People seemed to be confused and thought it to be rumor when ‘Defenders of Metal’ first announced that the ‘Metal Mayhem IV ‘will be headlined by Grindcore Legends Napalm Death.
It’s been a while that we haven’t had any big concerts for past few months, so the announcement was like a flurry that came after lethargic period. For those who are not familiar with this Open Air Festival, it’s presented by Defenders of Metal all the way from Darjeeling. And after three successful Installments of “Metal Mayhem I, II &III” headlined by Kalodin (Singapore /Nepal) & Nervo Chaos (Brazil) as an indoor festival, this time “Metal Mayhem IV” goes Open air headlined by The Grindcore Legends Napalm Death. So, I went to the concert with an increased dose of curiosity and interest and it was another concert I really had been looking forward to. Maybe that’s the reason I felt a tiny bit disappointed afterwards. Don’t get me wrong, the concert was good, but it just wasn’t as amazing as I had expected it to be.
2 point 4 three
As the show had just been started, the crowd were lesser in number.2 point 4 three (Darjeeling based Innovative/Classic grooves /Progressive Metal band) was the first up to take the stage. Personally, I’m not much of a fan of the styles of modern day grooves . So, I wasn’t much enthusiastic during its play because it doesn’t entirely appealed to me musically. However, the few number or crowds present there loved them as their sound was audible and heavy.
Narasamhar
After 2 point 4 three ,the band that took up the stage was Narsamhar. This young death metal band played their own originals.I think their ‘Narabakshi Khukuri’was celebrated the most by the crowd . The performance from Narsamhar was really worth watching as they played a good deal of crushing songs. They managed to attract a decent number of crowds and overall the performance was powerful.
Binaash
Binaash was clearly one of the most expected performers of the day. This band is killer. They try something extraordinary every time they are on the stage, and this time around they masked themselves with the ‘Stockings ‘which was more or less funny. Binaash (Ramalio Death Metal) is a band which is Brutally humorous and absurdly awesome at the same time. They put their Originals Bancharo , Waakk, Gore consumption,Gravitational imbalance and not to forget Binaashkaari mo:mo which was celebrated the most. Prabin (vocals) seemed to be more ironical this time with perfectly imperfect interaction with the crowd however his witty comments was able to put a smile on everyone’s face .Consequently, the quintet was greeted and cheered extensively and they thanked their audience by putting on a good show.
Grimmortal
Grimmortal is a Death core band from Mumbai, India. They managed to nail down a perfect and tight show. They were extremely fast and at times very heavy and groovy. Moreover, they seemed to be enjoying their performance. The vocalist hogged the limelight with his statement ‘Mumbai Sucks’. Overall, the band was able to put up a descent and energetic performance.
Arsames
For many people, Arsames (Ancient Melodic Death Metal from Persia)remarked the highlight of the festival, and consequently, the arena turned out to be pretty packed with attendees during their play. The flow , pacing and their magnificient virtuosity captivated me. The drums kept the intensity up to a maximum at all times with lightning fast and perfectly precise drumming. The Persian Death Metal band served their audience what the expected – Brutal music. The performance was really worth watching, and furthermore, the sound and light settings turned out to be quite sufficient. They managed to pull of some covers too igniting fire within the crowd. Pursuit of the Vikings (Amor Amarth cover) and Roots bloody roots ( Sepultura cover) were fair enough the most celebrated among crowds. The atmosphere was extremely sparkling when the whole crowds were singing along ‘Roots Bloody Roots’.
Napalm Death
Finally, Napalm Death showed up on stage. They were cheered and greeted enthusiastically and random bursts of excessive joy were emerging from the audience as the great musicians walked onto the stage. A spectrum of lights contributing to the extravagant reputation that the group has achieved throughout all these years. The crowds (although less in number) were moshing and were throughout in an electrifying attitude. Barney as usual took a moment to say something to the effect of how religion has brainwashed humanity. And as the mood was reaching its highest point in the evening, Napalm Death was warned to stop the show (obviously by the cops). But the follow-up with ‘You suffer” was so spontaneous and the most powerful one to this date because it was so meaningful this time. The decision was annoying and irritating that Napalm Death was not allowed to play their full Set-list .I mean how disappointing for the legends to be told to stop the show .It was an atrocity. However, Barney showed his humbleness and respectfully ended their show with no other than “Scum”. Now, that was epic.
All in all, Metal Mayhem proved to be one of the better Open Air Festival we’ve had, and it’s easy to predict a bright future and many-many great Metal Mayhem seasons to come. And what was more surprising was the announcement that came towards the end of the show. ‘Metal Mayhem V’ is to be headlined by Brazilian Metal Giants ‘‘Sepultura’’..Fuck yeah!! Hope to see you all there.
–BY Sushan Dhusuju
The crowd was lesser than my expectation (may be because of price). There were some minor fights in concert (as usual) but situation was controlled. The number of people increased at the end as people standing outside were also allowed to get inside for around Rs100 by security themselves.
Also read:
Short Review by Samyam Shrestha from here.