By Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal
Bangalore-based progressive metal band Eccentric Pendulum will be a part of the inaugural Bangalore Open Air festival, set to take place on June 16th. The band’s eclectic music will certainly add a lot to the already diverse lineup, with the likes of Kreator, Suidakra, Kryptos, Dying Embrace, Bevar Sea, 1833 A.D. and Albatross also on the bill. The band will present material from their debut album “Winding The Optics”, and attendees can expect a solid performance from these guys. In a series of interviews I’m doing to promote this amazing festival, I caught up with Eccentric Pendulum bassist Arun to talk about what to expect from them at this show, the debut album, influences, and his thoughts on the whole old-school vs new-school thing. He has some very interesting things to say, so enjoy the conversation below, and make sure to check them out at Bangalore Open Air next month.
First of all, how does it feel to be part of the Bangalore Open Air lineup, and what can we expect from you guys at the gig?
It feels good to know that there is activity of this scale happening – not one headliner but two have been confirmed. Matters seem definitely grand as of now and you can expect nothing short of the violent dose of varied metal that we usually extend to our audience.
You’re probably the most ‘modern sounding’ band on this lineup. Does that mean you’ll have to put in extra effort to impress fans of bands such as Kreator and Iced Earth?
I guess we really do not have to be concerned about who we are catering to and how we have to alter ourselves for a different batch of audience. I do not think any bands bother themselves with this at all, as all the audience want at the end of the day is a good show or
something appealing to view or listen to, the band being an extract of old or new school is secondary. We will play our best just like we’ve always tried to.
Your debut full-length album “Winding The Optics” came out last year. From what I know, it was written over a period of 2 years. Having devoted so much time and effort into it, are you satisfied with how it sounds as a final product?
Getting this one done was quite a mammoth effort and it involved many people. The whole album was in fact done twice [except drums], as it did not turn out as well as expected the first time over. The guitars were quad tracked and vocals re-recorded.
As young musicians, there is a first time for everything and I think this was our first attempt in making an LP. It was our first attempt at putting together 7 tracks from scratch. Undeniably, there have been spells of time where one wished there was someone who
knew more that would look after us, tell us what to do, how to do it etc. I think we are much more aware of how things are done and a tad better too, as musicians than what we were 2 years ago. Hence making the next album should be definitely more interesting and more than engaging to look forward to. Winding the Optics is our debut effort and I guess we are happy with the final product, the clarity and the vision on this album. All of us have given our best for this one and I guess we have raised the bar for ourselves and for the album to follow.
Do you feel that the progressiveness of your music gives you the freedom to fuse various genres into your compositions?
Yes, I believe not having a particular genre in mind, thinking freely with no particular favorites, no particular bias regrading bands, schools, sounds etc helps one in crafting something that is novel and refreshing, if not totally original, since as of this minute it is possible for mankind to believe and say that no art nor building nor a piece of furniture is 100 percent pure, original. Music is no exception.
Because of the eclectic nature of the music and the mixture of these multiple genres, do you sometimes feel like it’s a challenge to maintain a steady fan base?
Not really, the music we make is to cater to our vision and address solely that, hence it is both exclusively and personal, I guess we will aim at making steady consistent tracks which is by far more challenging than to maintain a steady fan base.
You’ve listed Meshuggah, Cynic, Death and Tool as your major
influences. But other than those, what are some of the not-so-obvious
bands or musicians that you draw inspiration from?
We draw our influences from newer bands like Hacride, Soilwork, Leprous, Isis, Concealment, and many more. I think Nevermore has been one of our favourite band, so I guess it qualifies as a major influence too. Understanding one’s instrument is so important. Quality and attention to detail is also very important, one can always check out and get inspired by some of these jazz/fusion artists. Musicianship is easily at its peak among such bands.
Have you had a chance to write any more new material after the album was released?
We have had not many opportunities to sit down,to discuss, to try out things anew but I think we do have one new song approximately 4 minutes in length. We are waiting to be regrouped as of now, then things might start to cook.
What are your plans for the rest of the year, in terms of gigs?
Since things are getting tougher – our agenda is very clear, either show us the peak-money or show us the peak-slot/stage time, we will keep our eyes open for substantial gigs and varied organizers that come our way. Other than this we might look for opportunities
regarding a good record deal in the future with a label that we think might suit us.
In India, I’ve noticed that different parts of the country have different tastes in music. There’s a strong old-school metal thing going on in Bangalore, I think. Do you agree with that?
I have been waiting for someone to ask me about this. I think you ve noticed it wrong or there have been way too many people vouching/quarrelling/praising for things that are old school. I think, I feel there is a strong blind sense of superiority that old school metal fans come with against newly produced music/newschool/metalcore. Personally, I would have to say it is too much of the rebel without a cause. The vitality of old-school might be preserved, fought for, definitely there are people who remember their roots. But at the same time one cannot wink a blind-eye to the advancements the new school
has yielded in the field of “production”, “song-writing” and most importantly “dynamics”. It is quite significant [sometimes even unmatched in my opinion] and must be kept in mind. There is enough excitement in both schools. I think one must realize that it is pointless being separated as new/old school. I do not see how it is an advantage in today’s context. All that people [musicians/listeners] should care about is good music, i.e. a bunch of real solid, tasty riffs played tight. So I have to infer by saying that there are people who like
both schools in Bangalore, there is no such strong old school metal thing going on, no eternal force that is carrying any torch in here that I can feel but sure as fuck there is a lot of unwanted ‘talk’ on this topic which could get real annoying.
You’ve already performed with some well-known international acts on various stages. But which is the one band you still dream about performing with?
I think we would have really liked to be on the same gig/tour with Nevermore and Death. Unfortunately for us, we are a few decades behind schedule (laughs).
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