Originally published in the Hindu Bangalore Metroplus on October 21, 2012:
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/beatstreet/article4019264.ece
Bevar Sea – Bevar Sea
Rs. 400 (CD), Rs 150 (MP3)
Iron Fist Records
Bangalore’s very own old school metallers Bevar Sea have finally released their first debut album, after spending a few years writing, performing and promoting their music in the country. Though their gigs were mostly limited to their home town, Bevar Sea seem to have gotten international and national recognition only due to their serious, no holds barred style of stoner and doom metal, inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath, Cathedral and Sleep.
The best part about stoner metal is that even if you may not be familiar with it, the elements of another era will get you hooked. And let’s be honest, there aren’t many who skip over the classics for modern metal. The members of Bevar Sea probably think so too, but this is not the best place to raise that debate.
What do need to be raised are those devil horns, just as the album opener ‘The Smiler’ fades in with a chunky, fuzzy riff from guitarists Srikanth Panaman and Rahul Chacko. On ‘Abhistu’, vocalist Ganesh Krishnaswamy sings about a nomadic outlaw, a sort of modern day cowboy, whose tales make for an interesting rhyme, suited to the stoner rock tradition of fabled beings.
Though there are only four songs on Bevar Sea, you won’t be able to get these riffs out of your head, that’s how mighty they are. ‘Universal Sleeper’ seems to be a nod towards stoner rock band Kyuss, except Bevar Sea incorporate the doom metal style of long, droning compositions to have a psychedelic feel. The album closes with ‘Mono Gnome’, which is a mammoth 17 minutes long, but packed with memorable movements that won’t make you think twice about listening to it, even if it takes up the better part of half an hour.
What certainly will surprise most new listeners is how Bevar Sea makes a ‘full-length album’ with just four songs, clocking in around the 40-minute mark. But that’s the beauty of stoner and doom metal – to produce filthy riffs, but enchanting lead solos. The band live up to representing their genre faithfully, but it remains to be seen whether they stick around to become the city’s leading metal band.
Bevar Sea is available for purchase on store.bevarsea.com
Anurag Tagat 