Exclusive Stream: Bengaluru Metal Project Despite Earth Makes Scorching Debut on ‘Akrasia’

Started in 2019 by guitarist-producer Biswajit Misra, prog project Despite Earth now has a mind-bending riff-fest to its credit with the song “Akrasia.” Part of Despite Earth’s upcoming psychology concept-driven debut EP Apotheosis, Misra invites Bengaluru-based drummer Sange Wangchuk to meet his grooves across four tracks.

Informed by metal favorites like Meshuggah, Monuments, TesseracT and Tool, Misra began writing and recording songs with Wangchuk in the former’s apartment. “Together we ended up writing close to 10  songs. All the songs were written with vocals in mind, But we could not really find the right vocalist who could do justice to the songs. So I decided to release the songs as an Instrumental EP. I shortlisted four songs that I think best describe the sound I had in mind for the EP,” Misra says.

The concept for Apotheosis revolves around four major Jungian archetypes – the self, the persona, the shadow and the animus. “Akrasia,” which clocks in at nearly six minutes, is based on the shadow archetype as propounded by Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. While there are pacier and slow-cooked songs alike on Apotheosis, “Akrasia” clearly lives up to its definition – a lack of self-control.

Misra says he was listening to a lot of Monuments and TesseracT and changed guitar tuning on his newly acquired seven-string while writing the riffs for “Akrasia.” He adds, “This song is an attempt to tell a story of a person who is confronted by his shadow archetype and the dialogue that takes place between the two.” The song offers pounding groove upon groove, Misra and Wangchuk occasionally simmering down to build their way up again in typical modern prog fashion.

“Akrasia” will release on streaming platforms on October 30th, with the full EP – mixed and mastered by Mumbai-based, New Delhi-bred producer-guitarist Keshav Dhar – out in November. Misra is also slated to release a playthrough video for “Akrasia” next week.

Listen to “Akrasia” below. Pre-save the song here.