Exclusive Stream: Bengaluru Metallers Quarantine’s Groove Monster ‘Psychoactive Substances’

Bengaluru groove metal band Quarantine – (clockwise from top left) Akash Shivakumar, Sukruth Mallesh, Siddhanth Sarkar, Shreyas Ramesh and Kiran Kumar. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Although attendance at regular metal shows has been a cause for concern for a while now, Bengaluru groove metal band Quarantine had high hopes from their album launch show last week at Indigo Live Music Bar. Supported by city prog band Traces, they expected at least over a 100 to show up. Quarantine guitarist and founder Sukruth Mallesh says, “The turnout was around 80 or 90 people, which was still decent.”

What was more important was the composition of the crowd. The band drew their own fan base rather than just family, friends or members from other metal bands. “They’re all people who’ve actually liked the music,” says Mallesh, attributing their following to playing a host of college gigs in the last four years. Owing to lineup changes and Mallesh’s own commitments as a commercial singer, guitarist and student at composer A.R. Rahman’s KM Conservatory of Music in Chennai, the band has had a slow couple of years. Mallesh adds, “We played two gigs last year, but between 2012 and 2013, we played two gigs nearly every week. We used to play a lot of college shows, so I think most of the fans are from back then.”

Quarantine also had Adarsh Recording Studios ”“ run by Mallesh’s father ”“ at their disposal to record the seven-track Decadence. While the studio has hosted city metallers like Bevar Sea, Kryptos and Inner Sanctum, Mallesh recalls that Quarantine recording sessions served as the first test for drum production. With a few ups and down in recording all their parts ”“ and being without a vocalist for nearly two years before Siddhanth Sarkar joined last August ”“ the band sent over their tracks to Delhi producer-guitarist Keshav Dhar (from prog rock/metal band Skyhabor) in July this year. “He heard the tracks and was super interested,” says Mallesh. The full album will release online next week.

One of the earliest songs, “Psychoactive Substances,” is one of the band’s favorites. Originally written in 2011 by Mallesh, it got new lyrics when Sarkar joined the band. “He wrote about how substances control people, not just drugs. The whole album is about that, in a way,” Mallesh adds. The three-minute track latches on to an extraordinarily angry groove and packs in a solo along with a few metalcore elements.

Listen to “Psychoactive Substances” here. Buy the album here.