Hear Dubai Metal Band White Morgue’s Scorching Debut Single ‘Truth Lies’

For the longest time, Mysore-bred vocalist Manav Chawla always wanted to form a metal band of his own. When he moved to Dubai in 2018 his search began. After a few failed attempts, he lost hope and settled in playing for Bollywood cover bands. However, when he performed at his university’s talent show, he came across guitarist Suyash Bhagat shredding to a backing track. Chawla says, “I had no idea a guitarist of that caliber existed in my uni. I approached him immediately and asked if he wanted to be a part of my metal project.” The singer soon roped in guitarist Mehdi Riaz, bassist Nima Seddighi and drummer Anshul Dagg to complete the lineup for his metal outfit White Morgue. Recently, the band released their sweltering debut single “Truth Lies.”

During the pandemic, White Morgue began working on song ideas. Initially, “Truth Lies” stemmed from an Instagram riff they posted that received a positive response. Riaz says, “We had the song thought out by mid-September with a lot of structural changes since the original idea.”

While “Truth Lies” includes blistering guitar riffage, throbbing drum and bass parts as well as headbanging growls and a scrumptious solo, there’s also somber moments during the song. Chawla says, “Lyrically, ‘Truth Lies’ in itself, is an oxymoron that conveys the contrast in an individual’s thoughts through life and afterlife.” He adds, “It focuses on superficial aspects of life such as predestined fate and urges the listener to break out of this infinite cycle to take life in their own hands.”

The band recorded the song at Riaz’s home studio and the guitarist also produced, mixed and mastered the track. Chawla tracked his vocals from India and stayed in close contact with his bandmates over Zoom calls. Bhagat says, “We’ve been very lucky to have members that have a range of different important skills to help create the music without resorting to outside help.”

Ask the band about the Dubai metal scene and Seddighi says, “It is like a family, though not very large it’s very welcoming and everyone is your friend at shows.” The bassist explains that the scene was at its peak during the years of musical festival Desert Rock which took place from 2004 to 2009. More recently, they’ve also been treated to European acts such as Omnium Gatherum, Shokran, Hypocrisy, Insomnium, October Tide and others performing in Dubai. Bhagat adds, “All the bands [in Dubai], old and new, are very supportive of each other. It’s common to see musicians and fans talking, networking, sharing ideas and just drinking and having a good time at local gigs, even if the venues aren’t always packed.”

While the band plans on writing and releasing more music, they also want to be heard not just in the United Arab Emirates and India but across other countries too. Performing at major festivals is also on their agenda. Bhagat says, “We’ve reached a point as a band where we’re able to communicate ideas and coordinate very efficiently.”

Stream “Truth Lies” on Spotify below and on other platforms.