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Drowning Pool to Headline IIT Delhi’s Blitzkrieg in October

The American metal/hard rock band will make their India debut in the capital as part of the college cultural festival Rendezvous

Sep 10, 2016
Drowning Pool will make their India debut in October. Photo: Courtesy of Adrenaline PR

Drowning Pool will make their India debut in October. Photo: Courtesy of Adrenaline PR

More international artists are making their way to India in the upcoming quarter, with American metal act Drowning Pool confirmed to perform at IIT Delhi’s annual cultural festival Rendezvous’ band performance event Blitzkrieg on October 21st.

The band, best known for hits such as “Bodies” and “Tear Away” from their 2001 album Sinner, comprises guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton and drummer Mike Luce ”“ all founding members ”“ and vocalist Jasen Moreno, who joined the band in 2012. The band’s aggressive-emo energy made them identifiable with the nu-metal movement of the early 2000s, but the Dallas, Texas-based band later progressed to much jumpier hard rock and metal that received regular radio play in the U.S. ”“ from “37 Stitches” (off 2007’s Full Circle) to the high-charting “Feel Like I Do” (from their 2010 album Drowning Pool).

Also known for their 2002 opening theme “The Game” for pro wrestler Triple H on WWF: Forceable Entry, Drowning Pool also recently received press spotlight after 82-year-old Colorado resident John Hetlinger covered “Bodies” on America’s Got Talent. Hetlinger joined the band on stage for a special performance in Chicago earlier this year.

Drowning Pool is one more of the big names IIT Delhi has hosted as part of Blitzkrieg. In 2010, Dutch prog metallers Textures headlined the show and American rockers Hoobastank returned to India in 2013 for a show, while UK metal act Cypher16 performed in 2012. The festival roped in Chennai alt rockers Junkyard Groove to headline last year’s edition, but Rendezvous’ overall coordinator Rishabh Sanghi says they always want an international headliner. “One of the reasons for that is because Blitzkrieg is also a band competition, so we want to give Indian bands the opportunity to share the stage with an international act,” says Sanghi.

Although they were originally in talks with prog artist Steven Wilson (who will now perform at Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Shillong next month and in Pune in December), Sanghi had help from Bengaluru-based event company Bohemian Live (organizers of annual music festival CultFest) to choose headliners for Blitzkrieg. Sanghi adds, “There’s a lot of constraints, budgets to artists telling us they don’t want a one-off gig. Plus, we look at how popular the band is. Turns out Delhi is in Drowning Pool’s top viewer demographics on YouTube.”

Tickets for Blitzkrieg will be free and offered via registrations, with first preference for college students. Stay tuned for more details here and on the IIT Delhi Rendezvous Facebook page.

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