Over the past year, Mumbai progressive metal act Goddess Gagged has built up quite an impressive buzz. What was once an average and inconsistent ‘band with potential’, is now an efficient and impressive stage act capable of inciting mini-riots (unlike Metallica, they can only do this when they actually play). The band’s sound has also evolved over the year, helped in no small part by a prudent lineup change.
After putting out a couple of impressive singles and one not-so-impressive video, the band released their debut album Resurfaces at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender. The seven-track album is only 40 minutes long, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in sheer intensity.
The first thing that strikes you when you put on the album is the production. Zorran Mendonsa’s production is an aural treat and it took me a couple of spins before I could get over how brilliant the album sounded and focus on the music. It’s a testament to what you can achieve when a producer shares the band’s vision. Not only does Mendonsa accurately capture the essence of the band’s sound, he manages to add to it with some subtle sonic trickery.
Goddess Gagged plays efficient, slick progressive metal with strong post-hardcore leanings. There’s also the occasional throwback to 1990s alt-rock. Apart from the obvious Protest The Hero-style post-hardcore influence (Goddess Gagged is the title of a Protest The Hero track), their sound also draws from bands like Circles, Periphery, Mute Math, Tool and Karnivool. There’s plenty of crushing riffs and epic post-hardcore breakdowns, complemented by a relentless rhythm section and superb ambient atmospherics. Siddharth Basrur has done an amazing job on the vocals, once again proving why he’s considered one of the best singers in the country. Guest vocalist Sunneith Revankar (of BM fame) contributes two brilliant vocal performances as well. Goddess Gagged would slot in perfectly within the growing international djent-progressive scene, but that’s a mixed blessing. While their sound is original and highly competent, it lacks the individual flavour that would help differentiate them from the herd.
Opener ‘Modern Machines’ alternates between anthemic alt-rock and bone-crushing metal. Guitarists Devesh Dayal and Arman Menzies lay down catchy, but heavy-as-fuck riffs while Basrur and Sunneith switch between plaintive pleading and throat-shredding gutturality. “You can be anything you want, you said/ So I became a lie,” Sunneith growls, the angry accusation hitting you like a sledgehammer to the chest. ‘Visionary’, the strongest track on the album, sees the band wearing their hardcore influences on their sleeve. It powers through with chugging riffs and unexpected time signature changes, before transforming into a melodic metal ballad halfway through the song. Lyrically, it starts off as an awkwardly hopeful love song (“As long as there is lust, we will learn how to love”), but that doesn’t last long, and the song ends with Basrur singing, “Cos we are insufficient now,” his voice heavy with resignation. ‘Preliminary’ is an eight-minute epic that sees the band trace a path through all the musical territory they’ve incorporated into their music, before building up to a rousing, fist-pumping climax that will make for one hell of a set-closer.
Despite Goddess Gagged’s willingness to explore and jump between genres, the album occasionally gets monotonous, especially on tracks where the otherwise excellent songwriting falters. ‘Inspire’ in particular can seem plodding and uninspired (*groan* right?) at times. Their ambition sometimes overreaches their songwriting skills, but the few failures only serve to highlight what the band can achieve with another year of gigging and experimentation under their belt. Resurfaces is a solid record and one of the more promising metal debuts of the year.
Indiecision: B+
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