The weekend’s not near, it’s here : Download Festival 2012

Initially started as a blog to document my personal escapades and experiences, Absurd History has now diversified into a professional web-zine that is teaming up with the best of record labels, artists, bands and organizers from across the globe. But, even today, all of this fails to silence the excited boy inside me (I turned 25 this year, and I’m loving it) who had hankered about attending some of the most massive music festivals out there, someday.

What was once just a passing thought that had vanished into thin air, is going to be a part of three day’s of my life, starting today. Decades down the line this post here would remind me that I was there at the tenth anniversary of one of the most acclaimed, celebrated, full-mouthed and crammed congregation of music lovers – The Download Festival.

2012’s edition would have more than 70,000 people participating in it, a total of five different stages, more than 140 bands spanning over a period of three days and don’t even get me started on the jillions of other attractions planned for the attendees. A virgin when it comes to camping, I wouldn’t ask for a better place to put up my first tent than Donington Park. So yea, here’s to a weekend full of muck, booze, sweat, torrential rains and heavy fucking metal. Don’t get your pets along, they’ll get crushed. Alright, I’m getting late now. See you all next week, when it would be you, me and the post-Download blues.

Absurd History in 2011 – an annual report

Here’s an annual report for this zine, prepared by none other than WordPress. I had to share it with all the readers because the count in this report includes you. Thank you all for visiting!

 

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 60,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 22 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Interact with Karnivool on twitter, today!

So, your invisible lord has finally heard your prayers. Well, almost. While Kapil Sibal is busy preparing his plan of action for screening content on social networking websites like Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, etc, you can make the most out of your Twitter account today on the 11th of December, 2011. On this historic day, you will get a chance to shoot questions at Karnivool, directly. I’d just say one thing about this Australian group – there isn’t another band like them.

Exactly a week before Karnivool takes the stage at IIT Bombay’s annual festival Mood Indigo to headline the pro-night, the organizers are giving all of you a chance to have a virtual tête-à-tête with the Australian progressive musicians.  Like I just said, Karnivool are ready to own all of y’all on the 18th of December, 2011 with their enlightening performance. In their own words, this is what a Karnivool fan can expect in their show, “A solid performance with an enormous amount of energy that is fed back and forth between ourselves and the audience throughout the entire show. We really push ourselves live and it’s really the heart and soul of what the band’s music is about.”

Feeling wet already? Chill, I got an erection too.

This particular article is to scream at all you Karnivool fans that you have an opportunity to talk to your favorite band through a Twitter interview. Twitter is an online social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as “tweets”. You wouldn’t remember your father’s name but you’d definitely know the description I just gave about Twitter.

This is all you need to do.  Tweet your questions @iitb_moodindigo with #Karnivool and the Australian progressive rock band would then tweet their replies. It is scheduled between 5 pm to 7 pm IST on the 11th of December, and that is today. Not enough? Then you better tighten your laces as the top three tweets, which are going to be selected by Karnivool, would get a chance to meet them personally on the 17th. And that is one day before your enemies get to watch them. Sexy, right?

Karnivool would be interacting with their Indian fans for the very first time and something like this hasn’t been attempted before. You wouldn’t be talking to some band from your neighborhood, it’s fucking Karnivool. The lunar eclipse was yesterday, let’s all make sure it’s total eclipse on twitter today and only #Karnivool is seeable to the naked eye.

Related topics –

Karnivool live in India – a sweet overdose of music

An Addiction called Themata

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One Lakh Hits

The blog completes a lakh hits, with a total of 272 articles that I’ve written for my blog till date. Turn your eyeballs towards your right and stare at the Countdown to infinity widget.

Like I had promised myself, and today since the blog has crossed the one lakh mark, Absurd History has now gone dot com.

Thank you all for reading!

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Metallica live in India – an epic thrashfest

Today, when I think back a few years and recall the first time I played Metallica‘s 1983 classic Kill ‘Em All there was this force besides me that said “You’re never alone, metal is always with you“. It was at that moment when I learnt one of life’s biggest lessons that I should not give a fuck about any kind of trash in life. This album made me feel that powerful. And the rest, as every tom, dick and harry says, is history. I did not choose metal, metal chose me and that is how it works.

