It has been a few days since that evening of total obliteration. I sit here still reeling from the chaos which was the BOA Metal Nights Vol 2. The first installment of what would be a series of gigs began a couple of months ago. It featured extreme metallers NervoChaos with some of the biggest names in the Indian Metal scene. Our joy knew no bounds when the same evening, it was announced that Immolation was going to headline the next BOA Metal Night. Little did we know of the sheer insanity which lay in store for us in terms of a badass support lineup.
Hands down, this was one the best gigs Bangalore has seen in recent times. I would go on to say that this even surpassed most of the world-class lineups I have witnessed abroad over the past few years. To all those who witnessed the young breed of Indian metal along with the mighty Immolation, if that did not change your mind about the subsistence of extreme music in India, I do not know what will.
Moral Putrefaction, death metal from Chennai took the stage to begin the processions and in no time laid waste to the venue. I mean which opening band have you seen conjure a mosh pit within the first 10 minutes of their set? Our senses felt waves of extremely precise, technical and captivating slabs of death metal. With clear influences from both realms i.e traditional as well as modern technical death, they ripped souls apart and clearly played on to become the best band of the evening in my opinion.
Next up were home lads Aempyrean, who played an infernal aggregation of black, death and thrash metal with old school-ism running through their veins. An intense display of nerve-wracking frequencies and stellar musicianship went down as moshpits chewed in and threw out us mortal creatures. Grossty, on the other hand, brought the fun and nasty brand of Grindcore to please our filthy souls. I was watching this act perform live after almost 5 years and their craziness did not seem to have dwindled down by even a bit. The vocal styles comprising of trademark pig squeals and dissonant screams were in plain words ‘Sick’.
Next up were fast upcoming Heavy/Thrash metal juggernauts Speedtrip. Traditional Thrash metal is not my cup of tea so I may not be the right person to talk about their set. However, looking at the crowd going nuts and headbang like no tomorrow, was proof enough that they delivered a crushing set and found their deserved spot in the memory lanes of the audiences. The gig delivered on all ends. As compared to the last Metal Nights, this time the sound was spot-on crystal clear. The show also boasted of a completely packed house of roughly 430 metalheads going crazy. Most importantly the local support acts – Each of these bands may be relative freshers of the scene but have a distinct signature sound to themselves. The awe-inspiring level of brilliance is bound to make us hold our faith in the local Metal scene.
It was time for Immolation. My first time watching them live, I was ready for total destruction. But soon followed disappointment and the only negative part of the gig. Somehow, the quality of audio went from perfect to absolute worst. It sounded deafeningly loud and I couldn’t make out half the instruments. The bass drum’s sound got buried deep into the utter mess. Whenever the band transitioned into one of the many crazy blast-beating guitar chugging sections, it just sounded like a huge wall of noise. Sound breaking down during the headliner act is never a good thing.
Nonetheless, it was a crazy show which is going to be with us as part of our memories for quite a long time. Props again to the Bangalore Open Air crew for putting up a high-quality gig and more importantly providing a platform for the upcoming breed of metal bands to showcase their mettle. Each act had something special about themselves, and we look forward to seeing them evolve and give us such evenings every once in a while.
Bangalore Open Air Metal Nights are turning out to become the benchmark of metal gigs in India. Consistently delivering quality metal acts from the country and beyond, it is only about to get bigger and better. After an evening of mighty local acts along with Immolation, it is safe to say Metal is here to stay. Metal will always live.