New Metal You Should Be Blasting Right Now

“Maraud” by Arseniic

Guwahati metallers Arseniic are the kind of band who will tide you over until new music from Swedish metal giants Meshuggah arrives next year. Seemingly taking influence every step of the way, Arseniic – who came together in 2013 – run riot on their latest single “Maraud.” There’s punishing, overbearing chaotic riffs that definitely answer the question “Does it djent?” but Arseniic take things up a notch by constantly shifting tempos and ramping up a mind-bending aural attack through the course of five minutes.

“Bataille De Camerone” by Mutiny

Bengaluru-based multi-instrumentalist Sonaksh Singh Rawat pieces together stories of the bravest warriors and armed forces across the ages for his upcoming album The Last Stand. While his 2019 singles “Saragarhi” and “Ambush at Shanghani” transport listeners from war sites in what is present day Pakistan to Zimbabwe, the third release “Bataille De Camerone” talks about a 19th century battle between French Legionnaires and Mexican soldiers, set to dragging riffs and extreme metal songwriting, complete with a searing guitar solo to cap it off.

“Persevere” by Oceans Were Ink ft. Jacob Umansky

Out of the town of Kodungallur in Thrissur, Kerala, Oceans Were Ink clearly made the most of an internet collaboration and invited New York bassist Jacob Umansky (from prog band Intervals) to feature on their new single “Persevere.” Structurally bringing together all the makings of a solid prog metal song – from the moody clean guitar melodies to the fist-tight rhythmic patterns over riffs and impassioned vocals – Oceans Were Ink is a must-hear for fans of Skyharbor, Tesseract and Monuments.

Emergence EP by Lotus

On their long-anticipated debut EP Emergence that’s been released track by track across a year, Lotus dive into electronic, post-rock and modern metal territory across four songs. Produced by post-rock band Aswekeepsearching’s Shubham Gurung, guitarists Siddharth Amarnath and Robert Alex (from Aswekeepsearching as well as metallers Noiseware), Lotus traverse moods with great aid from textural patterns (“Vision,” “Wither”) but are also sometimes rooted in memorable riffs, like the opening to “Castles.” The yearning thematic sound of “Intact,” on the other hand, recounts post-rock heavyweights such as Caspian and 65daysofstatic.

“Freedom” by Groovy Noodles ft. Purbayan Chatterjee, John Paul and Smarajeet Bhattacharya

Groovy Noodles is an experimental and instrumental-dabbling duo comprising drummer Aritra Basu (from instrumental band Letterz, metallers Yonsample and more) and guitarist Rickraj Nath and their debut single “Freedom” clearly meant to make a mark. Hopping from jazz-rock to prog to metal and psychedelic passages, the duo invites sitar ace Purbayan Chatterjee for an astounding lead, supported by bassist-guitarist John Paul and keyboardist Smarajeet Bhattacharya. With a space exploration visual aesthetic, Groovy Noodles certainly elevate their status right out the door with “Freedom.”

“Aidrop” by Axolotl

A new project started by members of New Delhi/Bengaluru rock/metal band Frostcraft, Axolotl seems to channel everything anyone liked about early 2000s rock (the kind that was called “post-grunge”), post-hardcore and metal with a new song every week so far. While songs like “Hollow” offer more emo hues and “Tender” features bursts of energy, “Airdrop” builds up steadily to a very worthy metalcore breakdown. The music is all produced inhouse, with vocalist Arindam Chowdhury handling mixing duties while guitarist Atanu Sarkar mastered the tracks.

“Secrets” by WAV

Formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, New Delhi metallers WAV have a bit of legacy behind them. Bassist Karthik Nanda and drummer Krishnan Natarajan originally made their name with prog metal band Decibel. With their latest project WAV, they’re joined by guitarist Siddharth and vocalist Ankit Kumar. Their debut single, “Secrets,” rightly shows them performing in their own spaces for a song that recalls all the best elements of dark, heavy metal, built like a tank on bludgeoning riffage and galloping drum work.