Turn It Up To 11: Rahul Chacko of Bevar Sea
The stoner/doom band’s guitarist is cranking it up with these tunes right now
Bevar Sea guitarist Rahul Chacko
Bengaluru stoner/doom band Bevar Sea’s guitarist Rahul Chacko says he nearly always plays albums from start to finish. “For one thing, there’s time for the album to pace itself and you start getting a feel of the big picture, metaphorically speaking,” says Chacko. With plenty of epic, progressive and psychedelic music thrown in, Chacko’s current favorites put you out in a stoner/doom paradise. Or inferno, depending on what you prefer.
Samothrace ”“ “When We Emerged”
A short opener, you say? Have 14 minutes of Samothrace instead. Is it post-metal? Is it funeral doom? Is it drone? Don’t know, don’t care. All I can say is that from the time they stir the song alive to the moment they close the curtains on the sprawling conclusion, a quarter-hour of your life will be GONE FOREVER. Worth it? Only one way to find out.
Memory Driven ”“ “Empty Gesture”
These guys keep it simple for the most part, but the tunes work. Too gloomy to dance to and too catchy to ignore. If main man Dennis Cornelius’ pipes had a little more bite, this would hit another level. As it stands, it might not be everyone’s thing, but I’m digging it.
Clutch ”“ “Mr. Freedom”
Earth Rocker is Clutch’s best album in a while, and a fair share of its tracks deserve love. However, “Mr. Freedom” makes it for 2 specific reasons:
A. It’s a damn fine song.
B. It’s a nice change of pace from the lumbering beasts that preceded it here.
Neil Fallon is also in top form, both lyrically and vocally and aims his venomous volleys at jingoistic armchair generals to predictably great effect. Respect the beard!
Behold! The Monolith ”“ “Desolizator”
How can a three-piece sound so massive? Ask Rush. Or Coroner. Or Behold! The Monolith. (Okay, this syntax looks weird) B!TM predominantly treads doomy territory, but then throws a lot more on top of that. Head-pounding slabs of riffage, elegant polyrhythms, acoustic flourishes, ripping guitar solos, all of them get together and have a hell of a party – from the brooding evil pulse of “Redeemist” to the frenetic vibe of “Witch Hunt Supreme,” this album delivers. I think this song sums up the entire album pretty well, so have at it.
New Keepers of the Water Towers ”“ “Visions of Death”
It’s understood that Swedes do some quality doom – Â take World Below, Isole, or any band Leif Edling has played for. Considering the quality of this release, it’s safe to assume that New Keepers have carved out a small piece of Swedish doom history for themselves. They take the melancholy strains of something like Dark Suns, turn up the gain, throw some Alice in Chains harmonies in there and then take their sweet time getting anywhere. Works great as a closer.