Back then I did not have the slightest of idea that playing Metallica was going to be a turning point in my life, a moment that I would be remembering years later. At that time thinking about watching Metallica live was only a thought in some corner of our minds. With very believable stuff happening in our country off-late with respect to metal, right now the Metallica event might not make you go nuts.  I suggest you hold on till that very moment when the lights on stage would come on and the four legendary figures would be staring down at you!

For me the party begins from tomorrow as I leave for the capital of Karnataka tonight. Agenda includes meeting friends and loads of pub-hopping complete with visiting Styx (I make sure I visit this place every time I’m in Bangalore).

Somehow whenever I try and picturize myself going to Palace Grounds, Bangalore on Sunday the 30th of October in an auto-rickshaw, I see myself telling the rickshaw-wala “bhaiyya, palace grounds chaloge?“. And he’d be like “haan, main bhi wahin ja raha hoon“. Everybody has heard Metallica at least once and this concert is going to be enormous. And we all will be a part of it.

The first time Iron Maiden played in Bangalore I almost got crushed. For Metallica we’ll be seeing multiple generations of fans coming together. You might want to carry an oxygen mask. The wait is finally over. As we are very close to witnessing Metallica – one of the grandest band that metal has ever seen – on our own soil. Can you feel the goosebumps already?

See you all in Bengaluru!

Also read – Karnivool line in India – a sweet overdose of music | Lamb of God live in India – Requiem for a Dream

Karnivool live in India – a sweet overdose of music

Come December, and these progressive musicians from Australia are going to take Bombay by storm with their uniqueness!

All you music freaks in the house, why so sewn and silent? Come on make some noise!

They say if a bird poops on you it is good luck, but this coming December the amount of progressive stuff Karnivool is going to drop on everyone in India cannot be measured. The moment I first heard Themata I wasn’t a simple boy anymore, in fact a whole new galaxy opened up. I was forced to walk through an alley of progression, that turning back from there was not an option. Boy, did I feel l1fel1ke or what!

Post-Themata came Sound Awake, in 2009. Fuck your definition of music, when I poured Karnivool‘s second full-length into my ears it sucked me in. I got trapped in a rubik’s cube and there was no way out. Music aimed at making even the extra terrestrial beings meditate, Sound Awake stalked me enough to be at one with myself.

Watching Karnivool play their tracks live, with Ian Kenny‘s vocals that give me a boner, eliminates the need to ponder over things that are insignificant. If you believe in a higher power then you definitely need to be present at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay on the 18th of December. Karnivool are not only way above the higher powerless shit, they are visible too. Oh! Now you got it. IIT Bombay has set a benchmark in getting down bands that need to be here. Hitting the bull’s eye, yea baby. Be there!

I haven’t missed this event for the last five years (except for Porcupine Tree) but unfortunately I might be fucking off to UK before this humongous event happens. Unlucky is a small word to explain what point my mind is trying to drive home. If not here, I will catch them somewhere, sometime but I just hope destiny sets up my appointment with Karnivool on the day in question here. After all a standard deck has fifty two cards for a reason.

The rest of you are closing in on that feeling of a spacecraft that will take y’all to a place you’ve never visited. You are not even required to eat roquefort before attending the gig, you can enter the venue anyways. Now that’s a bonus! Adventure is in store. For all I know, you might even go through a metamorphosis after the concert, a change as they call it, unless of course you don’t allow that to happen. Just let yourself go.

Never heard Karnivool? And don’t have the time to? Make sure you at least learn the lyrics for the track New Day so you can sing along with them. You’re welcome.

Witness how your soul illumines itself and interacts with music, from a band that probably no body can not like. For the record, I will forever be indebted to Karnivool‘s brand of progressive rock.

A Vooligan. That’s what I am. Always was, always will be.

Also read –

Gig review : Katatonia’s gig at Mood Indigo, IIT Bombay 2010

An Addiction called Themata

This is how I had felt when Lamb of God’s Bangalore gig was announced

Gig review : Lamb of God live in Bangalore 2010

The Demonic Chef

The demonic fixation did not continue this time, with Sahil Makhija (vocalist, guitarist – Demonic Resurrection) naming his maiden cookery venture Headbanger’s Kitchen. Inspiring an entire generation of metal heads wasn’t enough that now he has set out to show them what he can cook up with his culinary skills.

