Turn Hostile is a metal quartet that reminisces the classic sound of the ’80s, hailing from Dhaka, Bangladesh. This group of youngsters and their old-school Thrash metal sound have been building a buzz in the underground scenario of Dhaka since they released their first EP last year.
The band started back in early 2014. At first, they just had a sort of “reviving 80’s music” in mind. Soon enough, as each artist brought their own gameplay, the combination altogether worked wonders to give Turn Hostile a unique edge that defines the band’s current sound. Excited as they were with the classic sound they were experimenting with, the band never anticipated the enthusiasm with which fans found their music. “Their songs are fresh and familiar at the same time”, they said. In a brief yet exciting interaction with Turn Hostile, we found out quite some interesting facts and trivia about them. Read on to know them like we do!
Q: How did you guys come together to form ‘Turn Hostile’?
A: It all started in the fall of 2013 when our guitarist, Rezwan was looking for musicians to jam with and got connected with Sudipto, our vocalist. And that was it.
Initially, it used to be just practice sessions and rehearsals with some cover numbers at Sudipto’s place. But as time passed by, the duo began to quest for more. After a few months of searching, Zahid joined as a drummer and finally, the band got its shape when Shoumick joined in as a bassist.
Q: Tell us about your initial influence on the first EP that you released ‘World Wide Warfare’.
A: ‘World Wide Warfare’ is highly influenced by the old-school 80’s sound. Also, some punk elements can be heard here and there. And, as far as being influenced by bands, Early Metallica, Slayer, Sodom, and Tankard are some of our inspirations.
Q: As we know from the growing metal scene in Bangladesh, Thrash metal is probably the one genre, in the not-so-mainstream music scene, that a majority of the current bands put their emphasis on. Did that influence you while defining your style?
A: Well, metal is not a new thing in Bangladesh. We have had some great bands over here in different periods of time. That really inspired us to play this kind of music. At the beginning of Turn Hostile, we didn’t decide that we would only emphasize Thrash metal or something like that. The vision was clear. We wanted to play fast, we wanted to play loud. We wanted to play extreme metal in general. We did a lot of experiments with our sound throughout the whole of 2014 and finally found comfortable doing Thrash Metal. It came naturally to be very honest. We just did what we wanted to.
Q: Could you elaborate on the lyrical influence of your first EP ‘World Wide Warfare’?
A: Lyrically majority of ‘World Wide Warfare’ directly refers to the war-related issues that we see worldwide. But there were some exceptions. To be specific, the song called ‘Lust and Depravity’ from the EP is about those criminals in our society with the tag of “intellectuals” who take advantage of the mass people. And people can’t really stand against those corrupted bastards as they are politically empowered and as a result, people live a miserable life.
Q: What are the major challenges that you guys face being a band, where the metal scene is still in its adolescent years in Bangladesh?
A: As said earlier, metal is not a new thing in Bangladesh. It started three decades ago. But yes, it didn’t get much exposure. And if we talk about challenges, they are everywhere. Social, financial – to name a few. Things are really different in this region. It really sucks to not be able to promote our releases by doing tours and shows. So the internet is the only option to spread the materials internationally.
But we have some great bands over here. Warhound, Orator, Enmachined, Exalter, Sacrilege, Thrash, Homicide, Powersurge, Nekrohowl, Abominable Carnivore, and Dissector are a few of them.
And organizations like Bangladesh Metal Alliance, Metal Morgue, and Primitive Invocation regularly organize quality gigs.
There are complications, there are challenges. We face it and we believe in moving ahead.
Q: Artists who had a major influence on you, as individuals as well as a band?
A: As individuals, we listen to a lot of artists/bands. But as a band, we are heavily influenced by Sodom, Slayer, Early Kreator, Early Sepultura, Demolition Hammer, Early Metallica, Morbid Saint, and early Megadeth. – the list goes on.
Q: Would you, in future, think of experimenting with the style of music that you play?
A: Turn Hostile is one of those bands which like to explore. We really don’t want to be in a barrier. We did a lot of experiments with our sound in the past. And as we grew up, our music evolved. So there will be some obvious changes in our future releases. Making quality music is the main priority here.
And as far as doing experiments, we are currently digging into the darker side of Metal. That’s all that we can say right at this moment.
Q: Any upcoming releases that you’d like to talk about?
A: We are currently working on our first full-length. And, the good news is we have almost wrapped up the songwriting process and intend to hit the studio this September.
Q: What do you expect from your audience, as artists?
A: To the audiences – listen to good music, and support the local scene. There are a lot of bands that are worth checking out.
Q: You will be playing in Fatal Attack soon & will get to share the stage with many tight bands. Are you guys excited for this tour?
A: Fatal Attack marks our very first gig across the border. We are stocked! And it’d be one hell of an experience to share the stage with those bands. Really looking forward to it!
Social link: Facebook
See Also: QnA Session: With Dreadhammer
