Mumbai Metal Act Targe Team Up with Demonstealer to Unleash ‘Godless & Divine’

Targe and Mumbai metal veteran Sahil Makhija aka Demonstealer touch upon matters of religion on their latest single “Godless & Divine,” which released on March 14th. The gruff death metal song’s lyrics match the Mumbai band’s overarching concept of metaphorical shields used by humans while journeying through life.

Guitarist and founder Ivin Viegas is fully aware that people may consider the song blasphemous but there’s more to it. “Masses are often told that divinity is attained by following one person. It’s perhaps more about self-healing and empowerment than blindly following a figure. It’s time to break from the lies around us,” Viegas says. Although not intended as an anti-religious track, the guitarist hopes that it can be provocative in the vein of material put out by extreme metallers Behemoth.

Additionally, Targe now have Demonstealer on board as a permanent vocalist since May last year. The frontman of extreme metallers Demonic Resurrection, who lent his vocals for Targe’s previous single “The Cortege,” holds very public views on religion. Viegas is aware that they could be certainly more extreme than what the band may hold, but he says, “Our personal beliefs still align and it still works for us.”

For now, the rattling “Godless & Divine” makes for a slamming song, recorded remotely with guitarist-producer Sidharth Kadadi (from metallers Zygnema) and mixed and mastered by sound engineer Akash Sawant. Viegas laments missing out on meeting to record or even just to celebrate the release of the track, owing to pandemic-related precautions. “The essence of being in a metal band is jumping around, headbanging and hanging out with each other during a jam or recording session. We really missed out, but even if everything came down to emails and calls, making ‘Godless & Divine’ brought us closer as a band,” Viegas says.

Listen to “Godless & Divine” below. Stream on more platforms here.