Exclusive Premiere: Inner Sanctum Uncover ‘The Face of Evil’ in Final Song with Vocalist Gaurav Basu

Bengaluru metal juggernauts Inner Sanctum go for one last round with vocalist Gaurav Basu on their latest song “The Face of Evil,” which also features German drumming virtuoso Marco Minnemann (from acts like The Aristocrats).

Basu – also a visual artist and illustrator under the moniker Acid Toad – announced in September that he was exiting Inner Sanctum after 16 years as vocalist, owing to a “shift in priorities.” He said, “The things that brought me joy about being in a band no longer excite my senses […] Very bluntly put I just do not enjoy this anymore.” Grateful for his time and work with Inner Sanctu, while he may no longer be a stage performer, Basu promised he will continue to be involved in the music scene as a visual artist and designer.

Guitarist Chintan Chinnappa says about the exit of their frontman, “It has been a fun ride with Gaurav as our frontman. It feels like just yesterday that this shy chap auditioned for the role in our jam room. We wish him the best! [This] was the last track we worked with Gaurav and it was only fitting that we pay homage to the Sanctum that was, and make way for what the future holds.”

Inner Sanctum make “The Face of Evil” count just as much as they have with their previous single, “Divided by Hate” from 2020. With Minnemann’s keen drum work, the band’s new song is just as powerful and socio-politically conscious as before, but with more grandiose, anthem-like elements. The band says the song was conceptualized and recorded while they were auditioning for new drummers – they now have Ujwal K.S. behind the kit for them.

The description for the song on YouTube mentions, “While exploring the possibilities of working with drummers abroad, Marco Minneman was a unanimous choice, primarily because he was not limited to the confines of traditional metal drumming. Marco was gracious enough to agree to work with us, and as expected, blew us away with his interpretation of our music.”

While not intentionally anthem-like – since Chinnappa says “nothing about our songwriting is intentional” – “The Face of Evil” is among the more compact, but blistering Inner Sanctum songs. It’s going to be a while before it gets debuted live – Sanctum are announced to play at the Indiegaga festival tour edition in the coming months – but the guitarist says they’re on the lookout for a new frontman. He adds, “India definitely has a dearth of good frontmen. So we are keeping our options wide open. We definitely won’t get on stage, until we find the right fit. Wait till the end of the month for a proper announcement. Our fans will not be disappointed!”

Watch the lyric video for “The Face of Evil” ft. Marco Minnemann below. Stream the song here.