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 Real Heavy Metal--The Russian built T90 Main Battle Tank Wow, you're actually from India. Nobody ever hears anything Metal-related happening in India except when Iron Maiden and Megadeth played there last year. Did you watch them? Ajay: Yes we're from India and we did watch Megadeth, Maiden, Scorpions, Deep Purple, Joe Satriani, and Machine Head. What's the metal scene like in your part of the world? A: The Metal scene has rapidly grown compared to the past. Its like we have a lot of bands in every city here. Some of them are Punk, Rock, Death Metal, Jazz, Funk and so on. . . Are you familiar with the band Millennium? Do you know their songs or the members personally? Have you ever seen them play live? A: Millennium yeah. We don't know the members personally because they started when we were still kids. We saw them live when they opened for Megadeth. It was a kick ass experience. They rule! India is such a large country. What part of it do you call home? A: We live in Visakhapatnam which is in Andhra Pradesh (the state's name). And when did all of you come together to form Mephistopheles? And why choose that particular name? A: We formed up in June 2007. We chose ‘Mephistopheles' because he is the soul-taker and we want to take peoples souls with our music. All of you were seriously into metal when the band was formed? Which are Mephistopheles' favorite bands and albums? A: All of us were into Metal when the band was formed. Some of our favorite bands are Obituary, Celtic Frost, Manowar, Ozzy Osbourne, Opeth, Zakk Wylde, Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Dark Tranquility, Kalmah, Iron Maiden, Machine Head. What other bands or albums that you recently learned about or bought/downloaded are totally kicking you in the pants right now? A: Obituary's ‘Frozen Time'; ‘United Abominations' by Megadeth; Sorskogen's ‘Mordet I Grottan.' When you aren't practicing, where does the band hang out? What usually goes down when the members of Mephistopheles are bonding and enjoying some bromance (brotherly romance)? A: Well, that depends because all the band members don't stay at the same place. A few of them live in other cities and when all of us are here after jamming we just chill out in the beach or in a coffee shop. Why are there so many members? You even have a lyricist. Does he ever show up on your gigs? What stuff does he usually write about? A: there are six of us in total, consisting of four guitarists, a vocalist, plus a drummer along with the lyricist, so that makes seven. Our lyricist is in the US right now. We just tell him the theme and other stuff we want for the lyrics and he writes them up and passes it down to us. All the rest is done by the band. Since we've broached the subject of gigs, what kind of places have the band played in?
And how were the audiences? Are there a lot of metalheads in India? I mean, come on, there are a billion of you in the subcontinent. A: The band has played in one of the state's biggest band hunt competitions which was judged by pioneers in the music industry like directors, drummers, and popular singers. To name a few, there was A. R. Rehman Sivamani who is one of the world's best drummers and endorses for Zildjian and Yamaha drum kit. After that we were very lucky to open for the country's best rock band, Parikrama, who opened twice for Iron Maiden. Once here in India and another time in Donnington. Opening for Parikrama was our biggest achievement to date. We have even participated in Campus Rock Idols Festival and we recently played in our hometown for Kingfisher's Pub Rock Fest in 10 Downing Street which a very big festival held across the country. Now we are playing for another competition where 20 other bands will be battling it out for the prize money, guitars and goodies. As for the audiences, they are very good and you have loads of metalheads and amazing musicians here in India.  Where did you find the studio to record your first songs? And do you all pitch in when it comes to band expenses? A: We got to know about it through a reference from a few people while the expenses for the recording and stuff came from all band members, who pitched in. Seriously now, do you think it's possible, with hard work and determination, to make a living off your music at any point in the future? A: I do think it's possible but on the other hand all of us have our own personal commitments and we decided to first settle up in life by completing our studies so that we don't have to borrow money from our parents. Is Mephistopheles interested in incorporating violent and dramatic aspects of your country's history and culture into its music? You know, like what Iron Maiden, Manowar and Iced Earth does? A: We do know about what those bands are doing, but as for now we have a few of our own stuff to complete and once they are done we do have plans of using themes centered on some really disgusting aspects of Indian politics. Let's venture deeper into you're the band's origins. When did you first pick up an instrument and how long did it take to achieve the chops you have right now? A: I picked up the guitar three years back and for a year my progress was so bad
that I could not even understand how to play a C Major scale. After that, for two more years I worked my ass off to get the stuff right the way I wanted it to be. Credits for that is some serious listening to music and my personal interest in improving! What do your parents think of your heavy metal lifestyle? Are they supportive of your musical aspirations? A: For them it's first comes first. They want me to complete my studies and then carry on with my music. Which places do you go to when buying metal albums? A: It depends. Sometimes it's Music World, Planet M or I just download it. You're all young right? Are any of you already working? Anyway, with the Beijing Olympics over do you look at China as India's main competition? A: Our age groups range from 19 to 24. One of the band members is working and maybe another might also start working soon. I don't really see China as a major competitor but resources are definitely much better there. Do you think your country should dominate Heavy music in Asia? A: Since the scene has grown so massively, yeah, in a few years it should and Indian Metal will dominate! Who should own Kashmir, India or Pakistan? A: India should own it.  When Indian metal rules the world-- Gazillionaire steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal I hope you enjoyed this interview Mephistopheles. Would you want to say hello to our predominantly Filipino readership? A: We did enjoy this a lot and yeah, we would definitely love to say a big ‘Hello' to your
Filipino readership. Keep Fuckin' Supporting Metal!
STAY HEAVY
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