Exclusive Premiere: Indo-American Metal Group The Second Fovea Take the ‘Headshot’ on Debut Single

Old friends, previous bandmates and one of the most dominating new vocalists in the Indian metal scene are amongst the key elements that led to the creation of metal band The Second Fovea, who have released a groove-heavy, stomper of a debut single “Headshot.”

Formed in late 2020, the band comprises Siliguri vocalist Pritam Goswami Adhikary (from Hindi metallers Aarlon), Pittsburgh-based guitarist Naval Katoch and San Francisco-based drummer Priyam Srivastava (both from Mumbai metal band Wired Anxiety), plus fellow S.F. resident Soumyadeep Ghoshal. Srivastava says the idea for The Second Fovea took root in 2019 but the lineup only came together over the course of a year. “Naval and I had been toying with the idea of starting a metal band blending elements of traditional groove metal with modern FX and synth. It surely took us a year to find the right set of people to bring this idea to fruition,” the drummer adds. 

Ghoshal, as it turns out, was a friend of Srivastava from their years growing up in Mumbai and coincidentally living in the same neck of the woods as the drummer in the U.S.. “That’s where we got back in touch again, which eventually resulted in him coming onboard, to experiment with his synth/FX inputs for a metal project for the very first time,” Srivastava says. Adhikary, for his part, was roped in thanks to the recommendation of Wired Anxiety vocalist Dheeraj Govindraju, whom Srivastava calls as “instrumental in the creation of The Second Fovea.” 

Their debut single — produced by engineer Shane Meyer at Cerebral Audio Productions in Pittsburgh — is a take on the global occurrence of hate crimes. While “Headshot” slams through fist-tight grooves and synth flourishes, Adhikary is singing about racial injustices through inimitable, crisp growls. Srivastava mentions that although there weren’t any personal instances of racism or hate crimes that led to him writing lyrics for “Headshot,” he points towards wanting to “question how the feeling of hate and bigotry can help anyone in leading a peaceful life.” The drummer adds, “The goal is to spread the word about how such negativity does not deserve to exist and must be killed once and for all.” 

With the first single out now, The Second Fovea have been writing and recording in full swing. Srivastava says, “We are working on our second song and if all goes well, we will have an EP ready to groove by early 2022.” 

Watch the lyric video for “Headshot” below.