Of sore necks, broken voices and metal

"Metal Up Your Ass", organised by Get Amped Series, took place this Saturday at Event Station in Jamuna Future Park. The show was not merely another addition to the list of shows in our annual concert season. Rather, for musicians and fans, the full-on metal show was almost a trip down memory lane, to the days of RCC (Russian Cultural Centre).

While it is lovely to witness post-pandemic concerts in Dhaka, vibrant with the exuberance fuelled by the young crowd showing up in numbers. However, we have to mention that all of the bands that they went to see hailed from the underground scene.

The intimate musical experience that comes with an underground show, for both the performers and crowd is almost unmatchable. Singing every lyric at the top of their lungs, while headbanging in the mosh-pit is a feeling that is completely different.

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Manbots opened up the show, warming up the crowd with their Linkin Park covers. After them, Thrash would set the venue on fire with their performances, followed by extreme metal acts Infuscation and Torture Goregrinder.

The atmosphere intensified as the flag bearers of Bangladeshi death metal, Trainwreck took to the stage and prepared the crowd for the acts that would follow them, with their Lamb of God covers. Afterwards, Mechanix and Powersurge would follow Trainwreck, delivering scintillating covers of the heavy metal legends like Judas Priest, Slayer and Metallica.

The last hour of the show is difficult to put into words. Cryptic Fate came on as the headliners of an underground metal show after so many years. Their hour-long set list consisted of ten of their heaviest songs, aptly sending home the entire crowd with sore necks and broken voices, but with hearts filled of joy.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Shakib Chowdhury of Cryptic Fate shared, "It felt extremely good to perform all our hardcore heavy metal tracks after ages! We had announced the set list prior to the show. We got to perform the songs that we usually don't do, because of the limitations of the typical big venue shows. But this is the core underground crowd and they are not here for moonlight!"