It’s not fairly uncommon these days for an artist/band to go through a change in approach and evolve their music into something new or novel. For some, it worked wonders, while for the majority of others, the change didn’t help much in their evolution. But Dymbur from Shillong, India, in this case, has successfully carved out a niche for themselves with their latest single ‘Rape Culture’, which proudly flexed their new-found identity of Khasi Thraat Folk metal.
The new single, which was released last week, features quite a few Khasi traditional instruments like, Ka Duitara, Ka Mieng, Ka Bom, Ka Shaw Shaw, and forged their output with the sound of djent-laden eight-string riff work. ‘Khasi’ is an indigenous tribe belonging from Northeast India, primarily inhabiting Meghalaya, the home-state of Dymbur themselves. The fusion resulting from the marriage of Khasi folk music with a modern metal sound gives birth to a rare and unique blend of metal which perhaps rightly deserves a new label of its own – Khasi Thraat Folk Metal, which the band anyway likes to call their music these days.
The song ‘Rape Culture’ is an attempt to raise awareness of the rape crisis that is prevalent in the country. The song also talks about victims of rape such as Nirbhaya and Asifa. Dymbur’s single was also accompanied by a powerful music video, which features women from different walks of life expressing concern and raising awareness regarding the alarming prevalence of sexual violence in India.
Thematically, ‘Rape Culture’ exhumes the ‘culture’ of sexual violence perpetuated towards women throughout ages. The anthemic single is curated with near-perfect tonality to strike a chord and invoke dissentious voices amongst the masses. But Dymbur, ever aware of their musical roots, also provided their old-time fans with a finger-licking breakdown towards the last quarter of the song, reminiscent of their metalcore roots of yesteryears.
The song was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Cornelius Kharsyntiew at the Legato Recording Studio of Shillong, and the music video was directed by Aditya Vishwanath.
Also Read: Track Review: DYMBUR | Origins From Alpha
