Asked Michal Kafe, thank you!
Interview with death metal band GUTSLIT from India - answered bassist Gurdip Singh Narang, thank you!
Metal bands from India smells for european fans exotic, but Gutslit is well known. The band played on Obscene Extreme, Brutal Assault and on other European festivals and also in small clubs. We talked with leader and bass player from Gutslit, Gurdip Singh Narang.
I saw on your Facebook profile that you are looking for a new vocalist. What happened with Aditya?
Yes, we are looking for a new vocalist. Aditya had some things to sort out in his professional life and the band was kind of hindering his efforts for the same. So he decided to step down and figure out what he wanted to do.
It's hard to find a vocalist for death metal band in India?
As we are going through the auditions right now, we can easily say, there is talent in India; But it's not easy to work with people from different cities here. Logistics make life very difficult. It's expensive to travel between cities and figure out jams, especially when band members stay in different parts of the country. The entries we have received have been very good. We are in a fix cause I personally like more than five of the dozens we have received. People have written some spectacular lyrics too.
How big is the metal scene in India. Mumbai is one of the biggest city of the world. So, it may not be difficult to find a new vocalist. Or am I wrong?
Mumbai is definitely the biggest cities of the world, but Mumbai isn't big when it comes to the Brutal Death Metal Scene. Mumbai is as good as nothing when it comes to Extreme Metal in India. There is not even a single bar or a venue that can be pinpointed for Metal music or where one can host a show easily. Thus, getting new people into the genre is very difficult. We have built our fanbase one fan at a time. Most of them hadn't even heard Extreme Metal before. Thus, it might take us a little time to lock in on one individual as of now.
What is your requirements for the new vocalist in your band?
We want someone who has a vision and a thought process that would justify his position in the band with a voice that can slay and command his/her presence when on stage. We want a frontman, visionary and ruthless in execution and a master of his art.
You are boss and founder of the Gutslit, please, introduce your band´s history. Your beginning, your present days.
The band was started in 2007. We were the first band from Mumbai to play this genre and the first Brutal Death Metal band from India to play an International Show; First Indian band to be signed to two International labels for one album; First Indian band to play Obscene Extreme and Deathfeast. The initial days were very difficult as there wasn't a set of crowd as we have today who know the genre. So either they like it or they don't understand it. Luckily for us, people loved Deathgrind as a genre and our music was something that India lacked. We delivered professionalism in terms of our music execution, Live or in the Studio. We even worked with International artists when it came to our artwork or production of the music. The band definitely saw a lot of lineup changes and yet we continued to do what we do best, Pulverize the masses, one at a time. The 8 years post that saw us releasing One EP with a French Band and a full length album and European trips including festivals and shows in 6 countries; including Obscene Extreme, Deathfeast, Brutal Assault and several club shows with bands from all over the world.
What were your favorite bands when you were young and started Gutslit?
When I was young and even now, I love Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Brodequin, Vader, Rotten Sound, Magrudergrind, Immolation, Misery Index, Ulcerate, Pig Destroyer, Mumakil, Defeated Sanity, Jig-ai, Insidious Decrepancy, Napalm Death, Nasum, Cephalic Carnage and lots lots more.
And now your favourite bands?
The list never ends. I am also a sucker for Space, Drone, Doom, Ambient, Techno, Trance and Psychedelic.
If you are a deathmetaler in India, you have to be a bit in seclusion or you have no problems with your life direction?
It's a beautiful balance we run here. Apart from the metal face, I also have an Indian Classical Western Fusion band which plays music which is soothing to the soul in a very different way and I earn my daily bread working in the hospitality field. So, I balance between Hospitality and Brutality day in and out.
How is life in contemporary India?
It's exactly how it is everywhere in the developing and developed countries. You get a good degree from respectable colleges and get good jobs and earn enough to pay your bills and you are called "successful" by the society. You do the opposite and end up on being supported by your parents, you are called a "failure".
You work on your passion and a job to sustain it all and pay your bills, you are a "successful artist" in life.
Recommend me some other metal bands from India, please?
There are many bands in India who make amazing music. Many don't sit down and record professionally. Thus making it very difficult to even suggest. But you should definitely check out: Plague Throat, Third Sovereign, Chaos, Insane Prophecy, Primitiv, Eschers Knot, Eccentric Pendulum, Sheperd, Against Evil.
This year you want to release new album. The songs are finished or you are waiting for new vocalist and you will recording together?
Six out of eight songs are done. It all depends on the vocalist now. We earlier planned to finish everything by March to slate a release by year end. But as things go in Metal, it's difficult to get everything together the way you want it. We are working hard and hoping things fall in place.
On Soundcloud is your new song Scaphism, without vocals. From my point of view it is one of best Gutslit songs! Full of energy! Do you think so?
Thank you. Yes, we are working on going back to our roots of Brutal Death Metal in terms of song structuring and use the modern production options available in the world to make it a lethal combination.
It is evident that the genre of brutal death metal will not be dodging, right?
Infact we are going back to Brutal Death Metal and mix it with fast paced grind, keeping it closer to Deathgrind as whole.
I saw Gutstlit last year at Brutal Assault Festival in Czech Republic. You're trying to go often to Europe, to the world outside Asia?
Europe is easy to work with. People understand your music and understand how shows are to be hosted.
We will definitely come back to Europe in 2017 with the new album.
Did you like this festival? I met you on other days than you've played at stage.
Of all the festivals that we have played in Europe, Brutal Assault was the biggest for us in terms of number of people. The festival was so professionally handled by the whole team. Excellent stuff. And to watch the bands that we did was a dream come true. Even Obscene Extreme in Czech Republic holds a special place in our hearts. That festival is like homeground for us and Curby is like part of the Gutslit family :)
So, such metal summer vacation in Europe?
The summer was bad. Even for us who come from India, 40 degrees plus in a open field was bad. The sun burn stayed for sometime post the festival too.
And finally.. What do you plan in the near future?
Near future holds the completion of the album and planning to tour Europe in 2017. Hope we make it happen again. Europe seems like home. The people seem like family :)
Fotogallery - BRUTAL ASSAULT 2015 - Thursday - ANNIHILATOR, KREATOR, ENSLAVED, ASPHYX, CANNIBAL CORPSE, NUCLEAR, BLOODBATH, ACID FORCE, GUTSLIT, SQUASH BOWELS, BIOHAZARD, NERVOSA - 6.8.2015
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