Premiere: Chicago-Based Metal Artist Vivek Paul Aims for Grandiosity on ‘Island of Hope’

A part of the Pune music circuit for over a decade, guitarist and vocalist Vivek Paul moved to Chicago for further educational and professional commitments in 2018 but he didn’t leave any of his music behind. Bassist with metal bands like Pantheon, The Oceans Unmoving and rock act Numbskull, Paul chipped away at material which was written as early as 2008. He channels modern metal, power metal and more on “Island of Hope,” the first of two songs which thematically create an EP.

He says there’s definitely a sense of closure in being able to bring these songs out. He adds, “The second song is called ‘Watching From The Light Tower’ and was actually written much more recently, in 2019. However, lyrically the song is a continuation of ‘Island of Hope,’ albeit from a much more jaded viewpoint, almost as an antithesis to the hope and optimism of the first track. I’m happy I was able to weave a cohesive story with these two songs while still keeping a very distinct sound for each track.”

Originally written with members of Pantheon, “Island of Hope” seems to retain the production quality and although it doesn’t exactly do Paul’s underconfident vocals any favors, the fist-tight rhythms and airy keyboard portions keep things interesting for any fan of heavy metal as well as metalcore. The artist says about influences, “As a band we drew a lot of inspiration from symphonic/power metal bands like Kamelot and Sonata Arctica, but also from more groove oriented bands like Pantera, Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God; I think ‘Island of Hope’ kind of reflects that variety of influences in some shape or form.”

Lyrically, Paul takes influence from fantasy novels and concept albums written by power metal bands as well as his own life’s journey “and the new experiences that lay ahead.” As an artist who’s still steadily gaining his confidence in terms of production and helming multiple roles for his solo project, Paul says he’s pulling out several ideas from the last decade and pushing them to completion, alongside new material. “At least I’m at a point where I can listen to my own mixes without cringing. I hope to be able to bring all these songs to life in time,” he adds.

Listen to “Island of Hope” below. Stream/buy on Bandcamp and on other platforms here.