Unholy Maunder: Hello Forsaken. Greetings from Unholy Maunder
Forsaken: Hello guys!! Greetings from Forsaken and cheers to u too.
UM: First of all, could you tell us about your band's line-up. Have you had any changes in the band line-up since it's formation?
Forsaken: We have been the same from our inception. We had Priti & Sunil fill in for vocals Initially. The music needed more aggression so Akshay (Me) took on the job apart from doing guitar plus Bharat handles lead guitars too. Owais on drums and Sunil got on bass and Priti, well she is still part of the band helping us out with our stuff, ideas and music. Don’t forget, She is my girlfriend.
UM: How did you guys meet and what caused you to form the band? How old is the band?
Forsaken: Accident!, I met Owais on orkut (LMAO) and luckily we got to know that we stay just a km apart. We jammed a bit, one thing led to another. Eventually we had Sunil giving vocals at the time. We were then introduced to Nakul and Bharat. Then it happened, we realized we had the unique ability to fuse our styles, which is quite evident in our music. It started with “hey lets compose something.” And we did. We had a small little gig we wrote. At the time, it was a masterpiece for us (although now it may sound like sh!t, damn even we laugh listening to it.) we never knew what to call it. It ended up being “The Gigg” and as time passes people will understand why (provided they get a copy of it) this song is very important to us. Our musical influence just grew along withskill. From there on, it just fell in place. Forsaken was born in fall 2009 and the complete line up was somewhere in 2010. We are roughly 1 & a-half years old. Ideally considering a full line, we are just a year-something.
UM: What genre do you guys call your music, what are your lyrical themes, and who do you state as your influences?
Forsaken: Our music is not constricted to just one genre. Our EP was mix of Thrash, Melodic Death, Black and Symphonic Metal. But currently we are more oriented towards Melodic Thrash metal, and everyone is a part of it. People like Me (Akshay), Sunil, and Owais are hardcore thrash metal and progressive metal dudes influenced by the Megadeth’s, Dream Theater, the Slayer’s and the LoG’s. Bharat on the other hand is a speed thief, focused on speed and power metal. A unique influence of Black metal too. Then comes of course Mr. Melody. Nakul’s unique style of symphonic and heavy metal on keys, it gives us a different vibe.After all he is a big fan of Sonata Arctica, EToS and other melodic giants. By all means he is probably the most important member of the sound we create. This is a genre we are pioneering to create and we hope for success! Lyrically we cover various war related, emotional content and self conflicts etc.
UM: So what's the story behind the name of your band? Was this the name you always had in mind even before you had formed the band?
Forsaken: ‘Forsaken’ name is actually Akshay’s Child (laughs) says Owais. Well we had options, but somehow this stood out. As a musician I always wanted to have a band named Forsaken. It expresses the elements of sorrow, but with a certain dignity. Besides, It’s a name that can get you interested. We are Forsaken because our music expresses emotions. And each emotion is just as different and forsaken as us.
UM: Are you signed under any record label or do you guys release your music through an independent record label?
Forsaken: We have released an EP few months back and currently I am not sure how to put it but we are working with Avaroha. They have showed interest in us and kind enough to approach us. We express our gratitude to them but time will tell where we stand.
UM: You recently released an EP, 'Disengage', which has been pretty well received. What's your story behind it's making?
Forsaken: Disengage was inspired by of course its title track. The objective of this EP is all about how to break lose. Disengage has four songs and each song is written with a certain aspect of human emotion. For example ‘Built By Sand’ (courtesy Bharat) talks about a soldier who is forced to shed blood when he does not even know what he is fighting for and is consumed by the warfare and bloodshed that scorched the skies and made him a savage. Every song is written with aggression, but aggression need not have to be morbid. The music we want to pioneer is being able to be positive in what we right, angry enough to make the listener feel it, at the same time make some hard hitting, meaningful music and not just ‘let’s see how fast we can play and how many devils we can yap about!!’. We cannot thank fans and people enough for their feedback and appreciation; it really helps upcoming bands like us to strive to work towards better music and better sound.
UM: Any gigs you've played till date? Have you got any favorite venues?
Forsaken: Without doubt Kyra, Strawberry Fields, Bangalore Central, Palace Grounds and BMSIT!! Wow that memory lives on with us. The first time we played we were like an amateur band, the second time we had over 500 people get in the groove. In fact we were a man short (Bharat could not make it) the second time, but damn that was a show! I even have some fond memories of Central!
