Come April 2013, and we have yet another release by an Indian band. This time it’s progressive/technical/groove metal quintet ITERATE from Chennai. The brainchild of Siddharth Darbha, guitarist of Tessitura, Iterate started out in the September of 2011.
The band is:
Siddharth Darbha – Guitars (Tessitura)
David Simon – Vocals Simon (ex-Blind Image, Liquid Measure)
Advaith Mohan – Guitars (Pakoda)
Gautam Venugopalan – Bass (Xanadoo)
Surej Simon – Drums (Xanadoo)
‘Ephemerals‘ is the band’s debut release that boasts of their dynamic and technical prowess. This 3-track EP pays homage to the band’s main inspirations like Meshuggah, Gojira, Mnemic and Sikth. The guitar work on the EP is very well executed. Siddharth’s has done a marvelous job. The riffs on ‘Ephemerals’ are dynamic and groovy at the same time, yet the song structures are very technical; packed with melodies and some ambient soundscapes. I am already a fan of David’s vocals on Blind Image’s “More Than Human”. David’s clean vocals are superb and one of the best in the scene. But on the other hand, his growls are quite abrasive and lack clarity. The music is overall tightly composed and solid! Live drumming would’ve definitely worked well for the band. The programmed drums sound terrible in quite a few places. The bass too has been programmed and almost absent in the songs. It could have been more prominent in the mix, but then it would’ve sounded too mechanical.
Nikhil Singh shows off his mixing and mastering skills on the EP. He has unarguably done a good job.
Overall, this EP makes a good debut release and shows that the band has potential.
Rating: 7/10