Targeting only the interested audience, Headbanger’s Kitchen is an online show where Sahil prepares some really gorgeous dishes that are not just irresistible but have metal scribbled all over them. With names like One wing chicken picata, Bhayanak Bacon bomb and cheesy potato, Djentleman’s Roast Chicken with Gravy he gets down metal artists for an informal discussion about everything under the sun and of course to taste his preparations. In the past this show has seen he likes of Dubai-based Nervecell, Nile-drummer George Kollias and members of Indian bands Scribe, Bhayanak Maut, Amogh Symphony and Skyharbor.

With all this is in the forefront, we have Srinivas Sunderrajan (bassist, Scribe) handling everything behind the camera. Srinivas is an independent film maker with his own production house that he calls Enter Guerilla Productions. Get in touch with them here.

For the rest of us who are too lazy to try this stuff at home, we get to gorge all this at Headbanger’s Kitchen stalls. I happened to be present at one such event at B69, Andheri and what I had tasted was bloody good. Below I’m seen holding a half eaten blood red chicken burger and the unstoppable Sahil Makhija who only accepts cash. Makes sense. Since it was a Slayer tribute night the other two dishes also went by the names bacon ensemble and reign in beef.

But I could not get myself to avoid the term demonic from the title because I don’t like to leave my articles incomplete, and this one sure would be incomplete without the mention.

Check out all the webisodes at Headbanger’s Kitchen‘s youtube channel here. And you can keep yourself updated about what Sahil is upto in his kitchen by visiting the official site here or by joining the facebook page here.  So, save up and place your orders. You can’t expect everything in the Indian metal scene to be available for free. Happy eating!

Absurd History logo

When the emperor of all things black metal decides to collaborate with the most artsy brain around then the result cannot be anything short of an explosion. From beneath the most feared crypt, laced with utmost evil precision, basing itself in a forest of the unholy ghoul comes the only logo that matters. A logo that has been approved by the most hazardous spirits with a backdrop that core musicians of the black metal scene want to reside in. The logo has undergone all the necessary rites so the naked human eye does not have to bear the brunt of all the negative energy that has been captured within this symbol.

This Absurd History logo here is the most fitting tribute to the black metal gods by this disciple of theirs who has been reeking full of the music they have been blessing this unworthy world with. Do not be fooled by the simplicity of the logo, as it has darker implications.

The logo has been designed by Saloni Sinha and you can view her uber-impressive work by going through her portfolio.

An Addiction called Themata

There isn’t a last time when I was this excited about anything that had to do with progressive music. So that ways I did not give history a chance to repeat itself. Talking about the ongoing progressive excitement, all ears and eyes should shift to Australian metal band that goes by the name of Karnivool. Oh yes, I forgot to add how much I love my name.

Being a little too open to understanding things have cost me a fucking lot. But every once in a while life has provided me with something to hold on to and bang comes a band that is mind-blowingly progressive, speaks the language of music my way thereby standing tall on my playlist. They even have a name like that. Should I add how mesmerized I am by those rich velvety riffs they play. Beyond awesome material!

Now time for what their music means to me. I have spent a whole week listening to their debut album Themata. Ladies and Gentlemen, as much as I can boast about my music collection I have never, I repeat never, spent a week playing any album by any band. Times have been tough. Despite of that Karnivool has given me a giant hug, made me feel like I have put on weight, knocked me out of my senses, forced me to forget all the worthless women I have dated so far, even allowed me to like my job and most importantly they make me want to live my life to the fullest. I promise that it would be a song from Themata that’ll be played first in my new car, whenever I buy one.

Their second offering Sound Awake is also on my playlist but I will be able to enjoy it only after I take a break from Themata, which is not happening anytime soon. Here’s some scoop. The band and hence their debut have been so effective that they have assured me of making even my dead body croon along with them. In memory of an entire week that I spent listening to them I’d be celebrating 8th – 13th of May every year as Karnivool week. Every drop from the lake of their debut Themata has been holy water to me. I love you, Karnivool…!

