Groovy riffs from The Down Troddence often inspires a dance more than headbanging. But they do bind that western groove metal backbone with some exotic elements. Even though these extraordinary and exotic strands originate several time zones away, everything they have conjured sounds coherent. This magical coherence of groove thrash with Indian classical or with that of local lore and folklore, or with regional dialect feels inexplicable. Unsurprising their roots reside in the land of looms and lores, a popular name for a small town in Kerala. Braiding Malayalam language and the surrounding cultural references, The Down Troddence weaves an enchanting hand crafted harmony, something which sounds familiar and yet remains foreign.

The song “Forgotten Martyrs” is a smoldering testament to all these qualities. Layering a Carnatic melody meets Jimi Hendrix like blues on a groove train, with precision vocal modulation, and sheer propulsive force of drums, The Down Troddence crafts an uncanny symphony. The track simply binds together an otherwise exploding album with diverse ideas. These influences range from groove, to folk to death metal and alternative. A track this rich, vibrant and well produced transports this elegant melange of an album to a new class. The tier where fine talent, production engineering, and refined aesthetic sensibilities converge, forging the subtle and exquisite ungodly metal we all adore.

Image Attribution : Advaithmohan90, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons