Heavy Metal Thunder

Having traversed the path from the ”˜covers playing college band’ status to being in the Top 10 of various US Radio Stations, the decade-old Kryptos have steered themselves into that distinctive place in the underground heavy metal scene in India. An amalgamation of old school rock embedded with their original flair has textured their music to create an inimitable style. “One will find traces of influence from Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and many others from the Eighties, a clear Golden Era of music,” says Nolan Lewis, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band. “It’s a curry of old school music we grew up on along with our own style. It is melodic thrash metal which is a breather from genres like death metal,” he emphasises.

The first Indian metal band to be signed by an international music label, Old School Metal Records, broke new ground at Kyra, Bengaluru on August 10. Lewis, guitarist Rohit Chaturvedi, bassist Jayawant Tewari and drummer Ryan Colaco rocked their fans into a complete frenzy with their two albums, Spiral Ascent and The Ark of Gemini. This performance ”“ also recorded for a live DVD ”“ was the first heavy metal performance at Kyra. The band was noticeably excited about the endeavour which has pitched them on top of the line of all Indian bands to have a live DVD recording.

The show commenced with a drumming workshop by Ryan Colaco, endorsed by Vic Firth drumsticks and Mapex drums. The workshop included a mix of novices and esteemed drummers from other local bands, where Colaco touched upon basics of holding the sticks, accenting, some exercising tricks and correlating drumming to talking and setting a rhythmic flow for oneself. Colaco asserted that the correct phrasing can only be achieved by playing along favourite songs and complementing the guitarists of your own band, by getting a grip to their flow.

The band took the stage with their first album Spiral Ascent with the gritty metal voice of Lewis paying a tribute to one of the original band members. The album which created a legion of Indian fans across the world drifted between fast-paced beats and melodious respites and finished with the eight songs, with the fans craving for more. The band then stormed the stage with their second album, The Ark of Gemini, taking the crowd in a hedonistic metal plunge, as their perspired fingers moved with velocity to craft a soulful medley of melodic and extreme metal. It was an electrifying performance with their iconic style of building tempo and plugging in soulful melodies. “The excitement and the fire from the evening should find itself burnt in DVDs nationally by October,” said a thrilled Lewis.

Kryptos is looking at 2010 with unstoppable ferocity with the launch of their third album in April. The band is also touring for numerous gigs across Germany and Czech Republic with their growing popularity in the Western part of the world.