- Manipuri heavy metal band Sandrembee releases first album
By KHELEN THOKCHOM
Members of Sandrembee perform at the album launch.
Imphal, Jul 4 : They are young and still pursuing higher studies in different cities of the country. However, this does not stop them from going ahead with their dream project “to rock the nation” with extreme metal tracks.
Sandrembee, an Imphal-based metal band, released its first audio album, Miscalculation and Cosmic Catastrophe, which has seven extreme metal tracks and an equal number of alternative rock tracts, here last evening as the first step to what they call rocking the nation.
“This is the first step to taking a big leap in Indian rock music. We will be seen competing in the western music competition of Nagaland’s Hornbill festival and touring outside,” Eroz Laishram, the vocalist, said after an electric performance by the band members, who don Korean-style haircuts, at the album launch function.
Eroz said the band was not just a group of heavy metal freaks. Its aim was to highlight the socio-political issues confronting Manipur through music before audiences outside the state.
For instance, one of the songs, Gangraped, describes how girls from the Northeast are raped and molested in big cities like Delhi. Revolt, another extreme metal number, is a voice against culture of violence in Manipur.
Producing the album was not a mean achievement as the band members managed writing, composing and practising over the Internet as they did not have enough time to sit down together.
“We sent the composed songs to our band members through the net. We also sent the vocal tunes and instruments over the net by converting them to MP3. We could not find enough time as we are pursuing our studies,” Eroz said.
The 23-year-old lead singer, after getting a degree in biotechnology, is now in his first year of masters in international business in Bangalore. Bass guitarist Themis Thoudam got a master’s degree in biotechnology from Chennai and is preparing to do a PhD either in India or abroad.
Drummer Richardson Maibam is pursuing an engineering course in Chennai, lead guitarist Chingkhei Nameirakpam, is doing his BSc through correspondence while staying here.
Their dream of forming a band found roots when they were students of Class XII at Manipur Public School in Imphal city. They gathered, sang and enjoyed. Then in 2007, they formed the band, Sandrembee — the name of a very popular woman character in a Manipuri folk tale — and performed on stage for the first time in Imphal in 2009.
“We wanted to do something that could be left behind for our future generation. This is the whole idea behind forming the band,” the vocalist said.
Miscalculation and Cosmic Catastrophe has tracks of extreme metal songs, based on the present situation in Manipur, on one side and the other side has songs related to human emotion.
“We have big dreams. But all these will depend upon how much time we can take off from our studies,” Eroz said.
Given the commitment and determination of the boys and the applause they won yesterday evening, Sandrembee will surely rock with its music one day.
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