Placebo Laal - Meander

Poor Rich Boy's Zain Ahsan joins forces with Lahori beat-maker Imaad Munzar in the guise of 'Placebo Laal'. The results are nothing short of spectacular. The tune that they've created is called 'Meander', and I've been listening to it repeatedly since it came out. I'm not sure how to define it. It's a laid-back loungy/chillout tune that has been accentuated with the use of minimal percussion and Derek Trucks-y slide guitars. The tape looping and additional keys ensure a lush, well-crafted soundscape. Seen from a slightly different vantage point, I can also imagine a slightly melancholic Pelican sharing his tales of woe to passers-by on a hazy Saturday afternoon at a dock.

Naveed Ahsan and Hassan Iqbal - Djentlemen from Lahore

'Djent' is a relatively obscure sub-genre of metal, and is generally defined by low-tuned, poly-rythmic guitar chugging. Many have traced its origins to the Swedish extreme metal band 'Meshuggah', and over the past couple of years it has proliferated into the metal mainstream, spewing forth many bands that rely on similar song structures/techniques. Surprisingly enough for many, India has a brilliant 'Djent' scene that is slowly gaining recognition and is being embraced by a global audience.

Keshav Dhar's band 'Skyharbor' is an excellent case in point. What started off as a one-man project is now a functional band that has collaborated with the likes of Marty Friedman. Another heavy-weight is Vishaal.J.Singh, and his band called 'Amogh Symphony'. Vishaal has been making fusion-tinged technical/progressive metal since 2004, and his compositional acuity/guitar-wizardry comes through in a lot of his tunes. What these men are producing is nothing less than phenomenal, and coming from this part of the world makes it even more laudable.

It natural to wonder about Pakistan's state of affairs. Recently, I came across some guys in Lahore producing  music which has a similar 'Djent' ethos. These embryonic stirrings depict a growing interest in a genre which has probably never been explored in Pakistan.

Consider the following two tunes. The first one is called 'Riddle of the Sphinx', and has been composed by Naveed Ahsan. He calls it 'Oriental Djent', and once you hit the play button, you'll be able to see why. He has incorporated 'Oriental' percussion and strings with low-tuned chugging guitars in seemingly odd-time signatures.The second tune is called 'A Grand Cluster', and has been composed by Hassan Iqbal. While it is clear that Iqbal is trying to replicate a sound that was forged by the likes of Tosin Abasi, his playing might lack the requisite jazz-fusion undertone/discipline required to give it that extra edge in this tune. Maybe i'm being a bit too harsh. I've heard some of his other stuff, and I'm sure he has the ability to pull it off. However, I'd still give him credit for composing this tune. The genre in question isn't easy to pull off. I really hope to see the day when something like Animals as Leaders emerges out of Pakistan. Here's hoping that musicians like these actually make that happen.

Foreskin - THVG Anthem

Guest post by Daniyal Khan

"Thvg Anthem" is a track from the upcoming Thvg EP by the Lahore based crossover thrash metal trio Foreskin. The song starts at a moderate tempo riff and soon transitions to a faster thrash tempo. Vocalist Hassan Umer is spewing venom on this track: the sharp edges have not been filed off the lyrics or the vocal delivery. The song is clearly meant to be and manages to be an unrestrained punch in the face and stays unapologetically true to the thrash ethos. But if you think this is all form and no substance, think again. Sheraz Ahmed and Amar Ali are ripping on the guitars, from the solos and the "good time" riff at 1:46 to the breakdown outro. This song has it all: fast tempos, heavy riffs and a spoken word. Bottom line: this song is both a statement of intent and a sign of good things to come. Pakistani metal fans should be looking forward to the release of the band’s upcoming EP. I missed their live set at the Youth Performing Arts Festival at Peeru’s Café this past October; big mistake.