UM: Every music fan dreams to have a band of his own; how does it feel like to actually be in a band?
Forsaken: Everyone wants to be in a band, but that’s not the main part of it. You got to have the ability to hold the band together and let ideas fuse and come along without sidelining any of ‘em. Eventually its kinda’ like being a family. Everyone is equally important to one another and the ideas have to be treated with mutual respect, and understanding. Then of course, damn! It’s a heck a lotta fun!!
UM: What has been the biggest challenge you've had to face as a band (if any) ?
Forsaken: There was this phase in the beginning when Bharat had to sort of stop playing due to a certain lung infection that had to be treated, so at the time I was the lone guitarist. The challenge started when we needed a bass player to fill in, and we could not get a hold of anyone. It was always either a skill issue, which is fine and can be worked on. The other was a will issue, attitude is something we don’t tolerate in the band, we don’t give a f*ck as to who is who in life, when your part of the family, you gotta stay a part of it. It at this time we faced the task of me having to do guitars and vocals, and Sunil moved on to play bass. Sunil had never played an instrument before but damn the way he scaled!!!. Eventually it worked great, I got a hold of the skill of being a vocalist/guitarist, and my word Sunil on bass really gave us a ray of hope. He never held a guitar till he bought his first bass, and today, well he holds this group as tightly as any of the others with probably one the most important instrumental aspects of metal music!
UM: What's the craziest thing you guys have ever done or experienced as a band?
Forsaken: Drunkass new year’s midnight jam session full on, played guitar like a violin with drum stick and what not!!! It was fun with each one swapping instruments in the middle of the session too!!
UM: You guys are from Bangalore. Now Bangalore is a hub of most of the metal concerts in India. Big acts like Iron Maiden and Lamb Of God have performed there. How do you guys perceive the metal scene in Bangalore, as a band and not as an audience?
Forsaken: It’s definitely the place to be, you can do this kind of music here coz its friendly to most people. I have noticed how metal struggles in a lot of other cities due lack of reception from the audience. Bangalore is the best!!! It’s the one place you can just get on and play the damn guitar, and the audience knows what you’re doing, and they do what they do best with the mosh-pits and the head banging. This city and its people have metal in their blood!!! \m/
UM: For those who haven't got a taste of Forsaken yet, how does your band stand out among the other bands in your region or even in the country?
Forsaken: We do not like to compare, every band has their own USP and distinct sound, we have ours. The best way to find out…Don’t talk, just listen!!
UM: What's your take on the North-East Indian metal scene?
Forsaken: Extremely talented, brilliant and potent, but unfortunately I feel people are not doing enough to expose this metal scene to India. I hope groups like you can do justice to them. I have even seen some of the bands around, and they blow my head off. I also feel the future of metal partially also lies with the North-Eastern family of metal. Like I say, the more the merrier. These people must be given more opportunity and more exposure, perhaps even getting such bands down to Hyderabad or Bangalore is a good start too. They have the talent and the crowd will help spread the word!!
UM: How do people gain access to your music?
Forsaken: Join us on Facebook and download our stuff @ our official Reverbnation Page. You can also chegg us at http://www.youceeforsaken.blogspot.com/
UM: Any upcoming albums, EPs you guys are working on that we should look forward to?
Forsaken: We are not sure about that yet, it’s a decision we like to take as a unit. We have some new material sort of an extension to Disengage. We are looking to hit the studio for recording sometime in June-July, subjected to what Avaroha has to say. Probably we might end up making an album and release it through Avaroha by fall 2011. Stay tuned folks, coz some of our new sh!t is ready to come your way!!! \m/
UM: Any special people you would like to acknowledge and thank for being there for you guys?
Forsaken: Damn! if I have to start I’ll end on a laundry list of people. There are enough and more. My special thanks to our extended family men Mr. Sai Chakravarthi (handles promotion and video for us) and Kiran Subramanya (who helps us with organizing our gigs and critical feedbacks from major bands) and friends family and all who have stood for us!
UM: Any advice for the budding musicians out there?
Forsaken: One life, live it!! Don’t just believe you’re good…know you are!!
UM: Any famous last words for the Unholy Maunder team.
Forsaken: ARE YOU READY TO DISENGAGE!?!
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.