Photos: G-Shock Presents Rolling Stone Metal Awards 2015

The Demonstealer aka Sahil Makhija at the Rolling Stone Metal Awards 2015. Photo: Himanshu Rohilla.

Just as host and bassist Rohit P-Man Pereira reminded a fan in his own uncanny humor, the Rolling Stone Metal Awards were just as much about the awards as it is about the performances. At the sixth edition, Pereira was at his funniest best as he cracked wise about everything from how the night’s opening act, Mumbai instrumental metal act The Minerva Conduct, were kind of like Demonic Resurrection minus frontman Sahil Makhija and made an in-joke with Virendra Kaith, winner of the Best Drummer award with DR, about their previous band, death metallers Exhumation.
The sixth edition’s performance lineup was one that pleased newbies and regulars of the scene alike, with the Mumbai debut of The Minerva Conduct, the return of Pune metallers Abraxas, who hit hard with everything from their seven-year-long catalog of songs and their new single “Deviation,” and Delhi prog metallers Colossal Figures, who had a tight set comprising songs off their debut album Clockwork Dilation. Bengaluru death/thrash metallers Inner Sanctum closed the awards night, with a groove-heavy, non-stop double-bass bashing set, kicking off with one of their best known songs yet, “Agent of Chaos.”

While DR walked away with six awards at RSMA, a close second were prog metallers Skyharbor, who are currently a few thousand miles away on tour and unable to receive any of their four awards, which now makes them a band with the most number of RSMA trophies ”“ now standing at 16. Here’s a round-up of all the action from RSMA 2015.

Photos: Prashin Jagger, Himanshu Rohilla

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