New Music: From Jaipur Metal to Kochi Prog and more

“Whiplash Motif” by Demigod

After releasing their debut music video “Cure of my Sickness” last year, Jaipur metalcore band Demigod come back with an even more staunch salute to the melodic abrasiveness of bands like As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red and find their own voice in the process as well. On the title track to their upcoming EP, Demigod strike a polished balanced between what they like to call “trance and wrath” with ambient metal.

“Could It Be True” by Blank Planet

In the process of seeking purpose and meaning in life and answering the typical “bigger questions,” Kochi prog band Blank Planet are certainly playing to their sonic strengths more than anything too lyrically strong. Mixed and mastered by Kochi recording engineer Vivek Thomas, Blank Planet bring crushing, complex and ever-morphing rhythmic movements on their new track “Could It Be True,” off their upcoming EP Half Chained.

“Hear The Silence” by The Free Fall

Kochi experimental duo Abhilash Choudhury and Vaisakh Somanath get dreamy and smooth on their first official release “Hear the Silence.” It’s a head nod-worthy beat that’s fed over the duo’s easygoing vocals, and it’s only in the middle of the track that they throw in Tamil lyrics over the trippy track which expresses the importance of silence.

“Thandi Hawa” by Mangesh

Although it’s a home-recording, that’s more than enough for Mumbai-based producer, singer and guitarist Mangesh Gandhi. The frontman of prog rock band Coshish, who recently produced instrumental rock band Across Seconds’ debut EP Four Light Years From Home, weaves together a stirring string section over a simple but effective acoustic guitar riff and his inimitable vocals.

“Angel Dust” by Biswarup Gupta

For those who remember New Delhi guitarist Biswarup Gupta for his shimmering guitar work as a solo artist with songs like “Mariner,” there’s a very different side to him on his latest offering, “Angel Dust.” The guitarist for groove/tech metal band Undying Inc. plays soulfully and evocatively, summoning a psychedelic instrumental sound, set to home-shot visual footage of hallucinations and their effect on the human psyche.

SkyEyes EP by SkyEyes

New Delhi blues rock act Big Bang Blues have been steadily re-establishing themselves in the country, but they’re clearly not content yet. To give an outlet to their psychedelic blues rock side, the band has launched their new project SkyEyes. On their debut self-titled EP, they’re at their incendiary best, going from rock ballads (“Betrayal”) to folksy blues (“Last Train”) and soaring modern-leaning numbers like “Letter To My Father” and “Mad Man’s Tale.”