I like a lot interviewing bands coming from exotic countries, places where the metal situation is surely a bit particular in comparison with other countries in which our favorite music is stronger (Germany, Sweden etc.). For example, time ago I interviewed the mighty Abatuar from Panama and I had another great chat with Witchgöat from El Salvador. Well, today it's the turn of Sabotage from India, whose promising debut EP "The Order of Genocide" was enthusiastically reviewed few days ago.
So, let's go to discover in a deeper way the Indian (thrash) metal scene with Sabotage and enjoy this interview!
Hey men! How you doing? Since many metalheads don’t know you, let’s start the interview with a nice biography of Sabotage, ok?
Hey man! We are doing great!
Sabotage originated in a suburbs called Vasai (Bassein area) in Mumbai. We started back in 2017. Cyril was the founding member who found most of the member on social media. We are a 5 piece thrash metal band.
Sabotage is:
Cyril John Thomas - rhythm guitars
Yash Pujari - lead guitars
Malhar Bhanushali – drums
Rahul Bhatt - bass guitar
Anand Mulgund - vocals
Bands like Tetragrammacide and Kapala are very known in the most extreme metal world underground, and both offers also a really original sound. What do you think about them? Do you believe that the Indian metal scene is finally emerging thanks to bands of this kind?
Indian metal scene is surely growing rapidly in the sense of indian metal spreading across the globe. We have bands who have survived for two decades and continue to be active; like Kryptos, Millennium, Sceptre and Demonic Resurrection. In a country where bands are coming to life as we speak, it's important they are perseverant in their effort of putting out newer material.
I can’t imagine how the Indian metal scene is because it’s totally new to me, so how is the situation of the metal music in India? What are the pros and cons of your scene?
As we hovered around the subject in the previous question, Indian metal scene is evolving at a rapid pace. I think if we as musicians make a conscious effort to add new listeners to the various genres of metal, we can surely be a massive scene in the coming years!
The pros: we are one of the largest population in the world, so if we manage to add new listeners (lets say 20-30% of the population starts listening to metal and supporting the local bands) we would have a 360° shift!
The cons: Indian audience is still inclined towards mainstream bollywood, pop, edm etc besides the metalheads in india still prefer coming to your gigs however may not purchase your music/merch or may only buy stuff for a few top bands they prefer.
Do you want to tell us a brief history of the metal music in India? For example, what were the first bands that started the metal madness in your land? And is there a good unity within the Indian metalheads?
We have bands like Kryptos, Demonic resurrection, Sceptre etc who have been around for two decades. These are the bands who pioneered Indian metal and kept on making new original music. We look up to such bands who inspire us and drive us to go that extra mile in making a song or a record.
Considering that the metal music doesn’t belongs to your national culture, how are you metalheads viewed by the so-called regular people? Are you considered by them as a threat for the system?
Culturally, Indian is known for classical music and the country has produced some amazing musicians of this kind. Having said that, to be in a metal band in a country which values the classical music, it becomes a bit of a challenge sometimes as the society looks at you with a perspective that you have cut a deal with the devil or worship satan. Typically, metalheads across the globe are notorious to not give a fuck about societal opinions!
How are the socio-political conditions in India and how do you think they could be changed in a better way?
Socio-political aspects are fucked up across the globe. Ideally, politics or political leaders are to transform the welfare of their citizens. Unfortunately, the world suffers from this deficit and we hear and read about these things on the news, paper, radio etc.
Is it easy to organize live gigs in India? And sometimes are there some famous international bands that plays in your country?
It is a very difficult task to organize gigs in India. Large scale festivals have huge costs, permissions from local authorities, taxes to be looked at, so achieving these logistics put in place is a massive task. And getting the crowd to attend and managing the crowd in itself can be a big aspect too.
How was born the idea to create this EP entitled “The Order of Genocide”?
We had independently released a few singles which was well received. We had a clear vision of working on an EP which covers various subjects which are relevant. We worked on ideas came up with a theme. We mutually agreed the title of the ep works the best with the intent of the message we convey through the EP.
Your lyrics are very serious but I noticed that “Public Enemy” is directly about Indian issues. So, what is the lyrical theme of this song? And can you tell us something about the so-called “93 blasts” and people mentioned in the song such as Nirav and Mallya?
