Featuring Rock Machine, Agni to Pentagram, Motherjane, Gary Lawyer and several others who created the best original Indian rock.
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High’s title track off their album ‘The White Knight’s Tale’ is in two parts – the introduction and the main piece. High was one of the two Kolkata bands to make waves in the 1970s, the other being Shiva, fronted by PC Mukherjee.
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From the 1988 debut album of Rock Machine (later renamed Indus Creed), this remains an Indian rocker’s favorite. The line, “I’m a rock n’ roll renegade, and I’ve abandoned the norm for the music, I hope I never get tired, you know I never wanna lose it” became a singalong favorite.
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This song was both a concert favorite and a video sensation. Released in 1992, the video featuring Gary Lawyer and model Anu Kottoor was played five times a day on MTV during its peak. It was part of the Saregama India album The Other Side Of Dawn, and besides Lawyer’s clear vocals, was known for its incisive guitar lines.
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Formed in 1985, Agni had its signature song in “Kashmir” with the lines: “And when I think of all the times bygone, she’s been just losing till the end of her life, can you turn around, give peace a chance, give me back this land of mine.” It was featured on the 1993 Virgo Music album Wind Dance With Fire.
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One of the earliest Indian metal bands, Millennium was formed in Bengaluru in 1988. The song “Twist Of Fate” is from the band’s self-titled album released in 1995.
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New Delhi-based Parikrama has had many original hits like “Tears Of The Wizard,” “Vaporize” and “One.” Their most popular creation is “But It Rained,” which was inspired by the kidnappings in Kashmir.
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Formed in 1993, Brahma has been at the forefront of the Indian thrash metal scene. “The Dead Don’t Die,” which talks of the afterlife, is from the band’s 2002 album Reborn.
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Bengaluru band Thermal And A Quarter have often been dubbed as ‘Bangalore rock,’ as many songs have been inspired by the city. “Paper Puli” is from their third album Plan B, released in 2008. It was inspired by a journalist who had come to ‘interview’ them but ended up talking more than the musicians.
Photo: Armaan Mishra
Kochi band Motherjane released its debut album Insane Biography in 2001. Their second album Maktub, released in 2008, confirmed their position as one of the finest progressive rock acts in India, with tracks like “Fields Of Sound,” “Chasing The Sun” and “Broken.” Influenced by both progressive rock and Carnatic music, “Broken” remains a fan favorite.
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Pentagram was one of the most popular bands in the two decades starting in the mid-1990s. The track “Nocturne,” from the 2011 Pentagram album Bloodywood, gives a taste of their vintage sound. It talks of insomnia in Mumbai, and how the noise of the city pervades one’s mind even when it’s quiet.
Photo: The Clique Photography