By Andrew Bansal
Based out of Dhaka, Bangladesh, extreme metal band Nafarmaan are preparing for their debut live show, at the upcoming ‘Banish The Posers’ Fest in their hometown on November 16th. This is a gig being put together by Dhaka-based company Primitive Invocation, and promises to be the biggest event of its kind that the country has ever seen. As announced before, I’ll be featuring all eight bands on the lineup individually, and after my Orator piece, it’s time to delve into Nafarmaan with vocalist Imam Iblis and drummer/session guitarist Nohttzver. Read the conversation below. If you’re in Dhaka, make sure you catch Nafarmaan at the gig next month. And for extreme metal fans elsewhere, this is a band with crushing music and an interesting story which should pique your interest.
First of all, you’re playing the ‘Banish The Posers’ Fest in Dhaka on November 16th. What can people expect from Nafarmaan at this gig and how are your preparations going?
N – Nafarmaany Chaos Supreme!!
I.I – BTF will be Nafarmaan’s debut live gig and we are proud to share the stage with each of the acts on the fest. You can expect sheer Nafarmaany, that’s all I can say. Rest you have to witness. Rehearsals are held each week, whether we have anything upcoming or not. We would like to thank Primitive Invocation for conjuring the onslaught and taking the initiative of representing the true underground for the first time in Bangladesh.
Since your band is completely underground at this point with no online social profiles or Metal Archives biography, can you tell me about when exactly the band started out and what you’ve done so far?
The band started off in 2008 with Nohttzver and Agnee Azaab. There were a few line up changes and Nafarmaan believed themselves to be ready for the studio when the current line up was finalized. Six tracks were recorded, from which 4 of them is part of the EP ‘Quayamat Lullaby’. Watch out for this release in more than one format soon.
I saw the band’s logo and the cover artwork for your ‘Quayamat Lullaby’ EP, and I’ve got to say, both are fantastic. Were they your creation? If not, who designed those pieces of art?
I.I – The band’s logo was conceptualized and drafted by our own Nohttzver. It was then finalized by RaiyanMomen. As far as the album art goes, the sickening piece of art was brought alive by Naziha Amin, also known as the CatLady. Nafarmaan is grateful for their contributions.
I see that you’ve also been selling t-shirts with the band’s logo on the front and a slogan in regional language on the back. How’s the response to that been so far amongst local fans? Are you also accepting orders from abroad?
I.I – The response has been overwhelming. Each of those who purchased the shirt has written back to us with a positive response. We are accepting orders from abroad, but due to international mail complexities, it does become a bit difficult to send. We usually come up with more primitive ways like sending through friends (laughs).
I really like the fact that you’ve used the words like Nafarmaan and Quayamat from the regional language to form the name of your band and your EP. Don’t you think bands in Bangladesh, and in South East Asia in general should incorporate more of the regional culture into various aspects of their music?
I.I – Nafarmaan’s idea, the words, the name and the sound had to have a signature of our root. That was something we wouldn’t compromise with. When it comes to the rest of the bands from the region, we are not to comment on what they should incorporate. What we personally expect from a band is their original sound. That’s all.
As a drummer, which musician or band has been your biggest inspiration?
N- There are so many of them and to really choose any particular musician or a band would be personally unfair. It ranges from Ustad Allah Rakkah Khan to Neil Peart to Igor Cavalera, or the bands and genres I personally seek influences from.
You’re the founder of the band, but do you write all of the band’s music or is it more of a combined effort between all members?
N- Yes I am. Me and AgneeAzaab write all the stuff. I write all the lyrics now although previously Godslayer, a brother to Nafarmaan used to write on behalf of me. We are grateful to him for his contributions. What generally happens is I come up with a concept along with Imam and incorporate that to the song writing process. I mostly write the riffs or come up with one when a particular concept or lyric demands it.The next stage is the execution of the track through Rehearsals where everyone chips in.
What’s your approach towards drumming in general? Do you give importance to speed or are you more focused on the groove?
N- To me speed isn’t everything; but groove, Yes always. My particular style is groove and incorporation of elements and influences from other genres like traditional/regional percussion, latin and jazz.
What’s your ambition for Nafarmaan? Do you plan to take it to the next level and play gigs abroad or are you satisfied with having it as a passion or hobby at this point?
N- Nafarmaan will never be a hobby. It is my child and I’ll make sure that it grows up to be a deadly force to be reckoned with. We’ve already finished writing five new tracks three amongst them are good for recording.Nafarmaan is very keen on conquering foreign grounds and we are ‘Live’ ready.
Aside from ‘Banish The Posers’ Fest, what else do you have planned for the near future in terms of gigs?
N – We are to play a Headlining gig this December in Kolkata, India called Ritual Ascension Fest II organized by Putrid Ascendancy. Apart from that, we are having quite a number of Invitations to possible gigs especially in Singapore and Malaysia. All I can say for now is look out for some very exciting news in 2014.
Current Line-up:
Nohttzver: Drums/Session Guitars
Imam Iblis: Vocals
Marhoum: Bass
Agnee Azaab: Guitars