Doubly heavy

Paratra performs at an edition of the Sunburn festival

GIG 1: United We Groove

If you are making rock music that has an electronic bent, the sound of a sitar added to the mix might seem incongruous. But that's exactly what Akshat Deora brings to the table when making melodies for Paratra. "The instrument isn't played in a classical format, but in a rock and dance music manner. And I use an electronic sitar instead of an acoustic one, which has a more of a rock tone anyway," Deora informs. He adds that the other founding member of the city-based band, Samron Jude, has a metal background. He is thus the one who adds the heavier elements to their songs. So this, then, is a band that amalgamates various different genres - rock, electronica and shades of metal - with the strains of a sitar layered under. And you can now get a first-hand glimpse of their unusual sound at a gig this evening in Khar.

Last Ride Home plays a gig in Kolkata

Here's the basic difference between making an album and baking a pizza - with the former, you can't guarantee a delivery time. Take the Mumbai band Last Ride Home for example. After releasing Signs in 2016, the progressive band has been marinating new material for an indefinite period. "The thing is that all of us have day jobs. So that keeps us super-occupied. But personally, I don't find the process of an album getting delayed frustrating. You can either fall into that void of frustration or you can go with the flow, letting the songs evolve the way they have to. And that's the process I like, because you can't force a baby to come out of the womb just because you want it soon," explains Sharukh Makani, the outfit's guitarist, revealing how there are two sides to a coin. So, don't expect their new album anytime before mid-next year. But do expect them to play their already established brand of prog tracks at the gig tonight.

ON Tonight, 7 pm to 11.30 pm
AT The Habitat, Hotel Unicontinental, Khar West.
CALL 9833358490
Entry Rs 500

GIG 2: Resurrection

Western classical music might seem as far removed from heavy metal as Lata Mangeshkar is from Honey Singh. But guitarist Biswarup Gupta feels that studying classical in his late teens definitely informs the way he approaches making music for Undying Inc, one of the most prominent metal acts in the country. "It helps me understand the process of music. In thrash and heavy metal, you just add distortion to a melody and make the tempo faster. It's a bit like the English language - a couple of words here and there mixes up the whole thing," Gupta tells us, ahead of the Delhi band's gig this weekend. He adds that their new bassist, Ezra Helios, also has a classical background. "So it helps us complement each other, because both of us know how to read and write music," Gupta explains.

The year 2018 marks two whole decades since Sceptre was formed. That makes the thrash metal outfit one of the oldest such bands around. How have they seen this niche genre evolve in these 20 years, we ask bassist and founding member Janus Sayal. Is it true that the college circuit - one of the primary platforms for metal music at the turn of this century - has petered out? "Yes, definitely. But at the same time, what has also happened is that more global doors have opened up for metal musicians from India," he tells us. Proof of this is evident in the massive 11-country, 12-city tour that Mumbai-based metal act Gutslit went on recently, across South Asia. But Sayal adds a bit of a reality check, before he shares the stage with Undying Inc and two other acts this weekend. "Financially, metal being a niche market in India, nobody is keen to pay you anything. The organisers want the bands to empty their own pockets, go and play the gig, and come back," he laments.

ON October 28, 6 pm to 9 pm
AT Marine Centre, Marine Street, Gana Nagar, Juhu village, sector 11, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
LOG ON TO instamojo.com
CALL 27897055
Entry Rs 500

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