By Andrew Bansal
Warhound is a death metal quartet based out of Dhaka, Bangladesh which started out in 2012. Members of this band originally started out under the name Carnage in 2005 but that band split up in 2008, and Warhound was born from its ashes four years later. This is a very young entity as of now, with only an EP called ‘Ominous Death Carnage’ under their belts, but it’s a set of tunes that truly justify and represent the title of the EP, and through the seven songs on this 25-minute EP, the band shows plenty of menace and promise for the years to come. But as of now, they are preparing to play the upcoming ‘Banish The Posers’ Fest in their hometown on November 16th. A gig put together by local promoters Primitive Invocation, this gig is all set to bring together the best of Bangladeshi underground extreme metal with bands from Malaysia, Thailand and India. A few days ago, I caught up with the band to discuss their participation in this fest, their history and lots more. Read the conversation below, along with a taste of their music. If you’re in Dhaka, make sure you catch Warhound at the gig later this month. And for extreme metal fans elsewhere, treat this as an introduction to a band that you might enjoy checking out.
First of all, how are preparations going for the upcoming ‘Banish The Posers’ Fest in Dhaka and what can people expect from Warhound at this gig?
We are talking and planning for the gig almost everyday. Our jamming sessions are on in full form. From Warhound you can expect only good old metal of Death, nothing else.I was reading about your band’s history and you originally formed under the name Carnage, then split up in 2008 and later reformed as Warhound. What was the reason for the split and how did the reformation come about?
When Carnage was formed back in 2005-06, we were only in our early college days. We used to jam at regular basis whether we were performing in the gigs or not. It was a weekly ritual for us. After our HSC exam we had to put an end to our regular practice sessions because everyone of us chose different career paths. Our vocalist chose to study law in abroad and likewise everyone else chose different subjects to study. It never was a complete split-up though. We jammed whenever we had time. But in 2008 we decided to take a break as our drummer went to Sylhet to study in medical science. The hope of reformation was always there. Though it took four long years but finally we managed to reform the band with a different name and now we’re going stronger than ever.
You put out an EP this year called ‘Ominous Death Carnage’. When did you start working on it and what was the whole process like?
After the reformation of Carnage as Warhound in September 2012, we decided to record our stuff and release. So immediately we started working on the project and came up with songs of our taste. All the tracks were recorded in our home studios and we mixed and mastered the songs all by ourselves. The whole process took us 2-3 months. Finally on March 28, 2013 we released our songs in tape format.
What inspired you to base your band name and lyrical themes around war and death, and what’s the reason for your fascination with these two subjects?
We are living in a world of wars, isn’t it? Through war, the human species enforce its superiority over others. To us, war is something you can never avoid. We are war-like species, hence the band name is Warhound. War leads to death. Well, death is the most certain thing in our world. Death brings about change and through change we adapt and evolve. Nothing is as certain as death. It’s the ultimate truth. We don’t know a thing beyond death and it’s surely fascinates us most. If we must worship, we worship death.
Does the society in Dhaka have any kind of positive or negative impact on your musicianship?
Not really. Not until now. Actually we don’t bother what the ‘society’ thinks. We just keep doing what we do best.
For you, is extreme metal an escape from the frustrations of daily life?
First of all our daily lives are not frustrating at all because we listen to Iron Maiden (laughs). We rejoice our lives in every way possible and metal helps us through the day.
What does this band really mean to you? Is it more of a passion and a hobby or do you plan to pursue it on a bigger level in the long term?
Warhound is bigger than a band for us. It is the legacy of our friendship both with each other and metal in general. It is kind of our passion in a broader way. We want to keep on going with it as long as we can and in the process if we manage to reach a certain level that won’t be a problem.
You draw influence from a lot of bands, but which album has influenced and inspired you the most towards starting off as an extreme metal band?
It is very tough to describe ‘Influence’ in sheer words. From the early days of NWOBHM, the German scene, the North American scene to the classic Swedish death metal era, we are influenced by Metal itself. And for albums we can name-
Altars Of Madness – Morbid Angel
Morbid Visions- Sepultura
Where No Life Dwells- Unleashed
Black Thrash Attack – Aura Noir
How is the college gig scene in Dhaka? Do the colleges allow metal bands to play in their annual festivals and events such as those?
Well there is no college gig scene here in Dhaka. But some kids still manage to organize gigs in their rag days and freshers’ receptions and we try to support them for all the good they will bring in the near future.
Aside from ‘Banish The Posers’ Fest, do you have any other gigs planned for the near future?
Perhaps we don’t. But we definitely want to go outside Dhaka and hopefully we will in the coming years, cheers.
Visit Warhound on the web at:
facebook.com/eganrac
twitter.com/WarhoundCarnage
youtube.com/user/WarhoundCarnage