It seems like a couple years have passed since Delhi-based Yatin Srivastava released their last proper release, the album ‘Chaos/Despair’. That’s because it has been that long. The follow-up to that well-made album was supposed to be last year, but some virus happened apparently (no idea what that’s about); so ‘Quarantine Vol.1’ is what we have instead for the time being. It consists of three tracks where Yatin collaborates with other artists on the template that has always worked for him, which is heavy, layered and oh so dense modern progressive metal production. ‘Quarantine Vol.1’ does try some interesting things though and that results in a fun little EP.

This is not particularly a structured release and gives more of a mixtape or compilation vibe, so the songs are self-contained listens. Thus, they veer off in a few different directions. ‘ikigai’ features a pounding rhythm section with Lakshaya Grover and Suyash Gabriel on bass and drums. There is a deliberate air to this, the only instrumental track of the three; the buildup is slow and the payoff loud (if a bit on the flat side). But ‘ikigai’ can be sung along to (there are actually what sounds like layered vocals behind the guitars in parts) and the riffage are wonderfully epic. It’s a strong intro. ‘Breathe’, featuring Trisalien and Aritra Basu, is a slightly different kettle of fish. It’s a grand and rather catchy song which has a instrumentally layered quality. The vocals however have a much more pop and accessible delivery, capturing an emotion that is heavy and positive. Devin Townsend does this a lot and this lives in that space in a way. ‘Disengage’ ends things with something closer to what Yatin does during his day job; it’s mean and the riffs snarl. The tempo is rather ponderous and there is some syncopation in the modern metal tradition; the drums are nuanced and downright spooky (because of the ghost notes; it’s obligatory to make that joke these days). Daud and Yusuf Ramay from Pakistani metallers Takatak do a hell of a job and Aradhya Khurana plays a typically distorted and spicy bass tone. It could be jarring to have three tracks that sound so different sharing space on one EP but they more than stand on their own. It also means that if there’s any branching out from his bread-and-butter on future releases, Yatin is more than capable.

Listen to 'Quarantine Vol.1' here.