Albatross India

"I do not think that many Westerners have associated India with heavy metal, but with Bollywood pop culture, until Sam Dunn's "Global Metal" documentary introduced the viewers to a thriving and very varied Indian heavy metal underground scene. So, yes, the metal is alive and kicking in India ... and Albatross' debut release, the EP with the wonderfully bizarre title "Dinner Is You", shows that the Indian metal scene has a lot of high quality metal to offer the world.

"Dinner Is You" contains some high quality heavy metal music in the vein of heavy metal legend King Diamond (this EP was actually mastered by King Diamond's iconic guitarist Andy LaRoque), and I think it's professional in all possible ways. The production is crisp and clean. The music itself is well composed and interesting, full of the same kind of twists and turns known from King Diamond's own music. And the underlying lyrical concept of the EP, which is a weird horror story about cannibalism is so bizarre that it's great, and the equally bizarre artwork just fits like a glove.

The vocalist is great too. He does sometimes use a King Diamond-like falsetto, but also employs other ranges. I especially like his mid-range work (especially on "The Dining Table"), because it has a certain 70s rock quality to it that I really like. That being said, he does deserve credit for his falsetto; a lot of people try to emulate King Diamond's falsetto... and fail, because it's more difficult than you think, but Biprorshee Das does a great job of it. He really shows that he's a skilled vocalist.

So, what about the music itself? Firstly, there's the intro "The Great Plague Of The 21st Century" is a eerie atmospheric intro with creepy semi-spoken vocals (and remember, in metal, creepy is good) and eerie lyrics based on a pun on "Ring-a Ring-a Rosie".

The second track "The Dining Table" is very well composed, with lots of different parts and changes that really make for a very interesting track. I especially like the odd-timed riff that starts at 2:07 and also the way it gradually develops from muted into sustained notes.

"In the Court of Kuru" starts out with a very King Diamond-esque kind of off-beat riff, and contains several different types of riffs and cool breakdowns, as well as an atmospheric mid-section, based on a riff that reminds me a bit of the theme from "The Twilight Zone" and a lot of other good stuff, including a really nice classic metal solo.

The closing track "Among the Cannibals" is a 9-minute epic vein the same vein as the two other tracks: lots of different parts, lots of changes and a lot of magnificent riffage. There are a couple of riffs in this song that remind me of the type of riffage that Chuck Schuldiner used in Death, which I, being a Death fan, really appreciate.

It is true that the music on this album is very King Diamond-inspired, but I do feel that I can pick up traces of originality in Albatross' music on this release. Also keep in mind, this is their debut release, and it's super good, so I can't even imagine how great their debut full length release will be.

This is quality metal, and I would recommend it to fans of traditional metal in general, and of King Diamond specifically, but also to fans of thrash metal and power metal. You'll be positively surprised by this release. I was.

(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"