Hassan’s Top 10 Asian Releases of 2015 (Multinational Corporations – Pakistan)

Hassan’s Top 10 Asian Releases of 2015
Multinational Corporations
Qabar
Eternal Abhorrence
Pakistani Metal Show Promoter

That dude dead in the corner there sandwiched between an amp and a mixing desk is our homie Hassan from Pakistan. Hassan’s been doing his thing shining much needed light on the South Asian extreme metal scene for YEARS now and has been doing it in various entities.

Here’s just a tiny list of what this guys has his hands mixed in:

• Vocalist of Multinational Corporations https://www.facebook.com/multinationalcorporationspakistan/?fref=ts
• Public Relations at Qabar – a company he began to help promote South Asian metal artists
• Still writing for his online webzine Eternal Abhorrence https://eternalabhorrence.wordpress.com
• Show promoter in Pakistan for extreme metal

Safe to say the guy has a lot of passion for the music that he loves, and the entire South Asian region should be thankful that they have this ultimate fighting machine by their side.

Check out his top ten list of Asian releases of 2015 below.

Death By Fungi
Death By Fungi (Hardcore Punk)

Mumbai’s DBF is one of the most exciting bands in South Asia right now. Equal parts Converge and Have Heart, Nails and Ruiner, Death By Fungi is a band of two extremes. You can hear both those extremes on this 2-song EP, and I’m fucking stoked to see how they’ll turn out in the future.

Albatross
Fear From The Skies (Heavy/Power Metal)

If you like bands such as Jag Panzer, Riot, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Manilla Road, Mercyful Fate, and of course, Iron Maiden, you’re gonna dig this. What sets this band apart from the throngs of similar acts everywhere, though, is that they have their own personality – both in terms of their live attack, and their music itself. Not content with sitting around and endlessly paying homage to a long-gone era, this Mumbai-based ensemble has carved out its own identity over the years, and with this full length album they’ve cemented it.

Zombie X Incest
The First Violent Step
(Powerviolence/Hardcore Punk)

They started out as an ACxDC inspired powerviolence outfit, but these Kathmandu lads steered towards a more 90’s mosh-friendly hardcore direction in their first album. Get your stomp on to this Himalayan hatred from Nepal!

Dionysus/Dormant Inferno
Beyond Forgotten Shores (Death/Doom Metal)

While Pakistan and India seem to have their tensions on the political front, the people in the metal scene couldn’t give less of a fuck. Two of the subcontinent’s foremost doom acts – Pakistan’s Dionysus, and India’s Dormant Inferno, put out a colossal split this year that should be in every doom fan’s CD collection.

Genocide Shrines – Manipura Imperial Deathevokovil: Scriptures of Reversed Puraana Dharmurder (Black/Death Metal)

Sri Lanka’s black metal scene has been earning plenty of attention over the years, with their no-nonsense approach, seeped in the local occult. Honestly speaking, it’s the type of direction that I wish more Asian black metal bands would follow, rather than cluelessly jocking the same lyrics that a band in Norway or Ukraine would. Musically, Genocide Shrines are strictly in the realm of ‘bestial black metal’ or ‘war metal.’ One can make comparisons to Archgoat, however Genocide Shrines are a completely separate entity, both in terms of visual aesthetics and sonic terror.

Armament
First Strike (Thrash Metal)

A short, yet satisfying listen from this Calcutta-based band. There’s a nice wave of thrash going on in both sides of the Bengal border – a region divided between India and Bangladesh, and Armament are one of the best of the bunch.

Bonefvcker
Khaalis Nafrat (Grindcore/Death Metal)

One of the most putrid, filthy fucking demos I’ve heard this year from any part of the world. From the piss-laden streets of Delhi, India comes a sludgy deathgrind outfit whose only goal is to terrorize listeners and pound them into submission. Where the band lacks in maturity, they make up with an onslaught of twisted riffs, angry drumming and hateful vocals. What else can you expect from a release titled “Khaalis Nafrat” (Pure Hatred).

Childwife
Demo (Sludge/Doom Metal)

Formed from the ashes of Nepali metallic hardcore juggernauts Jugaa, Childwife is more than just a continuation of guitarist Vishal Rai’s quest to create hard-hitting heavy music. Indeed, when you hear their rehearsal demo, they come off as a band devoid of any past baggage or leftover influences, popping up out of nowhere to smash your head against the wall. Taking cues from acts in the vein of Grief and Eyehategod, Childwife is simply ugly fucking music for ugly fucking souls.

False Flag
Demo (Crust/Hardcore Punk)

False Flag are from Pune, India and play some intense hardcore punk, influenced by early 80’s stuff from Europe (the key Scandinavian and British acts may be namedropped here) but with their own little sense of groove and melody that sneaks in time to time. A good band with an even better future if they keep the same lineup for the long term! A bassist wouldn’t hurt though.

Anorectal Ulceration
From Flesh To Liquid Mess (Goregrind)

Disgusting, filthy, and sleazy as fuck. Those are all compliments of the highest order for this goregrind band from Bangalore, India. Those who are familiar with South Asia’s grind scene, know that Bangalore has always been a hub for this kind of nasty stuff, and Anorectal Ulceration feature some of the most legitimately sickening material I’ve heard in a while in the genre. Fans of the 90’s heyday of this style will thoroughly enjoy this.

Other recommended listens

Exalter – Democrasodomy (Thrash Metal) – Dhaka, Bangladesh

Serpents Athirst – Heralding Ceremonial Mass Obliteration (Black Metal) – Colombo, Sri Lanka

Shepherd – Stereolithic Riffalocalypse (Sludge Metal) – Bangalore, India

Surtur – Descendant of Time (Thrash Metal) – Dhaka, Bangladesh

Tyagra – Rehearsal Demo (Heavy Metal) – Dhaka, Bangladesh