Interview With Indian Horror Metal Band Albatross

1. Greetings, Albatross! Could you guys shed some light on how you came up with the name for the band?

Dr. Hex: Greeting! My brother suggested the name and I took to it immediately. It just sounded appropriate, and exactly what I was looking for at the time. Old school as fuck, conveying the nerdy imagery we wanted to portray and very very metal. And so the avian of ill omen was born.

2. Your 2nd EP, The Kissing Flies has been receiving positive reviews from all around. How’s the feeling?

Nishith: Well, whenever you write a riff or compose a song, u always want other people to like it and talk about it you know. I’m the one guy who has written the least in the album because when I joined the band all the music was already written. And getting positive reviews is always an awesome feeling. When your work is appreciated from different parts of the world, there’s nothing like it!

3. Tell us a little bit more about your Ep. and your approach towards writing the material.

Dr. Hex: The Kissing Flies is a split we’ve just wrapped up with US based band Vestal Claret, which was recently released via Roadcrew Records.  It features 4 songs from us and 1 mega track from them. Our side tells the story of a town infested with demonic flies. When it comes to songwriting, I usually think of the story, after which the guitarists write their parts. Following which me and Jay come in with our respective bits, and Bipro writes his vocal melodies at the end. We often take months to write a single song, and one such example is ‘From Ashes Comes Life’.

4. Which bands/music have influenced you into writing music for Albatross?

Dr. Hex: Speaking for myself- King Diamond, Wolf, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Slough Feg, Ghost, Manowar, Celtic Frost, Hell, RAM, In Solitude, Metallica, etc. Everyone in the band has different influences though- me and Biprorshee and maybe even Nishith veer towards the traditional side of metal, and Vignesh and Jay towards the progressive side.

5. You guys just played some gigs recently in Mumbai, down south and the north east. How was the experience?

Nishith: It was an awesome experience… To know that we have fans across the nation is a different feeling altogether. Adjusting with the food was a problem though, Lol! It was a great experience overall! We enjoyed every bit of this tour!

6. You guys have brought in a new genre in the scene, ‘Horror Metal’. How did you come up with the concept? As performers, how do you see your music connecting with the listeners?

Dr. Hex: I’m also an advertiser, and I’ve often noticed that in advertising we tend to underestimate and dumb down content for our audience.  Albatross is my writing outlet, with no watering down of material…reflecting my interest in horror, fantasy, weird fiction, whodunits, etc.  It’s heavily influenced by King Diamond, who‘s practically invented the genre of horror storytelling through metal. Those who’re interested in the concept aspect of the music dig it I guess. Those who don’t connect with it, just don’t.  The problem with a lot of lyricists is that they try to be intelligent, when they should focus on trying to be interesting. That’s always been my aim. Vignesh and Nishith’s vast musical knowledge and Bipro and Jay’s interest in horror cinema also help us a lot when it comes to conjuring an atmosphere for the music. 

7. Are you guys gigging anywhere soon? Update!

Dr. Hex: Bangalore Open Air pre parties should happen soon. We’ll keep you posted about that!

8. Opening for Iced Earth and legendary Kreator! Your thoughts on BOA.

Dr. Hex: It’s still sinking in. Iced Earth has been a direct influence on our music, and it’ll be an honor to share the stage with them. Kreator is a phenomenal live act, and it’ll be an absolute treat to watch them play. I think this is the first gig I’m playing where I’m a huge fan of all the bands on the bill.

9. The last couple of years have seen a tremendous rise of a core-oriented music around the country. What’s your take on it?

Dr. Hex: They suck.

10. Final words to the fans.

Dr. Hex: Stay heavy! Stay true! Pump your fists with us at Bangalore Open Air on the 16^th. Horns up!