Gutslit Reunite with Vocalist Aditya Barve

At their first gig of 2021 in Mumbai on January 31st, brutal death metallers Gutslit welcomed back vocalist Aditya Barve to the fold with renewed energy. The band announced that Bengaluru-based Kaushal L.S. (from thrash-death metal band Godless, Bengaluru metal acts Eccentric Pendulum and Maneating Orchid) exited on January 25th, but founder and bassist Gurdip Singh Narang says it was something they had discussed since the middle of 2020.

Hinting that the pandemic pervaded into their decision to part ways with Kaushal, Narang adds, “The lockdown definitely changed perceptions. We had a good discussion, it was about how things are working in terms of logistics and moving around, schedules and multiple bands. It wasn’t exactly a good or easy decision but it was a strong decision we called for.” Kaushal added in his statement online, “It’s been a remarkable run with Gutslit for me over the years. We got to play some really great shows and festivals, and tour a ton of cities and countries. I’ll always cherish that. But the time has come for me to move on. I wish the band the very best with all their future pursuits.”

Barve – who had left Gutslit in early 2016 to focus on professional commitments – was amongst the choices for vocalist once again because the band believed in giving him another shot. Interestingly, at Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Pune in December 2019, Barve joined Kaushal and the rest of the band on stage for the most part of their set, but Narang says this was only a coincidence. “It was more of a celebration, since it was the biggest festival gig in India for us and that was actually more about having Vignesh [Venkatraman, guitarist] on board,” the bassist says.

For his part, Barve says he’s returning to Gutslit fully aware of the standard that Kaushal has set, whether it’s fronting the band through marathon Europe tours or putting down pulverizing vocals on 2017’s album Amputheatre. While steadying himself with his job as public relations manager at underground metal label Transcending Obscurity, Barve says he also received a positive talk from drummer Aaron Pinto much before he was asked to rejoin the band. “I was going through a bad phase and I remember he gave me some words of wisdom, which kind of helped me get through that phase. I told him, ‘Life mein kuch slam karneka hai [It’s time to slam in life]’”

When the time came, Barve says his own intentions as a growler had changed, informed by the various bands discovered via his work at Transcending Obscurity. Nevertheless, he does admit getting back on stage last week made him a tad nervous. “It was an honor that they asked me,” he says. With the lineup readjusted once again – guitarist Prateek Rajagopal shifted to the U.S. for a music degree in 2019 – Narang says their next album is already written, with guitars, drums and bass already tracked. He adds, “We have a good momentum going from here.” 

Gutslit are slated to perform in Hyderabad on February 19th and in Bengaluru on February 21st. Details TBA.