Battle of heavy metal mettle

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A band performing at Cafe Morrison

Though rock music is already a rage, a more aggressive form in this genre called heavy metal is slowly picking up among the young music lovers in the capital. Recently, when the “Metal Battle I” — a music evening dedicated to hardcore metal music was organised at Café Morrison, music enthusiasts and head bangers were seen having a blast.

The music event organised by Backfilp entertainment featured four heavy metal bands namely Heisenberg, Silent Existence, Jehovah and Winter Gate.
Speaking about the rise in popularity of this niche genre, Aishwarya Uniyal, lead guitarist at Heisenberg, says, “When we started listening to this kind of music, it was very different from pop music. These days young musicians are experimenting in the genre by tweaking the lyrics, usage of instruments or trying out different lyrics. The social media has helped a lot in spreading awareness because now one can compose and upload their music online and create a fan base easily.”
Similarly, Devashish Dutta and Lovenish Sharma of Jaipur-based progressive death metal band WinterGate, feel that even though heavy metal music does not appeal to everyone, the followers swear by it.
They mention, “Five years ago, when we started playing the scene was very limited, but now there are more festivals and stage performances that are organised to promote this genre.”
Sidharth Talwar, owner of Café Morrison, also feels that the upcoming heavy metal bands have huge potential. He says, “There aren’t many places in the city where you’ll find such performances as people are still under the impression that heavy metal is too aggressive. However, there is a change in the mindset and many young people are now following it.”
The organisers Sarthak Kush and Nishank Sharma of Backflip, add, “Heavy metal music is about expression, and most of the followers like to show their wild side and anger through this music. It is about voicing your opinion, hence it is popular with the younger age group.”