Album Review: Frequency ”“ Burning Miles EP

Delhi electro metal band Frequency

[easyreview cat1title = “Burning Miles” cat1rating = 3/5]

Burning Miles EP

What is it about bands from the capital? Is it a case of complacency or just pure bad luck? Delhi electro metal band Frequency broke out after competing at Channel [V]’s battle of the bands TV show Launchpad in 2007, but it’s taken them until 2013 to release a CD. Sure, there was a single for their most famous song, “Drown,” released soon after Launchpad. The constant lineup changes – original vocalist Rony Benjamin left in 2007 and electro/samples in-charge Akshay Raheja left in 2011 – and band members taking a break meant fans never tuned in beyond “Drown,” and possibly, their second single, “Stook Knife.”

The ”˜new’ Frequency, which includes drummer Varun Sood, bassist Ashish Sharma, kick off their first EP, Burning Miles, with a reworked, extended version of “Drown.” The version is not too different in terms of samples, but is heavier [vocalist Lalit Mehta’s growls kick off the song in true metal style] and more refined in production. It’s still got those old turntable scratching from Raheja on “Drown,”  but their new DJ Abhishek Jha aka East Stepper adds his touch on the second track, “Against the Law,” an alt-rock leaning track, which features the dubstep squelch matching breakdowns by guitarist Kushal Thapa.

The final track, which is a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” in the style of British electro post-hardcore band Enter Shikari, is another set staple straight from the 2007 days of the band and probably won over audiences at various college competitions. That alone warrants inclusion on this EP, but still doesn’t explain why a seven-year-old band’s debut EP would include just three tracks. We’re hoping it’s a teaser to the band’s new, polished sound, before a full-length album is recorded and released.

Burning Miles EP is a too short to gauge whether they’re headed in a new direction. But if anyone ever heard of that one nu-metal band from Launchpad and Campus Rock Idols ages ago that they liked, there are still signs of that on this EP.