Past Life Regression Therapy

My first and only encounter with Past Life Regression Therapy dates back to 2007. Before I talk about what exactly happened with me, I would educate you all a bit about what Past Life Regression Therapy is.

Past Life Regression Therapy (or, PLRT in short) is simply a way of taking the participant towards his past life/lives through hypnosis. Even I faced the question as to why would someone even want to go there. So it was some time in college when I went through what each one of us is looking for. It is to know where we really come from, although it doesn’t really matter, why are we where we actually are and where are we taking ourselves. No, that wasn’t meant to be a tongue-twister. While most of us tried warding off such questions through a cloud of marijuana, I also happened to take a shortcut that wasn’t short after all. The answer to the why that this paragraph has raised would come in the subsequent ones.

The sessions of PLRT are mainly to explore who you were before being born into this life. The reasons for knowing that can range from participant to participant. Some go into it just for the kick, few for the changes it can bring to your future, others go there to get an answer to the problems they are facing in this life, and most others visit their past lives to heal these problems. Your problems could be directly or indirectly linked to some incident in your past life. Most importantly this PLRT ain’t some black magic bullshit or a peak time news material for a television channel. PLRT is a clinically practiced, practically proven technique and it only requires some exposure to take this more seriously. I had a good laugh about the whole thing myself until destiny took me where I never planned to visit.

Dr. Brian Weiss

I was unaware of this subject until I was told about a certain Dr. Brian Weiss, whose books I adored reading afterward. Also, the very mention of past life generated within me an additional interest leading me to spend more time than what I would have otherwise spared for all this things interesting. Dr. Brian Weiss is well-known for his past life sessions wherein his patients were taken back to find the root cause of their present problems. All of these encounters were recorded on tape by Dr. Weiss and have also been documented in his books which I would introduce to you all through separate topics.

It took me a simple google search to know who involved themselves in this therapy in India. A couple of calls later I was talking to this practitioner who did this therapy in Churchgate (Mumbai) where they had a weekly gathering of interested participants. I was told that the group of people who performed the therapy were themselves practitioners (some were doctors, some weren’t) who sat with their individual participants. In case you had a severe problem, which could be emotional as well as physical, they would take the case to the clinic.

past life regression therapy

The participant takes one or more sessions to see his/her past. It depends on the state of one’s mind. A person who has had a fight with his girlfriend or wife should definitely not go for this. A clear mind is a must. You’d say that the person handling the participant should be a qualified doctor but from what I’ve read it can also be done by someone who has an interest in this field as it does not take a degree to hypnotize and talk to someone. It’s more like practice. This woman asked me to lie down with my eyes closed. She began talking to me asking for my increased concentration towards a white light that I was supposed to imagine. It’s hard but it happens.

You keep talking to the therapy performer by telling them what you see. You can even sense your feelings at that particular situation in your mind. Each session of mine lasted about half an hour to forty five minutes. First two sessions yielded no results. It was the third one where I saw myself as a young girl some where in the nineteenth century. The girl (which was me) had a strange longing within her which made her sad most of the times. Every time I tried to see ahead I would somehow lose concentration. The fourth and fifth sessions were brief owing to my reduced interest in investigating it further. I guess I have less patience because there was this man out there who was doing this for an year and kept visiting his ‘many’ lives. The strange part of this is you would remember what you saw clearly after you are wide awake. I can recall it after almost four years.

mind and it's several questions

I am not endorsing PLRT nor am I saying that this is the end of all your problems. It is just one way of looking at your recurring issues, which could also include bad dreams or nightmares. If you talk to people who have undergone PLRT they will always provide you a positive reply. My therapy did not benefit me in any way although it was my fault that I did not continue it. I was too bored to go there in the first place. I grew out of the fact that I would go through it but I still enjoy going through books that put down such experiences. If you are reading this and think that this could help then it isn’t too late to give it a try. It’s an experience that would mostly be enjoyed by those who have a habit of asking questions to themselves about themselves.

Note : Remember that you aren’t really a patient if you go in for this therapy. That is the sole reason I addressed the people interested in PLRT as ‘participants’ in my article.