Mumbai-based heavy metal veterans Zygnema return with a music video for their recent single ‘Grind’, on November 20th 2024.
The band formed in 2008 and released their celebrated debut full-length ‘Born of Unity’, in 2010. Their popularity quickly soared, leading them to win multiple awards at 2011, 2014 and 2016’s Rolling Stone Metal Awards. They’ve played slots at esteemed festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Inferno Metal Fest, and have headlined and co-headlined major festivals across India alongside bands such as Megadeth, Tesseract, Fear Factory, Behemoth, In Flames, Opeth and others.
In 2019 the band curated their own successful 16 date European tour, no mean feat for a band based in India, earning notable write ups from Red Bull and Rolling Stone India.
Their recent five track EP ‘Iconic’, the follow up to 2016’s second album ‘What Makes Us Human Is Obsolete’ was released in March 2024, blending traditional Indian musical elements with modern groove metal, showcasing a unique fusion of konnakols (vocal percussion) and ragas with heavy metal grooves and riffs. Each track on the EP highlights this cultural blend, whilst paying homage to the city of Mumbai, capturing its vibrant spirit and resilience, whilst lyrically exploring both the personal and social issues we survive in modern times.
‘Grind’, taken from the EP, centres itself around the band’s pride in their city and in their people.
Discussing the lyrical themes behind the track, the band states:
“We are proud of the city that we live in. It has made us who we are. The city is what it is because of the people and their hustle and GRIND to live a good life despite the challenges they’re faced with. This is what inspired us to write and dedicate this song to the city and to the amazing people of this city.”
The accompanying music video highlights the day to day grind it takes to live in the hustling, bustling city of Mumbai. Discussing what they hoped to achieve with the music video, the band say,
“The people of Mumbai are resilient, and are having fun grinding it out in their day to day lives. The grind of Mumbai spares no one. It doesn't matter what strata or class you belong to; Nobody is complaining. At the end of the day, they have fun and celebrate their achievements. That's what we want to showcase through our music video.”
Novacaine Rating: 10/10!
In an age when so many bands from different backgrounds are emerging onto the scene, Zygnema do their part in carving their name into the face of the modern metal climate, cementing themselves as an exceptional group who's passion for their roots and faith in their own shines through both visually and audibly in this latest release, 'Grind'.
'Grind' combines hypnotising, traditional Indian folk music, visuals that celebrate the resilience and unity of the people of Mumbai and the grooving, hard riffs that weave melody into metal in a unique flavour. Not a second of this song is wasted, with each riff and interlude lending to a truly iconic experience.
In contrast to the homage 'Grind' paints, Zygnema also like to dig their claws into the darker underside of their home, with tracks like 'I Am Nothing' that aim with brutal precision a spotlight on the infectious spread of SA culture at the time. Zygnema have proven themselves not only capable of music mastery, but also of honing in like hawks on every facet of their home, both beauty and corruption alike.
I highly recommend going to have a peruse through their Youtube which has a massive feast of content to enjoy whether you're interested in putting on some damn good songs in the background while you're busy, or taking a peek behind the curtain at the more technical aspects, Zygnema have got you covered!
A massive congratulations to Zygnema for a stellar release and here's all my luck to you guys for big things in the future!
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