‘Headbangers Paradise’ returns with a night to remember

In the post-pandemic era, Dhaka has been witnessing vibrant exhibitions and concerts, ones where the youth particularly flock to. In major concerts, especially ones in the city—where daily traffic is nothing short of torture—it is a delightful experience to see young and fresh faces fill the large capacity venues.

"Headbangers Paradise 2", which took place this Friday, was not any different. Those present that day in Hall-4 of International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB), were privy to a musical experience to remember.

Read more

'Beauty Circus' is a ride full of action, entertainment and revenge: Mahmud Didar

Every time I visit a show in ICCB, I notice how the organisers come up with newer versions of security barricades. Yet, every time, a part of the barricade topples over or bolts from random portions start coming off. The security team is forced to try and contain the crowd, all of whom are already hyped and energised by the event's atmosphere. Such was the case for the second edition of "Headbangers Paradise".

The show hosted a fabulous line-up of bands, kicking-off the event with Encore as the opening act, followed by Plasmic Knock. After them, Trainwreck—the international flag bearers of Bangladeshi death metal—took to stage, and provided a scintillating performance that left the crowd with whiplash from all of the headbanging.

At this point, the crowd was ready for the melodic mastery that would follow. Giving the audience temporary relief from all of the headbanging, Savagery got on stage and performed a rendition of Iron Maiden's "Dance of Death".

As the audience caught their breath, Mechanix, followed by Powersurge, stepped in front of the crowd, and wreaked havoc on the venue with their thrash metal performances. Soon, mosh-pits began to form in the middle, as the crowd got caught up in the intensity of the performances.

Looking to soothe the audience back into a mellow mood, Artcell followed Powersuge, performing "Utshober Utshahe"—a song they rarely perform live. Even rarer still, was when Bassbaba Sumon came on stage with Aurthohin and sang "Jodi Kono Din", due to the numerous fan requests before the show.

The last one hour of the show is hard to put into words, as Nagar Baul swept everyone off their feet, putting up an incredible performance with a set-list containing 11 of their most popular songs. The legendary James cast his spell on the crowd—who had filled the venue to the brim—making them dance and sing at the top of their lungs, even with their sore necks and broken voices.

While the night had many special moments from the performers, it is important to thank the people behind the scenes. Shamim Ahmed, Abdul Awal Shaon, Zakir Hossain, Fazlul Kader Mithu and Shafayat Faisal Nahid deserve all the praise in the world for their efforts as the sound engineers of such a wonderful event. The first edition of "Headbangers Paradise" took place in July of this year, at the Railway Polo Ground in Chattogram.