What Escapes Me Dabble in Fusion Metal on Debut Album

Kolkata experimental metal band What Escapes Me at their listening party for ‘Egress Point’. Photo: Margub Ali

[easyreview cat1title = “Egress Point” cat1rating = 3.5 cat1detail = “Self-released”]

Considering the overpopulated djent space in India, the best way to get noticed as a modern metal band perhaps is to offer more than just the staple breakdowns, guitar leads and ghost notes.

There’s that same air of djent familiarity within the first few seconds when Kolkata experimental metal band What Escapes Me kick into their opening track “Coalesce” on their debut album Egress Point, but it’s refreshing to hear a sarangi solo cutting through their grooves.

Egress Point is one release that proves Kolkata’s metal circuit is coming back to life ”“ if not with live shows, at least with polished studio material.  Last year, the city-based band Yonsample hit a home run with their full-length album Extropy and What Escapes Me follow up well, amassing a riff arsenal reminiscent of bands such as UK progmetal band TesseracT. The band, who came together in 2009, prefer to pull punches and avoid gimmicks, making the 10-track album a treat for fans of technical and modern prog metal on tracks such as “Maze of Mutual Apocalypse” and “My Reality”. They bounce around with a more metalcore edge on “Pseudo Showcase”.

While there’s only so long that you can hold a listener’s attention with smooth guitar harmonies dueling with chugging riffs, What Escapes Me manage to keep ears glued.

“Empty Signs” starts off uncharacteristically sparse before becoming one of their most melodic songs, while “Section 66 Part 5” features a sarod section that just adds to the dreamy layers. The album’s closing track, “The Truth of a Lie” showcases the band’s ability to marry a tabla intro with technical wizardry that makes sure the album ends on a devastating note.

Key tracks: “Coalesce”, “The Truth of a Lie”, “Section 66 Part 5”

Listen to Egress Point below. Buy the album here.