Listen: Dubai Metal Band Kaihon’s Debut Single “Pathological”

Kaihon – Bassem Farra, Lalit Mehta and Jude Mascarenhas (from left). Photo: Vishal Bhandari. Editing: Atonal Indian

When Delhi-based singer Lalit Mehta moved to Dubai in March last year, he called time on his electro metal band Frequency, with other members also leaving the band to focus on their careers. Says Mehta,”Today, the band is not active and isn’t working on anything. We would love to jam, when we all are together in Delhi or restart what we left, if we plan relocate to Delhi in future.”

Once in Dubai, Mehta knew he wanted to continue writing and creating music, but he had to start from scratch. Says the vocalist, “It was like a fresh start. Personal life, professional life and music ”“ a clean slate.” Mehta looked up musician groups on Facebook and attended a few shows before school friends and guitarists Jude Mascarenhas and Bassem Farra came across Mehta’s vocal cover of American metalcore band Killswitch Engage’s “In Due Time” and asked him to join their band, Kaihon. Formed in mid-2014, Kaihon, which translates to “everything in one” in the language of Esperanto.

For Kaihon’s lead single, “Pathological,” Mascarenhas and Farra recorded guitars, bass and programmed drums at their home studio in Dubai while Mehta headed back to Delhi for a break and recorded vocals with prog metal band Skyharbor’s guitarist Keshav Dhar at Illusion Studios in December. Mehta adds that the upcoming Kaihon EP, due in the first half of this year, will include guest vocals by Delhi groove/tech metal band Undying Inc.’s vocalist Shashank Bhatnagar as well. While “Pathological” takes a straight-up groove metal route, the band says they don’t want to be pigeonholed into any particular sub-genre. Says Farra, “Nothing is ruled out when it comes to the music that is being written ”“ electronic, synth and otherwise. As long as it sounds good to us.”

Listen to “Pathological”