Light and Dark

One of the best compliments you can pay any band is to tell them that they are tight as a live act. And that is one badge that Mumbai-based extreme metallers Infernal Wrath have been wearing with pride ever since they came together early 2005. Much has been spoken about drummer Prashant “JP” Paradkar (ex-Disembodied Corpse, ex-Demonic Resurrection) and his almost legendary drumming. More than one person has mentioned vocalist Afaque Azad (ex-Blood Bath Regiment) and the word “scary” in the same line. Pradeep Pande (ex-Demonic Resurrection) and his riffing again are well-known. The band ”“ completed by Amnish Lohire on guitars, Vian Fernandes on bass and Sushan Shetty on keyboards ”“ has just released their debut album, Inside of Me, close to five years after inception. “Money was a big issue,” says Prashant “JP” Paradkar, explaining why it took them so long. “We spent almost 2.5 lakhs on this album. So we were busy playing gigs and playing competitions to make and save money to pay for it.”

The result is an impressive set of tunes impeccably mixed by Anupam Roy. The interesting twist is how Infernal Wrath chooses to alternate every heavy track with an ambient soundscape-y one. “45 minutes of only metal could get heavy,” explains Paradkar. “The ambient tracks while adding to the story we are telling, also serve the purpose of transitioning from one heavy track to another. By the time you reach the next heavy track, the sound of the previous heavy track should be totally wiped out in your head.” Speaking about the inspiration behind Inside of Me, Paradkar says that while the band was started off covering death metal bands, they were sure that they “didn’t want to write songs about death, about killings and all that.” Instead, they turned to inspirations closer to themselves. “We are from different religions, I’m Hindu, Afaque is Muslim. So we all knew our respective books, the stories, the prophecies. And we decided to write our own story out of it all,” he explains.

The band’s been playing the new tracks live and the response has been encouraging. “I think the crowds have had the patience to listen to all of it,” says Paradkar. “Yes, there is criticism too. We’ve had people telling us we should get a belly dancer on stage for the ambient tracks, but it doesn’t bother us. We are doing what we love.”