JOIN USA t a time when bands form and disband in a matter of months, Bengaluru-based heavy metal band ‘Kryptos’ has broken many unofficial records by staying together for 18 years.
Formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Nolan Lewis and bassist Ganesh Krishnaswamy, they have spearheaded the classic metal scene in India by staying true to their roots. The band also comprises Rohit Chaturvedi on lead guitar and Anthony Hoover on drums.
Talking to Anushka Sivakumar, Nolan notes how the metal music scene has changed over the years. He also says that the band plans to stick together for many years to come.
What is the band working on now?
We are currently working on our new album, wrapping up the recording. It should be out by mid-May. We also have a gig coming up on May 7 and we will play a few songs from our album. The gig is titled ‘High Voltage’ and it celebrates the 25th year of death metal band ‘Dying Embrace’. We have bands from different states joining us for this event.
Where do you see the band heading?
We hope to see a 25th anniversary too. We have been in the music industry for 18 years, so I don’t think we will have to wait long. It’s because we love the music we play that we have stuck on for so long as a team. We can’t not do what we do. And though we all have regular jobs, we are completely
committed to this form of music.
How have your ideas evolved?
Our ideas and songwriting have evolved slowly. We are lazy and we don’t do anything for long. That’s when the guitarist Rohit and I suddenly have an idea and that snowballs into something like a song. The others come and piece melodies and add things.
Have you noticed a change in the audience from when you first started to now?
The audience for metal has changed a lot. Earlier, the crowd was from an older age group but now young people like it as well. I like the older fans better because they are very strong and loyal. This was before the internet era so they were really passionate and would actually follow a band religiously and buy their albums. They stuck with the band. Now people are overwhelmed by the choices and the crowd is a floating one. We have an audience for 1 to 2 years and they don’t come back for gigs. The challenge is to get newer people on our side who will stick.
Are there enough opportunities for metal bands to perform in India?
Apart from the floating crowd, there aren’t many gigs and not many venues supporting metal artistes. I understand this because they have to make money and not many turn up for a metal concert unlike a Bollywood night. A lot also has to do with the perception of a genre and metal is viewed as hard and jarring, which is full of protest and angst. People think we are also scary but we are soft guys, like teddy bears! We just look scary.
What do you think of the younger metal bands?
I haven’t heard too many of the new college metal bands but many don’t play pure
metal because everything is available at once and they don’t know what to choose. It’s very difficult for them to decide what is important and what to ignore, which is why we have to do things on our own to improve the metal scene in India.