INTERVIEW: Progressive Metal Band Orchid Unleash Debut Album [India]

INTERVIEW | Orchid (India)
Conducted by Trendcrusher

The first single from Indian progressive act Orchid, Master Supreme (https://uniteasia.org/metal-band-orchid-release-debut-track-full-length-india/) left us wondering which sub genre to place them in. The band first landed on my radar in 2016 with the release of their self titled EP. Just over 2 years later, they are back with their debut album Miasma. The album is another juggernaut and builds on the twisted foundation of their EP.

I spoke to the band ahead of the album release about Miasma, the album inspiration and also their upcoming show this weekend in support to The Ocean Collective.

Hi, guys, you are days away from the release of your album Miasma. How does it feel?
We’re absolutely stoked for people to listen to it. We’ve put in a lot of effort to make this record and are very proud of how it sounds. Looking forward to the response from our fans and new listeners as well.

Miasma is a twisted listen. What is the inspiration behind it?
Haha, thank you! We just let the song takes it’s own course while writing it. We let it flow naturally and arrange it the most organic way possible. This may end up sounding ‘experimental’ or ’avant-garde’ as people like to call it. Orchid’s ethos has always been to make music that’s not too common-sounding..

What was the writing and recording process for the album?
Generally, Vinay has rough song structures with the riffs more or less done. The band then jams on the ideas for a while until we feel the song seems concrete enough. Alternatively, some of the music has also been written just out of impromptu drums and guitar jams, which is super fun and intuitive. The vocal lines are written almost simultaneously with the lyrical themes coming in a bit later during the writing process. For ‘Miasma,’ all the instruments were recorded to click tracks and then went into further production. So pretty much industry-standard recording process.

Miasma was mixed by Apurv Agrawal (Pacifist) and mastered by Colin Marston (Behold the Arctopus, Dysrhythmia, Gorguts, Krallice). How was it working with them?
Apurv is a very patient and creative person to work with. He was on board with all of our musical shenanigans/eccentricities and definitely contributed in shaping the sound of the record. Colin was a breeze to work with. Really kind, and absolutely professional. We were shocked at the speed and quality of work he delivered. Couldn’t have asked for a more ideal combination than Apurv and Colin.

Politics is not a common theme among Indian metal releases. What do you feel is the reason behind it?
Yes, ‘Miasma’ more socio-political as opposed to the techno-surrealist themes on the previous release. I guess this the lyrics are just us taking the piss out of a bunch of things and having fun while doing it. ‘Miasma’ covers themes like planned obsolescence of goods by corporations, egocentrism, pervasive influence of gurus/godmen/spiritual nonsense, toxic corporate culture, identity politics, and pseudoscience scams & quackery.

“‘Miasma’ covers themes like planned obsolescence of goods by corporations, egocentrism, pervasive influence of gurus/godmen/spiritual nonsense, toxic corporate culture, identity politics, and pseudoscience scams & quackery.”

Kaushal is one of the busiest vocalists in the country as he is also a part of Gutslit and Godless. How does he manage between bands?
It’s easier for him to manage Orchid since all of us live in Bangalore. We’ve pretty much managed to jam almost every other week ever since the formation of the band in 2011.

2018 was a great year for metal. What were your favourite albums (metal and non-metal) that were released in the past year?
Vinay:
Psycroptic – As the Kingdom Drowns
Kitchensink – Harmless Things
BTBAM – Automata I/II
Esperanza Spalding – 12 Little Spells
Converge – Beautiful Ruin

Kaushal:
Mass Grave – Our Due Descent
Tomb Mold – Manor of Infinite Forms
Obliteration – Cenotaph Obscure
Trappist – Ancient Brewing Tactics

Mayur:
Fireghost – On the Island
Stop Motion Orchestra – Lightworks
Palm – Rock Island

Rahil:
Mammal Hands – Animalia
Robohands – Green
Kamaal Williams – The Return
World Service Project – Serve

What’s currently on your playlist?
Vinay: Steely Dan, Gorguts, Pat Metheny
Kaushal: Vorum, Disgust, Violator, Vektor
Mayur: Major Parkinson, Godley and Creme
Rahil: Cardiacs, Steve Jenkins, Strobes

You are support act to The Ocean Collective at the Unscene: Progworks this weekend. What are you looking forward to?
We’re looking forward playing songs from our album live as well as some new material. We’re also looking forward to watch the Ocean live for the second time. They have some great songwriting and are really good live as well. We’re sure they’ll deliver a spectacular show.

Thanks for answering all our questions. Do you have any final words.
Our new full-length album ‘Miasma’ drops on January 10 worldwide on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, and a bunch of other digital platforms. We have two singles out which you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/user/orchidtelevision. We also have t-shirts and CDs for sale here for India (https://www.instamojo.com/maneatingorchid) and here (https://maneatingorchid.bandcamp.com) for worldwide orders.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Interview conducted by none other than Peter K aka Trendcrusher. He, much like the rest of us, is someone who has an insatiable desire to discover the most obscure bands from around the world, and is an active supporter of bands from the region. He also runs his own blog called Trendcrusher. We can’t thank him enough for sending in interviews to help continue to build the content of our site.]