November 01, 2022: The Grand Mammoth Fest was slated to be one of the best gigs the city saw in a long time. Rs 150 entry, 7 bands, Marine Center kvltness and nostalgia, bar scenes downstairs; managing a sponsorship by Shamrao Vithal Bank, most of the shit was in place. Except the gig started a good hour and a half after the announced time, which tripped into possibly one of the worst endings a gig could suffer. But more on that later.
Fire Monx was the first band on stage. In one word, their set was stunning. Most people were left stunned during their set, and a while after as well, though not in a good way at all. Their music was all over the place, and without a doubt the band has got to sit down, figure out what they want to play, and get really good at playing it. And for sure, no more metal gigs. Those guys were just too out of place.
Groove metal outfit Orcus was the next band on stage, and for the second time in three weeks at the same venue, the band managed to tear the place apart. Orcus were tight as hell, and they got the pit scenes rolling from their first song, and their set was a head banger’s dream.
They were followed by melodic death metallers Trinergic. Windmills spun, the moshing continued and the two guitarists Sharang Gaikwad and Nikant Sharma probably played the most interesting guitars for the evening. Even vocalist Rahul Nair did an insane job with his growls. Orion played their signature set of progressive death metal, and the live rendition of their new song, The Dawn Of Faggotry shows the technical prowess that the band has heap loads of.
Three-piece death/ groove propagators Atmosfear were the fifth band on stage, and continued the assault at the Grand Mammoth Fest. Atmosfear seems to just get tighter and more brutal with every gig they play, although the earlier part of their set seemed to lack the band’s regular punch. To add to their woes, Bruce’s guitar adapter came off twice during their set, disrupting their pace and build up. Kudos to the drummer Mayank Sharma, for playing the drums perfectly in spite of the technical glitches. They definitely finished their set on a definitive high with Desolation Defied. Cosmic Infusion took the stage next, and the corpse-painted black metal act played some heavy, old school black metal. Their feel was as pure as black metal gets, with the perfect amalgamation of heavy riffs and drum play. These guys are probably the best black metal band on the local scene and the crowd singing and chanting with the band was an ethereal feeling.
Finally, Zygnema was on stage for its set, but shit start flying around after the venue managers created a scene in the middle of the band’s second song owing to late timings. The crowd went insane, especially since their first song itself Theories of Lies And Negation proved what a kickass powerhouse the band is. That one song was probably the best song of the night. Unfortunately, timing scenes meant that there was a very premature and saddening end to what would have been another mesmerizing performance. What disappointed most though was members of the audience screaming they had traveled hours and paid money to watch only Zygnema play. As much as that shows good support for a band, the other bands kicked metal ass all over the place, and you gotta wonder if the metal scene here has become elitist in nature. Hopefully, the city gets to watch and mosh away to oblivion at a Zygnema gig soon enough.
Pictures: Dhananjay Mane
