With its mix of styles and a vibrant music scene, Bengaluru has always been encouraging artistes and artforms. The city stood prominently on the metal music map but since the invasion of other styles, the genre has seen a dip in performances and bands. Metalheads in the city shed light on the current scene.
Says Jared Sandhy, a drummer with 'Final Surrender', "The metal music scene is slowing down but this is not because of other genres taking over. Instead, it is because the audience is into covers. Also, not all metal fans appreciate originals. This is diverting the limelight from bands who come out with their own music."
All musicians keep in mind what would attract the crowd but the role of a musician is lost when he is not exploring his own style. "This could have led to the metal scene slowing down," he says.
Suhas VK, a music promoter who has been organising concerts for years, says the metal music is losing its popularity as people have other interests. "I used to attend many open-air shows about a decade back. A lot has changed since then. The genre has a select few takers, but people turning up for the shows is subjective. The lineup matters a lot now."
He says that fans here divided into old-school and new-age metal. "There are a lot of old-school fans who attend thrash and heavy-metal concerts. New-age music is still picking up. There is a target audience for each sub-genre." Suhas says concerts featuring a mix of artistes work best as they bring in people of varied interests together.
Non-availability of venues could also have affected the music scene, says Shashank Akella, lead guitarist with 'Xenoverse'. He points out that the number of metal concerts and shows has dipped. "Earlier, there were a lot of metal bands and concerts here. This could be because of a problem with the venues. One could perform at Palace Grounds until a few years ago," says Shashank. Metal requires an open space rather than a compact one.
Meanwhile, EDM and pop, among others, have clicked well with the audience. Krishna Dass, a guitarist who works with an ambient metal project 'Djent', says that newer forms of music have garnered attention. "There are new artistes coming out every day, thus music lovers have a lot to choose from and their attention gets divided. Newer styles are more compact and easier to listen to," says Krishna.
He points out that there is not much money in metal. Further, every genre has its peak point, he adds. "Many times, people can't digest metal music as it might sound distorted to them," adds Krishna.
It is evident that metal has a limited audience compared to other genres, says Yogeendra Hariprasad, a music producer, vocalist and keyboard artiste. "The influence of these other styles in one's life is far more than that of metal. When one looks at YouTube videos, there would be a billion views for videos of other genres, while there could be only a million at the most for a metal gig or online record," says Yogeendra.
He has trained in classical and Hindustani forms of music and says that there are stereotypes associated with these styles, affected by the invasion of pop music. "The popularity of metal music is significantly lower but some tribute performances still see a good crowd. The quality of the music and how compact the band's performances are also affect the overall scene," he adds.
With its mix of styles and a vibrant music scene, Bengaluru has always been encouraging artistes and artforms. The city stood prominently on the metal music map but since the invasion of other styles, the genre has seen a dip in performances and bands. Metalheads in the city shed light on the current scene.
Says Jared Sandhy, a drummer with 'Final Surrender’, "The metal music scene is slowing down but this is not because of other genres taking over. Instead, it is because the audience is into covers. Also, not all metal fans appreciate originals. This is diverting the limelight from bands who come out with their own music.”
All musicians keep in mind what would attract the crowd but the role of a musician is lost when he is not exploring his own style. "This could have led to the metal scene slowing down,” he says.
Suhas VK, a music promoter who has been organising concerts for years, says the metal music is losing its popularity as people have other interests. "I used to attend many open-air shows about a decade back. A lot has changed since then. The genre has a select few takers, but people turning up for the shows is subjective. The lineup matters a lot now.”
He says that fans here divided into old-school and new-age metal. "There are a lot of old-school fans who attend thrash and heavy-metal concerts. New-age music is still picking up. There is a target audience for each sub-genre.” Suhas says concerts featuring a mix of artistes work best as they bring in people of varied interests together.
Non-availability of venues could also have affected the music scene, says Shashank Akella, lead guitarist with 'Xenoverse’. He points out that the number of metal concerts and shows has dipped. "Earlier, there were a lot of metal bands and concerts here. This could be because of a problem with the venues. One could perform at Palace Grounds until a few years ago,” says Shashank. Metal requires an open space rather than a compact one.
Meanwhile, EDM and pop, among others, have clicked well with the audience. Krishna Dass, a guitarist who works with an ambient metal project 'Djent’, says that newer forms of music have garnered attention. "There are new artistes coming out every day, thus music lovers have a lot to choose from and their attention gets divided. Newer styles are more compact and easier to listen to,” says Krishna.
He points out that there is not much money in metal. Further, every genre has its peak point, he adds. "Many times, people can’t digest metal music as it might sound distorted to them,” adds Krishna.
It is evident that metal has a limited audience compared to other genres, says Yogeendra Hariprasad, a music producer, vocalist and keyboard artiste. "The influence of these other styles in one’s life is far more than that of metal. When one looks at YouTube videos, there would be a billion views for videos of other genres, while there could be only a million at the most for a metal gig or online record,” says Yogeendra.
He has trained in classical and Hindustani forms of music and says that there are stereotypes associated with these styles, affected by the invasion of pop music. "The popularity of metal music is significantly lower but some tribute performances still see a good crowd. The quality of the music and how compact the band’s performances are also affect the overall scene,” he adds.