spitfire oldie and made their way through most of their new EP, Beyond Oblivion.

Nihilus destroyed the show. Fresh from a win at Blitzkrieg 2014,Mumbai, despite a failed-road trip, these guys cannot be stopped. Some brutal tech-death saw the moshing increase to near dangerous levels (the second floor had large “aesthetically designed” gaps in the floor, to the landing below), and the general vibe of the crowd go up by a large notch. Despite several points where the sound just summated into a loud blur (which happened to all the bands, perhaps due to the acoustics), the audience didn’t care. A pile of carefully selected favourites and some phenomenal stage presence from the vocalist wrapped up the set.

Trojan Horse, down from Chennai for the show, gave Bangaloreans a feel of just where metal can go, as announced by the vocalist at the very beginning. Despite the fact that one guitarist was using just a single pickup on what looked like an old, worn out Ibanez, the sounds were actually really good. Guttural growls interspersed with sounds from funny-looking percussive instrument add-ons made for a great set. Ending with their recently tracked L.I.M.C.A (Life in Monochromatic Animation), local fans and audiences were piqued with interest about this Chennai band that promises a lot more in the future.

Dark Desolation
Photo Credits: Sandeep Sarma Photography

Dark Desolation, complete with facepaint and jagged guitars in tow played a brutal set. With night having truly fallen, the crowd vibe was more intense, focused, and ready to anticipate every move of the musicians. Despite having elaborate make-up and costumes, their breed of Black Metal, as dark as it can get, is a very popular strain in the city. The look of a BC Rich Guitar has always been an impactful image, especially since the Vortex Signature Warlock used by Dimmu Borgir. With special Railhammer “Anvil” pickups installed and in action for the first time, Dark Desolation, whose guitarist Shredaj is endorsed by BC Rich, had a loud and headbanging show.

A decade on, Neolithic Silence, is a well known name in the local metal scene. With the Wacken South Zone Finals and Bangalore Arts and Music fest  under their belt, one would expect them to play a generic set with no innovations here. On the contrary, a whole load of goodies were to be won at the event, building up to a pumping set-list, to which the crowd took off. Ten years experience, endorsement from Orange Amplification, and a whole lot of maturity has seen the band’s sound become more and more like the classical Thrash acts of the 80s. Their cover of Slayer’s “Reigning Blood” and Sepultura’s “Territory” were epic to say the least, and confirmed their importance in the exponentially growing local metal scene.

Preetham Rao, one half of the organising team, stresses to us the importance of picking bands across the board. He added, “As a continuing theme from the first Insurrection, we have deliberately selected local metal acts that pan the sub-genres as far as possible”. With the event mostly successful, Preetham is hopeful for more shows, starting with a rock show headlined by Junkyard Groove, and a funk show featuring national acts like The Incredible Mindfunk. Despite the delayed start, the show was well organised, with bands promptly coming on stage, appreciative fans, some great deals on alcohol, and even a foosball and pool table!

Insurrection v.2 happened on 9 February with nine metal acts taking the stage. Check out Tinga Tinga Bar on 23 February for the rock show The Great Gig in the Sky.
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