Know the guys who are rocking the scene here... The 16 short listed bands!
(Mouse over on the audio icons to listen to the Band's clips)
1. Bhayanak Maut - Mumbai Bhayanak Maut was named so, as it defines them as a band, fun yet crushing. The band came together three years ago and has already played quite a number of impressive shows. Their music is an eclectic mix of metal / hardcore / death metal / nu-metal. This is owing to the varied musical interests of the band-members ranging from Death to Deftones. Their EP, Malignant is already a hit among fans.
2. Cyanide - Delhi
Cyanide was formed during school days back in 2001. After school the band played a few shows and gained some popularity in the Delhi rock scene. The band has a wide variety of seemingly unrelated influences which some say forms the basis of the uniqueness of their sound. Influences include Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Creed, Nickelback, Mr. Big, Van Halen, Steve Vai, Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, U2 and many more.
3. Decibel - Delhi
The band, christened as 'Decibel' came to existence in March 2003. With the idea of making their presence felt, Decibel started work on their first competition at IIT Delhi. Quite content with their performance at IIT Delhi prelims and morale boosting comments from other participating bands, they are planning to hit the scene again with more covers and originals...
4. Frequency - Delhi
Formed in September 2006, Frequency is a Delhi based Elecro-Alternative Band. The band is getting noticed immensely due to its unique sound. Rony, Kushal and Akshay knew each other well and were later joined in by Abhishek and Noel to complete the Line-Up. With it's unique sound, the band is looking to make a mark in the Indian Rock scene. The band has three originals to its name.
5. Galeej Gurus - Bangalore
The band is dedicated and focused on perfecting their craft, and expanding a steadily-growing fan following. Their own compositions, their energy, their emotional live performances, and their hunger to reach new audiences, are some of the things that truly set The Galeej Gurus apart from the rest of the herd.
6. Half Step Down - Delhi
Half Step Down is a blues-rock band with influences ranging from Cream, Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin and Dave Matthews. The band has always maintained that having fun while playing music is of utmost importance and continues to do so. The nomenclature of the band is derived from the fact that the band tunes its guitars on D# which is half step down from standard tuning pitch.
7. Human Abstract - Mumbai
Human Abstract derives its name from a 17th century poem of the same name written by William Blake. The name puts forth the point of focus of the band's perception- the complexity of human emotions and the basic abstractness of human thoughts and feelings. Since it's inception in November 2003, Human Abstract has constantly evolved. Human Abstract's sound has today evolved into a range of funk-driven melodies to riff-oriented arena rock music.
8. Junkyard Groove - Chennai
Formed in April 2005, Junkyard Groove describe their music style as Indie Funk. The individual musical tastes of the band's members range from Heavy metal, to Classic rock and Jazz. They have also received international attention recently, when they won Shamal - a battle of the bands featuring bands from different parts of Asia. Some of their fan-favourites are the songs - "It's Ok", "Folk You", "Twinkle" and "Say Goodbye".
9. Level 9 - Delhi
Level 9 - An energy packed offering that has lots to show. From a female vocalist,to a bassist who plays in a style unseen before, to fret-burning, keyboard thumping solos, to a soft violin amidst progressive rhythms...it s all there. With a sound that projects colours of jazz, funk, blues and progressive rock, Level 9 moves away from the "die-hard rock-till-you-drop" genre to provide a new kind of energy straight from the heart.
10. Medusa - Mumbai
Medusa is an electronic/rock band from Bombay comprising of four band members who liked creating some tunes together. They've delivered impressive performances and worked with some of the best folks in the independent music scene. Medusa is an album-old and are working on a new one. They claim they have enough tracks inside their heads to keep them busy making music for a long long time to come.
11. Skincold - Mumbai
Skincold is a Bombay based Nu Metal/Experimental band and is all about some heavy and catchy riffs, mean and funky bass lines and fresh and creative drum patterns along with some hardcore vox. Their music is heavy with a melody to it. Skincold was formed in mid 2005 with a goal to play music they love and not just playing anything that's "in" with the music scene.
12. Red Cube - Mumbai
Red Cube is a Mumbai-based alternative-rock band, formed in 2006 by Gaurav Gupta (guitar, vocals), Vinit Bharucha (bass) and Rahul Hariharan (drums). Rahul and Vinit, who also play in the Bombay metalcore band Bhayanak Maut, had wanted to explore the softer side of music for about a year, until they met Gaurav who was looking for musicians. Red Cube's music is a fusion of Gaurav's pop/rock with Vinit and Rahul's Altternative-Rock/funk influences and brings to the people a sound that is unique, refreshing and most of all - fun.
13. Span - Kolkata
When Chirodeep, Neel, Stuart and Taj got together back in 2003 to form a band one thing was just right - the vibe they shared. But there was one huge problem - their tastes in music was as varied as chalk and cheese. So what do they do? They start playing everything - Rock, Pop, Blues, Rock-n-Roll, Jazz - you name it, they play it. And for a band that spans so many genres, what better name than Span.
14. Split - Mumbai
Split has been in existence since 2001. After a dormant first half of 2006, Split experienced a second coming, with a series of gigs, hitting Bombay and Pune in quick succession. Since the first week of January the band has been working at its debut album - "P Is For Pig". The album will, of course, include their all time favourite tracks - 'My House', 'Fat Oaf' and 'Pig Society'.
15. Synaps - Bangalore
Synaps, from Bangalore, is a culmination of energetic and alternative metal heads striving to evolve constantly, with inspiration derived from international bands. Initially started in the year 2000 doing school gigs and then headlining national level competitions, their genre and style has caught on with fans who recognise their abilities as an alternative rock band.
16. The Superfuzz - Delhi
Superfuzz, initially called themselves 'The Superfuzz Bigmuff' when they first started out. After winning competition after competition, they truncated their name to 'The Superfuzz'. Probably for simplicity reasons. They've garnered impressive praise from their many gigs and have a strong fan-following for their original compositions.