Bhayanak Maut & Reverrse Polarity at Blue Frog, 4th April

Nothing beats a metal gig, but a metal gig at one of Mumbai’s prime performance venues? That’s an added bonus!

So as I entered Blue Frog for the first time in a long while (the last time was for a trippy-ass Lounge Piranha gig), I realized the ambience was set for a gig, but the crowd, not so much. Apart from a score of friendly faces from the scene, there was the dinner-and-live-music crowd. A low turnout was not something I would expect, and soon enough, I was to be proved wrong. At least 50 people were present on the standing space in front of the stage a few minutes before the gig was to start.

& Reverrse Polarity at Blue Frog, 4th April" width="440" height="294" />

I was informed earlier itself that Bhayanak Maut would be playing first, followed by Reverrse Polarity. For a metal gig, the organizers seem to have come as close as possible to get two bands that vaguely fit into the same genre, and seem to share increasing popularity – BM for their (well-received) Album release last year, and Reverrse Polarity (still) for their Launchpad victory last year.

Another plus was seeing BM vocalist Vinay Venkatesh back on stage. He had re-considered his decision to quit the band and would stay on longer, he said during a break between songs. The band last performed roughly a month ago, at Resurrection IX, supporting Demonic Resurrection. This is also where I had last seen them, and I have to admit, I’m hoping they perform on a regular basis in Mumbai now.

As a small crowd gathers in front of the stage, the band, except for vocalists Sunny and Vinay, play an (impromptu?) intro very reminiscent of Meshuggah. The vocalists then complete the on-stage lineup and we have the awesome stage presence of Bhayanak Maut. Their opening track ‘Habemus Papam’ only manages to warm up the listeners, but the kind, brutal words of encouragement from the vocalists manages to get the crowd going - that, and ‘Ranti Nasha’, the second song on their set list. BM transitioned into songs effortlessly, probably because every track on their album became a favourite for someone or the other. Vinay also apologized to the dinner-crowd if their music turned their guts over and inside.

They performed a new song titled ‘Dear <Name>’, which was well-received even though it leaned away from a traditional BM track. Faster riffs, brutal vocals stood out in this track. Repeated performances are bound to make this a crowd favourite.

Bhayanak Maut kept it together like they always do. Their monstrous stage-presence continues to be their USP. Something about these 6 individuals being put on a stage together makes for sheer brutality. The two vocalists pounced around the stage, egging the crowd on throughout their 45-minute set. In between of course, they were their usual boisterous-selves – ripping on the crowd, proposing to video record a group shower, or even a single person showering, ripping on Hamza, and comically mis-hearing every song request! (‘Last Kiss’ for someone who yelled “Blasted (Beyond Belief)!”)

The band dared to leave to without playing ‘You’re Perfect, Now Change’, but repeated requests made Sunny announce, “Okay, this song is called ‘Last Kiss’” and of course, the band burst into the brutal album-closer.

& Reverrse Polarity at Blue Frog, 4th April" width="300" height="452" />Reverrse Polarity took the stage in due time, and Hamza (Apollonian Quest, Workshop) filled in on the drums for them, temporarily replacing Jonathan Fernandes. While they performed in their traditional red t-shirts, they were disappointed that they’re fans didn’t turn up in a similar dress code. Nonetheless, they didn’t want to show it.

Inspite of a different drummer, they showed little incompatibility in their performance with Hamza. Their set list had no new songs, but featured favourites like ‘Gollum’, which they opened with, and ‘Empty Faces’, ‘Johnny Horny’, ‘Clusterphobia’ and ‘Cross Poly Nations’.

The band took turns at being raunchy as usual, with vocalists Gaurav and Viraj introducing songs, moshing amongst themselves on stage, and hurling abuses pointlessly in between breakdowns.

Since I last saw them, the band has managed to perform a tighter, heavier set list. Categorization is not really my thing, but today Reverrse Polarity brought out their unique mix of metalcore and nu-metal (now with even more breakdowns!) to a good reception. The composition of the crowd was different since BM left, but there were fans nonetheless.

Reverrse Polarity performed for about 45 minutes on stage, speaking on topics ranging from politics to sex, to performing at Blue Frog, to repeating some of BM’s jokes. Well, maybe not.

Lastly, I have to mention that the other added incentive for me to attend this gig was knowing that the new Bhayanak Maut t-shirts (titled ‘All Seeing Hand’) were made available for purchase. I, for one, could not afford to leave Blue Frog without gaining the awesome product of guitarist Venky’s designing genius.

Photo Courtesy : Vivek V Gupta