Halahkuh! A hellova name, I thought the first time I heard it. Soon realized that not only does their name sound impressive but they also play pretty impressive music too. Taking influences from the bands like Death, Slayer, and Sepultura, they’ve put forth some really good songs occupying their position in death/thrash act. It seems like another quality band from the country to look forward to, over the ensuing years. Halahkuh is a 4 piece death/thrash metal band from Pune. They’ve released one EP ‘Desecration’ back in 2013 and a few singles so far and after a three-year hiatus, the band came up with a brand new single titled “Indignant” last month which was produced by none other than Adhiraj Singh at the Refractor Studio in Pune.
The track opens up with an ominous war-like sound that sets your mood right away. After building up a few seconds of suspense the song starts and annihilates everything in its path. Front-man Subhrajyoti Sarkar does a great job on vocals while also plucking the six-strings (rhythms) providing a solid base for the lead. The track is packed with blazing riffs and to top it off, a fine solo by their axeman Aditya Swaminathan. It’s like an icing on the cake once the solo hits at 2:34 as it shreds like no other alongside a powerful drum attack with bouncy rhythms & blast beats. The bass guitar is well placed in the mix. You can clearly hear the bass line playing along with the guitar throughout the song delivering a special flare of heaviness. The track isn’t diluted with too many influences prohibiting overly extreme thrash metal in terms of aggression but played with early death metal style. It sits right on the borderline between the two genres. It’s very well realized and focused. Not too fast or slow. Just perfect to keep your head bobbing.
The lyrics draw inspiration from the Mongolian history of Genghis Khan where he faced hard times of loss, pain, torture, and betrayal. But that only made his spirit stronger and fiercer as he exacted vengeance on those that wronged him as well as anyone who stood in his path of vengeance. Interestingly, the band derived its name from ‘Halagu’, a 13th-century Mongol ruler. Such are the lines below:
No more I feel Indignant
No more I feel weak
This is your final time
I am here to take what’s mine
The message is pretty clear. “It’s payback time bitch!”
All in all, a strong comeback by the band. I can’t resist myself from saying only good things about this release because it is that good! If you liked what you heard, you might as well wanna check out their other tracks too. And also they’ve released a T-shirt for this single. The artwork, which is pretty sick, is made by Megan Mushi. So guys, buy the T-shirt. Spread the music. Support the band as these guys deserve it. You can get it here.
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