Djentleman’s Club: Immoral Values

Immoral Values - Dushyant Chaudhary, Aditya Bali, Aashish Bhatla and Rohan Daniel (from left). Photo: Rishi Baruah

Who: The instrumental prog metal band started out in 2010 as guitarist Rohan Daniel’s solo project. Says Daniel, “I did not begin recruiting [members] because I was writing material for the EP.” In the midst of studying production and music at Delhi’s Beat Factory Academy and setting up his own studio, Sidechain Audio, Daniel finally roped in neighborhood friends such as drummer Aditya Bali, bassist Dushyant Chaudhary and guitarist Aashish Bhatla. Immoral Values’s debut EP Pixels released in May 2014, followed by their full-length album, Default, in December.
Why Djent? Says Daniel, “The Progressive metal/rock tag keeps me in a safe place, where I can easily progress with the type of music I want to deliver.” The guitarist-producer started listening to prog metal and djent in late 2008. Adds Daniel, “When I see bands using a different approach of making and playing songs live, that makes it interesting for me to be indulged in that type of music.”
Spin this: Their new album Default marks a big improvement for the band compared to their debut Pixels, with the addition of members and better production value. The nine-minute mammoth “Jaggarnath” piles polyrhythm upon polyrhythm, incorporating everything from light synth sections, clean guitars to all-out double-bass drumming.