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Turn It Up To 11: Reuben Bhattacharya of Undying Inc

The groove metal bassist is cranking it up with these tunes right now

May 20, 2013
Undying Inc bassist Reuben Bhattacharya Photo: Blue Frog

Undying Inc bassist Reuben Bhattacharya Photo: Blue Frog

When we asked bassist Reuben Bhattacharya to send in five of his current favorites for Turn It Up To 11, he decided to go well beyond the brief and throw in 11 songs. Now you’ve got nearly an hour’s worth of music ranging from metal to dubstep to guitar wankery to background theme music. Delhi groove metal band Undying Inc picked up eight nominations at the Rolling Stone Metal Awards in 2011, for their  second full-length album, Aggressive World Dynasty, and won the Best Album, Best Vocalist and Best Drummer award. Despite the lineup changes over the last year [Nishant Hagjer took over drumming duties last year, while the band are now recruiting a new vocalist], Undying Inc are readying their new album. 

Ion Dissonance ”“ “The Surge”

They’re a major influence. All the new wave of death/math/tech bands today owe this band and the entire Montreal scene a huge one. Like some ominous sounding alien machinery gone mad, this song exemplifies that doing breakdowns is not a simple job. It refuses to leave my head or at least won’t leave until a new Ion Dissonance album comes out and blows it away.

 

Keith Merrow, Jeff Hughell(Decrepit Birth) & Wes Hauch(The Faceless) ”“ “Top Romulan”

This is executed with precision and complete bad-assery by masters of their instruments. This track left me gobsmacked and I can’t wait for the more extreme Keith Merrow stuff. Also, as nerdy as this may sound, the title is total Star Trek reference WIN!

 

The HAARP Machine ”“ “Lower The Populace”

Our drummer Nishant is a huge Alex Rudinger fan and recently got me listening to THM a lot more. Superlative playing and deep musicianship there. This song pretty much defines the one stop solution to all of our country’s problems.  Government-developed secret virus, where are you?

 

Spawn Of Possession ”“ “Where Angels Go, Demons Follow”

Absolutely mental. Ticks the right check box for me from word go. Spawn Of Possession take in all the best bits of technical brutal death metal and create a ridiculous masterpiece. I had no idea when I met the insanely talented and down to earth Christian Muenzner (of tech death metal band Obscura) that he would one day be doing this. Incurso is a mind-altering album.

 

Meshuggah ”“ “Concatenation (Remix)”

Dug this one out again. That tone, plus a warship-sized groove. This is a remix done the right way with slower tempo that will compel you to bang your head persistently. Blasting it out of the car stereo helps me deal with the everyday commute.

 

Blotted Science ”“ “Brain Fingerprinting”

Webster + Jarzombek. Enough said. Creepy tech metal that will crawl up your spine like insects under your skin and induce uncontrollable fits and seizures. It’s been a mainstay in my playlist ever since I first discovered The Machinations Of Dementia in 2009. Not advisable if you have arachnophobia, though.

 

The Monolith Deathcult ”“ “Gods Amongst Insects”

Had the good fortune of sharing the same festival billing with these guys at Inferno. Epic death metal made even more epic with the voice over by Peter Cullen (also the voice of Optimus Prime) A monolithic epic sound that will truly makes the average human feel like an insignificant little ant. Did I mention Epic?

 

Evan Brewer – Actualize

A track to soothe my nerves at the end of a hectic day. I am a huge admirer of Evan’s talent and drive. Besides his work with The Faceless and T.R.A.M, his recent solo album Alone is an absolute must listen for any bassist worth the salt on his fingers.

 

The Dillinger Escape Plan ”“ “One of Us Is The Killer”

Not like I like using unnecessary expletives to make a point, but these guys truly do not give a flying fuck and have no rules whatsoever to their music. The title track off their new album is deft with honest songwriting that sucks you into the limbo of a strange, disturbing Hitchcockian murder mystery, in a way only DEP can.

 

Slayer & Atari Teenage Riot (Spawn soundtrack) ”“ “No Remorse/ I Wanna Die”

Spawn Soundtrack was on one of the most important crossover records of the Nineties and that tape still holds prime position in my record collection. Still remember what a huge debate this nasty track sparked off between Slayer fans. What a criminally underrated track. Dubstep party DJs, go back to your mommies and let these guys show you how a truly brutal remix is done. R.I.P Jeff Hanneman

 

Mark Snow ”“ “X-Files Theme”

This is one of the most iconic and timeless themes I’ve ever heard. Recently rediscovered this while watching The X-Files rerun, got all nostalgic and realized just how much ahead of its time this show was. Creepy, weird, dark and evil, it comes into its own when you’re alone. Just turn off all the lights and play it on loop. Remember, the truth is out there.

 

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