The song is based on a very sensitive subject i.e. politics. We speak about how religion, caste or power which is exploited under the garb of welfare of the society leading to the incidents mentioned in the song. The events mentioned here have impacted the common man in the country and we thought this is the best way to express the rage we have around such a political agenda!
Instead, what are the precise themes that you face in the rest of the songs? Do you talk also about serial killers?
Yes, our first song is about the greed of power and it talks about how leaders use it to gain control. The second song from the EP is about how the judicial systems failed at delivering justice to women in India (many instances are from big firms in India: atrocities that women face from all walks of life basically). The third song is about a serial killer called Belà Kiss from Hungary. The last song is about the socio political issues in India.
The cover artwork is very interesting. What exactly represents it and who made it?Thank you so much. The artwork depicts impaled king which sets as good example for the so-called establishments to be uprooted from the society for the commoners welfare. The man behind the masterpiece is a super-talented dude, he is our brother who is the front man and rhythm guitarist from Carnage Inc i.e. Varun Panchal.
Your thrash metal seem to be a lot influenced by the Bay Area but do you think you created a sound of your own? I believe that it’s quite recognizable and, above all, it excites in the listeners the will to mosh, as it should be for every thrash metal band worthy of this name!
Yes, we are heavily influenced by Bay Area thrash. We do believe that we have created our own sound by bringing various elements some which are our rage, speed and groove. The boys listen to various genres: our drummer mostly listens to prog, bassist is into death metal, our lead guitarist listens to heavy metal and rock & roll, while rhythm guitarist and vocalist listen to thrash metal (this reflects in our song writing and our influences as well).
Apart from being a musical genre, what thrash metal represents to you? Do you consider it as a form of fight against the reality?
Thrash is and will always will be the war cry for rebels. Thrash metal has always been for sticking upto your beliefs especially if it meant going against the norms. For us it’s mostly letting out our rage through our songs and conveying our points even if it requires us to go into uncharted territory which could get us in trouble.
Why didn’t you include in the EP also your two previous singles?
It’s because we evolved as a band and our sound did change in the due time. That’s the main reason why we didn’t include the singles in our EP.
I see that you released the EP only in digital format, so when will it be available in a more classic physical format? Is it too expensive for now?
We did release limited amount of CDs in india. We hope to open the gates to wider audience in future. Definitely cost does play a part as shipping world wide is an expensive affair (hahahah sadly this restricts us at this point too!).
Why did you self-released “The Order of Genocide”? Did you contact some labels before releasing it or do you prefer the DIY approach?
We didn’t actually contact any label. We did this with the DIY "do it yourself". We did rope in Qabar PR from Bangladesh.
Sabotage is a really common name in the metal world, and also an Italian band is called in that way. So, are there particular reasons behind your decision to name your band as Sabotage?Hahahaha this is a commonly asked question to us! While coming up with names we had quite a few names like Rampage but nothing could have made an impact like Sabotage, so we decided to go with this name.
What do you do in the real life? Do you study and/or work?
Our drummer and the lead guitarist are studying. The rest of the band members have a day job to support themselves.
If you had the opportunity, would you like to live only with your music? But is possible a thing of this kind for the metal musicians in India? In my country, Italy, it’s very very difficult!
In India it is difficult if you are a metal musician, because there are very few who listen to metal. Also people are more inclined towards rap and pop music in India.
Are you happy that I included you in the second playlist of Timpani allo Spiedo ‘zine? I thought well to let know to my readers the emerging Indian (thrash) metal scene!
We are more than happy that you included us in the second playlist that gave us more traction to our page and people actually checked our music out. It’s good that our music is reaching to international audience too.
Some upcoming news for Sabotage? Are you writing new stuff, for example?
Yes, there are quite a few upcoming news for Sabotage. And yes, we are writing new songs. Well, this time it’s will be whole different approach. You can expect a new single by January.
Did you like the various questions of this interview? Well, now you are free to end it as you want. Thank you for all the answers! Cheers!
Thank you so much for your questions! We had a great time sharing anecdotes from the EP. We are working on newer material (single shaping up well to be released in January, possibly a debut full length record later in the year).
BandCamp: https://sabotageindia.bandcamp.com/music
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