Outrage Festival Announces Comeback with Bhayanak Maut, Gutslit, Colossal Figures and More

The fifth edition of New Delhi’s Outrage Festival returns after a six-year gap on August 12th, featuring a heavy-hitter lineup of Indian metal from across eras. Seasoned acts like Bhayanak Maut and Gutslit take top billing, alongside the return of the New Delhi artist collective Capital Metal Party and prog band Colossal Figures. Gangtok, Sikkim noise/experimental/grind act Konflicts and Mumbai metallers Midhaven round out the festival, which takes place at Imperfecto in Gurugram.

Outrage Festival founder and organizer Karan Mehta – now also running event and artist company BlueTree – says that following the Oddball Festival in New Delhi, he knew there was “definitely a need of a good metal outing for the Delhi fans.” Mehta, who is also making a return to stage with Colossal Figures, adds, “Budgets and decently sized indoor venues are mostly some of the challenges for a metal show in Delhi. We are doing this on a Saturday so it’s most convenient for everyone.”

Outrage Festival, which has hosted everyone from Undying Inc. to Bengaluru-based folk-groove metallers The Down Troddence and several more along the way, last took place in 2017 in New Delhi. This time around, it’s taking place to mark launch gigs for Bhayanak Maut – on the back of releasing their single “Just A Metal Kid” – and Gutslit, who just released their third album Carnal.

Beyond the Mumbai bands, Capital Metal Party pay tribute to their heroes, led by vocalist Shashank Bhatnagar (formerly of Undying Inc.), guitarist Shashvat Pandit (from metal bands like Rabbit Is Rich and hardcore act Grammy Winning Effort) and drummer Vishesh Singh (from folk-metallers Bloodywood and prog death metal band Fragarak), among others. Mehta says the idea to bring Capital Metal Party and Colossal Figures on the lineup was to feature Delhi bands who are still in the minds of metal fans in the city. “The idea with bringing Outrage back was to bring the sense of community that has been missing lately,” Mehta adds.

With Colossal Figures, the return to stage in nearly five years remains in memory of late vocalist Govid Marodia, who passed away in 2015. At previous gigs, everyone from Dhairya Sethi (from metallers Rabbit Is Rich) to multiple guest vocalists have filled the space and Mehta confirms that Sethi will be on the mic at Outrage Festival with Colossal Figures. The band will mark nine years since the release of their debut album Clockwork Dilation, which will soon be available on streaming platforms. “We wanted Govind’s legacy and his music to reach audiences all over the world and we felt like this would be a good opportunity to announce the same,” Mehta adds.

For Midhaven, Outrage Festival also marks a homecoming of sorts for their drummer Aviraj Kumar, who currently resides in Malaysia. Performing their 2022 album Of the Lotus & the Thunderbolt, guitarist-vocalist Karan Kaul says he’s excited to perform back in Delhi after nearly a decade. “It’s the best feeling on Earth [to play with Kumar back on drums]. He came back from Malaysia to play in Andheri [earlier this month], so I can’t wait for him to play in his actual hometown,” he adds.

Outrage Festival ft Bhayanak Maut, Gutslit, Capital Metal Party, Colossal Figures, Midhaven, Konflicts takes place on August 12th at Imperfecto Patio, Gurugram. Get tickets here.