by Bhuvanesh Santharam
Imagine riding into the Kurukshetra war with metal music in the background. Now imagine it with gutwrenching guitar riffs, blazing bass lines, drumbeats that could awaken the dead and beastly vocals. This coupled with elements of Indian folk music is what Kartikeya, a Dharmic Metal band from Moscow, Russia has been doing for the past 15 years. The interview below talks about influences, upcoming projects and the soon to come album "Marakat", based on Kartikeya's rendition of 'The Wizard of Oz'.
Bhuvanesh Santharam: To begin with, I would like to know a little about how you began to make music pertaining to the Hindu religion. Not many bands have dealt with Hindu themes, excepting a very few who grazed it briefly and a handful who have taken it seriously.
Roman Arsafes:
I actually spent my whole childhood in Chennai, so I basically got Indian culture into my veins at a very early state.
How does metal help you express Hindu themes? Being a culture rich with a history of wars and gore, does metal allow you to bring out the raw and brutal aspect of the religion?
I wouldn't say that Kartikeya deals solely with the "war and gore" part of the Hindu culture haha! I think metal is a pretty diverse form of expression and can help express a great variety of feelings and "atmospheres", so to say.
Who were/are some of your influences in the metal scene?
Oh, there are lots of influences! But mainly probably Sepultura, Meshuggah, Emperor, Devin Townsend's projects and "oriental" bands like Orphaned Land, Melechesh etc.
To what extent does Black Metal have an influence on your music?
I was always a big black metal fan, so there are tons of black metal influenced parts in Kartikeya's music.
The song Utpavana talks about a bleak setting and chain of events that resembles the end of the world (?). In the light of this, do you think mankind is indeed digging its grave?
I like to think that mankind has pretty much always been digging its grave, so nothing new has happened haha!
The last four songs of Mahayuga as the album title suggests are to do with the four yugas. Regarding this, is there a reason for Satya Yuga and Treta Yuga being instrumental, while the latter two contain lyrics?
Yeah, by keeping Satya Yuga and Treta Yuga instrumental, I wanted to show those two Yugas as more transcendental. The idea was that there was no need for words to describe them, the music was enough to get the atmosphere to the listener.
The songs Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga deal with the deterioration of mankind as predicted in the religious texts. In this context, do you think that corruption, misery and the destruction that has accompanied man into these ages is a result of fate or has it already been foreseen in the past?
I don't think I can have a 100% opinion on this, I'm as agnostic as it gets haha. It is interesting to imagine something, but we will probably never know the right answer.
How relevant is the song Kali Yuga in the Kali Yuga? With lines such as “Blasphemers reign in gold, as the holy drown in filth / All hope is lost as the sinners rule the earth”, you seem to have hit the nail on the head!
Oh yeah, it is pretty relevant, right? The world is pretty much a shithole nowadays, but still, we all can find some places of comfort, at least emotional comfort.
This is probably not the best time to ask this, but do you have any plans of touring in India anytime in the near future?
We would love to tour in India, that has been a big goal of mine since I started the band. And I really hope it will happen sooner or later! We tried working it out several times, but at some point the local promoters probably saw the flight rates from Moscow and decided to retreat haha.
Have you come across any metal bands from India, if yes, are there any particular bands that you like?
Yes, of course, we're good friends with Demonic Ressurection, awesome band! Also Skyharbor is really great!
How do you think metal has changed over the years from the early years to now? In your opinion, is metal heading towards a brighter future with young bands such as Alien Weaponry and many others coming into the scene?
I think that even though metal may not be seeing that much mainstream success nowadays, we get some really interesting and unique bands appearing here and there, with the help of internet and home recording. They may be not that popular, but they have their dedicated fan-bases and that's really awesome! But there is also another side of this coin - there is a really big over-saturation of the market due to the fact that now anybody can buy a cheap guitar and record an album on their PC, so sometimes you need to go through tons of shitty recordings to find gold haha!
What can fans expect from your upcoming album? Could you tell us a bit more about the album?
It will be... different haha! Just as Mahayuga was not like The Battle Begins and Samudra was not like Mahayuga. That change has pretty much become our trademark. It'll be a concept album called Marakat, and it will be based on our own rendition of the Wizard of Oz!
What does metal mean to you? What does it embody despite all the misconceptions that have been attached to the genre?
For me metal is kind of the musical equivalent of freedom of speech. Everything is possible in the genre!
Are there any particular Hindu gods/myths that amaze or inspire you? If so, how?
I have always been inspired by images and stories of Shiva and his forms. Some of them are dark and destructive but in a good way, and that really resonates with me.
Apart from metal, what kinds of music/artists do you listen to?
I actually have a pretty broad musical taste, I listen to anything from pop and r'n'b to jazz, drone, metal etc. So I can just name a few non-metal artists I listen to atm - Tigran Hamasyan, The Weeknd, Def Leppard, Justin Timberlake, Sigur Ros, Sunn O))) and many more.
Are there any whacky and weird incidents that you would like to share with regard to your careers as musicians?
There was one story that comes to mind - I made a metal cover of a famous Russian pop star's song (Nyusha) and just uploaded it on YouTube and all my social media platforms. And after some time her management contacted me and I ended up working with her as a composer and live musician.
If you were to describe Kartikeya in a single sentence, what would it be?
A monumental and atmospheric take on metal with some ancient vibes and a positive message.
What are your plans in the future with regard to music - are you planning on exploring other genres and sub-genres in the long run?
Yeah, I've always been about exploration on my musical path, hate to stick to one thing! So the new Kartikeya album will again have new stuff going on - some synthwave here and there, some Indonesian folk, some maybe even more "poppy" songs (well, if you can call it poppy in a metal sense haha).
If you could bring a musician back to life, who would it be?
Allan Holdsworth and Wayne Static come to mind.
Has this quarantine been productive in terms of making music or have you guys been nurturing any other hobbies and interests during this time?
Quarantine or not, music always flows, nothing will stop it!
What is your philosophy in life?
Basically, live and let live, don't try to shove your opinion down other people's throats.
And lastly, what is your message to fans in India?
We love you guys, you are always very supportive! And we would love to finally tour in your amazing country, because that will be the most "Kartikeya" thing ever, wouldn't it?