Imran Sumbal - Lonesome End

Developments in the peripheries. Here's a tune called 'Lonesome End', and it's by Imran Sumbal, who's from Lahore. The tune starts off with Carpathian keys that might have you believe that you're somewhere in Guitar-Pro's midi-tinged world. However, the guitars quickly come in and assert their dominant role a la Faraz Anwar in his Dusk years. The second part of the tune features a solo over an Opeth-y chord progression. Whereas one can roughly see where Sumbal is coming from musically, he manages to bring in something unique into the composition, thereby making it his own.

Poor Rich Boy - Zardarazir

I probably wouldn't know where to start. Writing about Poor Rich Boy's music is no easy task, and I find myself doing so with utmost discretion. I cannot make any positive statements, lest I fall into the depths of pigeon-holing. I wouldn't want to deconstruct the lyrics and try to relate them to a certain event, feeling or emotion. 'Zardarazir' might, or might not have political connotations attached, but I'd prefer to present it as a divorced entity. If the earlier, Shehzad Noor-centric Poor Rich Boy was more manic, this Umer Khan inspired facade is triumphant in its use of minimal vocal harmony. The production is earthy, and leaves plenty of room for the acoustic instruments to find their respective places. This is poetry, and it is presented in mixed media.

Project JT - Circles

Project JT is a band that's still in it's embryonic stages, and this is the only tune they've released so far. In case you're wondering, the 'JT' stands for 'Johar Town' (The band members used to study together in Lahore Grammar School, Johar Town branch). The tune is slick in terms of production, and comes across as the apotheosis of the commercial hard-rock aesthetic as exemplified by a number of Western bands in the early-mid 00s. Moreover, it seems to have the kind of intuitive balance that renders it suitable for a wide audience or repetitive radio-airplay. The melodies bank on the listener's expectations by providing agreeable motifs. It's almost like poetic justice being divorced from its literary context, and being applied to music. The vocalist for the band, Haris Usmani has cited Alter Bridge as a strong influence, and that manages to come through in the tune.

Keeray Makoray - Gods of the Sun

'Keeray Makoray' is from Lahore, and from what I understand, is an offshoot of the metal band 'Takatak'. 'Gods of the Sun' was the first tune that introduced me to their music. The tune is as old-school heavy metal as it gets, and features harmonized riffs that pay homage to canonical bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Dio. These precarious distorted guitar tones of the 70s British 'Heavy Metal' bands were soon usurped by ones that were tighter, highly processed and amplified, and lead to the birth of a plethora of newer genres in metal. However, I digress.

Given the sound that comes out of the speakers when one hits the play button, the band does seem rather anachronistic. The solos are nicely executed around the hallmark blues/pentatonic scales, and the vocalist seems to be extremely comfortable in flirting with the higher pitches. (Imagine Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne's Pakistani love-child, to make things easier). The lyrics urge the listener to be wary of chess-playing, sadistic tyrants. This sentiment is echoed in the tune where one of Hitler's speeches has been sampled. How do I know if it's Hitler or not? I don't.

Abeer Sheikh and the Wonderband - Stray

Abeer Sheikh and his wonderband. Bringing indie/electronic music to a greater consciousness since its inception. A nuclear center around which various collaborative artists revolve, Abeer Sheikh manages to impress in this offering. 'Stray' features delectably labyrinthine lyrics, periodically interspersed with a haunting vocal harmony. The constant flat thudding of the snare somehow manages not to appear superfluous, and gels in the tune nicely till its culmination in an acoustic riff showdown. One can even hear the ukulele being strummed to give the rhythm section a nice foundation.

Exhibit A - an excerpt from the lyrics: 

He seems vicious, delirious, self destructively serious 

He's vindictive, no common sense, no shame nor pride just negligence 

Good guy Abeer Sheikh. He's met ones like you before, just so that you know.

Death Spell Inc. - Seven

Death Spell Inc. Hometown: Lahore. Relatively unheard of, these boys released this song about a year ago now. I don't think they've come up with anything else after this. The tune itself is no-funny-business-bad-assery, and is primarily riff based. If you like metal in any of its denominations, you'll probably find this easy to digest. There's a transition to a more mellow soundscape halfway in between, after which the tune gains momentum again. The eventual resolution takes place within a standard dual-harmonized riff setup.