Known for their groovy unconventional sound and charismatic live acts, Mumbai-based heavy/thrash groove metallers Zygnema have never shied away from highlighting the current social issues in the country through their music. The band marked the beginning of 2019 with a new single ‘I Am nothing’, the forthright video of which highlights violence against women in the country. On the back of this release, the band soon embarked on their REFORMREBIRTH Europe Tour, where they toured 16 cities across nine European countries in March and April this year. After a break of sorts, the band kick-started its India leg of the tour with a terrific live act in Delhi on 12th September curated by Unbolly alongside Skillbox.

Unlike most nights at the venue, it was filled with a legion of black-shirted metalheads, who came out in force for the double bill of heavy-trash royalty. Decked out in their finest metal attire —from famous metal band t-shirts and denim jackets decked out in patches, along with much hair, a vastness of metal scenes was represented. The Three-piece desert rockers ‘Bleachead’ from Delhi opened and put up an energetic stage show. The synchronised headbanging to their heavy tunes set the pace right for the night. While they enjoyed the trio, the heavy heads were patiently waiting to get demolished by Mumbai heavy stalwarts, who they were witnessing after a gap of 2 years in the city.

By the time Zygnema were set to go on, the venue was brimming. The atmosphere loosened ans the room grew hazy with smoke and incense. Fittingly, when Zygnema emerge in a thick cloud of smoke, the entire venue erupted with joy. The opening of ‘Scarface’ was a fearsome calling card; with jagged, jarring dynamics, Jimmy Bhore’s feral roar and the exhilarating rush of drummer Mayank Sharma’s  effortless blast beats on ‘Shell Broken Hell Loose’, it was a near-perfect jolt of  brutality. Zygnema put on a no-bullshit, straight to the action show. Playing material from their albums ‘Born of Unity’ and ‘What Makes Us Human is Obsolete’, songs like ‘Invidious I’ “Machine State Hibernation” and “59” became huge slabs of Sidharth Kadadi guitar riffage, the crowd headbanging in solidarity. The chemistry between Sidharth and Leaon Quadros (who couldn’t be the part of band’s Europe tour), with his bludgeoning bass tones and their exuberance as a unit showed them to be worthy carriers of the metal torch. Their mercurial frontman Jimmy Bhore loomed over the crowd and goaded everyone to get involved throughout the act. The key highlight of the night was that he made the heavy-heads sit on the floor and commanded the crowd to jump as he growled. Followed by their latest single ‘I am Nothing’, the band closed with ‘The Phoenix Effect’; a fitting climax to the set. 

Offering even more adrenaline for the venue’s late-stayers, Delhi based ‘Capital Metal Project’ took over. Despite playing at 1am, the 8-man army kept the momentum going with absolute heaviness. The next time some jaded old gasbag starts to decry the death of metal music and the disappearance of metal bands in the country, kindly refer them to these polished acts and the live performances they put up. Such gigs are the testimony of the fact that the Delhi metal scene isn’t dead. Yet. 

After melting the delhi metal heavy faces, Zygnema will stop by north-east part of the country including Siliguri, Guwahati, Imphal and Kolkata. Grabs your tickets now:

Sept 26th - Siliguri - Beer Republic 2 - Siliguri
Sept 27th-Guwahati- Xtreme Sports Bar and Grill Guwahati
Sept 28th- Imphal- United Metal - The Fourth Chapter
Sept 29th- Kolkata- TopCat CCU

Watch Zygnema's "I am nothing" music video below: