The Great Indian Rock XIII 2009, Bangalore (Review)

Lukhendro Keisham *

The Bangalore's session of The Great Indian Rock XIII also known as GIR XIII main concert was held at Palace Ground, Gayatri Vihar Entrance, Hebbal on Sunday,the 26th of Oct.2009. This year's main attraction goes to those two bands SOLSTATE and BENEA REACH rolling out their own favorite compositions making the crowd go wild.

The line up also includes three Indian bands Parachute XVI, Inner Sanctum and Kryptos all from Bangalore who in their own genre of music are one of the most happening bands in the region. Though the evening coincided with the final day of the three day long Kingfisher's October Fest, 2009, the event seems to have no effect from the smell of the beer passing from the neighboring winds.

With a crowd of well packed half-full rock lovers the show kicked off at around 6 p.m with the first band Parachute XVI coming alive with its blues/progressive/psychedelic blend. The band put up a spinning melodic start and gave the crowd an opening for a great evening. Then came the hot favorites,the up coming Inner Sanctum who has already set a mark of its own from the various collage fest and outstation shows.

The band known for its tight performance and death growling vocal are on the height of one of its best show ever. Truly metal in its feel and tune Inner Sanctum delivered a well stunning stage act making the evening grow darker and the crowd, wilder. Known as the metal hub of India, Bangalore now has another well pleasing metal band Inner Sanctum who can run for its own kill. The evening would have never been so warm without this band.

Now the sky has gone blind,the glow of the city lights dazzle upward waiting for the third ghost of the evening. One of the most praised and highly acclaimed band of the city Kryptos, takes the stage. A four piece, well equipped with ESPs and LTDs, black dressed metal heroes of Bangalore came alive with its first original of the evening. For a moment the crowd went a little weary in the first song.

Then from nowhere the band became what it takes to be Kryptos. Getting more matured and deeper into their tone the band gets the tag for the first mospit formation of the evening. One of the biggest mospit is seen here with the crowds falling , dashing and banging each other inside the pit, WOW..!! was all we have to say among the crowd, standing. Thanks to the band for making the flame glow higher.

Having a transition break for the next band to proceed after Kryptos the heat in the air was still on. On the other side of the venue was the Kingfisher's October Fest in full fledged with the sound of the legendary Indian rock band the Indian Ocean performing live. Indian Ocean were doing the headlining acts of the three day long final day of the October Fest,2009.

Their octave spells with Indian touch music can be hard from the other direction. Once the volume was down everyone turns their face to the other direction of the music coming from. The evening was a cold-blooded battle between two of the greatest fest happening in the city at the same ground, at the same moment but different territory.

As one of the mostly awaited band of the evening Solstate(New Zealand) took the stage at around 7:30 p.m. A five piece band with its lush dynamic range of hard rock, nu metal and electronic taste in their music is one band different from the rest of the evening's. Its a real modern rock figure with a bit of alternative touch . Hearing it for the first time the band sounds like Breaking Benjamin and the genres related.

Trying all its effort they tried to put up the crowds to a new level including a song covered by the band but to a certain height. The rock scene in Bangalore and India at large still finds it hard to accept modern rock and its genre widely and so does the Bangalore fans who only wish for metal and more metals. Solstate is a band which the modern rock fans in India will miss for a quite long time. One sentence which will be remembered about the band is "We are SOLSTATE from New Zealand, the cold place below the globe" said by the vocalist Troy MaKubre in his introduction.

Quite a few moments passed by after Solstate leaves and the crowd cheered for the band it was time for the last transition of the evening. A clear sky with a young moon the people inside the Palace Ground had a beautiful view of fire crackers lighting the sky somewhere far in another direction and the sound of the October Fest still coming from the opposite direction .

BENEA REACH(Oslo Norway), the last band of the evening was on it way setting up their sounds. Having brought it own sound, lights and stage crews every individuals of the band got busy in their dim stage light checking their equipments but without letting a single sound from the main speakers.

There was the drummer of the band keeping the crowd busy, not by rolling the drums but by the mere act of letting the crowd to shout on the tune of his hand's signs. The crowd grew loud and low following his hands. Rise the hand and the crowd roars high, down his hands the sound lowers.

So quite for a few seconds and the whole place roar in sudden. Wow..!! this is how this band from Norway began their kill for the day with metal hands everywhere. Surprised by a lot of sudden stops and random-shaking stage presence the band was for sure the favorite for the evening. Their self design display of three ghostly effigy-like figure (in their music video, Pandemonium) made the air real dark.

Marco Storm, the man behind the drums who founded Benea Reach with Ilkka Volume,the vocal box was a man and machine to watch with his four piece drum kit and the lone tom-tom leveled with the snare. This band is a must see band for all the amataur bands in the country.

One of the most amazing set up is the backing guitarist who back up every second of the show with its clean technical sounds was a rare thing to see. The horn god will be pleased to see the metal hands praising the hell above. No doubt the metal fans in Bangalore will remember this GIR XIII for a quite sometime in future.

Thanks to RSJ, Seagram's Fuel and Nokia for sponsoring such a great show.