It is great to listen to a new rock album from India. In December 2022, we spoke to an alternative rock outfit called Anand Bhaskar Collective (interview link here). One of the things they said was that “India is not a natural rock market. But having said that, the position of music written in English has become quite dominant in independent circles.” Having listened to Skreen 6 and their debut album, I think this is a band that shows some great rock music is flowing from India, and (like Anand BC), they are gaining many plaudits for some slick modern rock. These guys deliver a 2023 version of the classic hair metal sounds of the 80s, so fans of Cinderella, Poison, or Motley Crue will get into this.
We have the review and then a short word directly with the band about who they are and about the album. You can download the album here.
“Intro” – opens up the album with a guitar/drum instrumental taking us straight into the fun/big rock sound.
“Rockin’ Head” – this takes me back to some great rock sounds from the 80s of my youth! It reminded me of Poison. “Keep on rockin’ till I’m dead,” sings Skreen 6 and they deliver this powerful chorus riff before switching to a keyboard vocal moment, then kicking back to the beat with the guitars playing off each other. It showcases some great musicianship and delivers a classy guitar sound.
“Life is too short to die”- This one aces it, and I can imagine it storming a live performance. It has a sound akin to Kiss’s on “Animalize,” full of attitude, melody, and a pounding drum sound with a chant-along chorus. A lot of fun. We have the video below, it’s great too!
“Cry”- delivers one of those big rock ballads with a deeper vocal from Amal, and it shows off the musical and vocal abilities of the band. They are very decent musicians! This is a strong track, sitting well on the album and adding a different tone to the collective work.
“On My Way”—from the first notes, I really liked this one. The lyrics are touching and really worked for me as a listener. This is a dreamy rock number with a great sound and vocal performance. I liked the guitar break in the middle and the simple riff with the drums backing up.
“Whisper of the Rain”: Keeps with the rock ballad theme. The band keeps to a contemplative theme and also delivers a touching lyric with that rock edge. It’s a decent album track, but not a personal favourite.
“All we see tonight”—a return to a rockier sound. An infectious chorus and a pounding, confident beat. It is an interesting track; I liked the bass and drum sound, and that sing-along section absolutely nails it. Another track that would just storm live and have the audience jumping. It has everything, really, and surely this has to be a single?
“Watch me Die” – ends with attitude and a powerful guitar and drum sound. “ I know you want to mess up my life, but the one thing I want you to know, I don’t care who you fuckin are” – go the lyrics (one of my colleagues here at the magazine says the same thing, he fights back like this song). Now those lyrics we all liked, no need for tears here, tell those a**holes who wish you harm you don’t give one. A really good end to the album.
Okay, standout tracks were “Life is too short to die,” “On My Way,” and “All We See Tonight.”
It is a really impressive debut album with all the cards stacked up: some great chorus sounds, a drum sound straight from hell, and some guitar breaks any rock band would be proud of. The sound is crisp, modern, and international; it is sung in English, so there is a huge potential audience beyond India. If I were being critical, I felt there was one ballad too many when they ran three on the bounce in the midsection of the album, but that apart, this is a damn fine rock album for 2023. It absolutely deserves attention, and their songwriting is top-notch. Well done, guys.
We asked a couple of questions to the guys:
It’s great to see rock is alive and well in India, and you seem to be having a blast here. Is the songwriting collaborative, or do you have a main songwriter?
Skreen 6: Hell yeah, the Indian rock and metal scene has been evolving over the past few years. Lots of positive things are happening these days. More bands have started touring internationally, and many of them are all set to release their new albums. Bands like Kryptos, Amorphia, Against Evil, Gutslit, and many more have been putting out new material and constantly touring foreign countries. We have a huge hope for the Indian scene, and one day we will all make it onto the map.
When it comes to songwriting, we were responsible for all of the songs on the album during the second coronavirus wave in 2021. “Rockin’ Head”—our title track—was completely made remotely as all of us were locked in our homes. It’s always a collaborative effort, and the songs originate when our axeman, “MK,” comes up with a riff or melody. Once the melody is set, the rest of the band contributes their parts. We always sit together to make the songs sound better and more catchy. The lyrics of the songs are written by “MK” and our frontman “Amal Dev Nambiar”.
We liked the chorus melodies and big drum sounds—compliments to the drummer. Can you tell us who you all are and a little about the band?
Skreen 6 – Thanks a lot for the kind words. Being inspired by the 80’s and 90’s hard rock and glam metal bands like Motley Crue, Skid Row, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Def Leppard, etc. They were like our gods. We wanted what they had. Life, the road—we wanted it all. Most of us grew up listening to 80s music, and we wanted our music to sound similar, with big thundering drums, groovy basslines, gang vocals, and speed-running riffs. We have tracks that will make you rip your necks apart and ballads that will kiss you on your forehead!
The band comprises Amal Dev Nambiar (vocalist), Salas Stewert (rhythm guitar and vocals), MK (lead guitar), JK (bass), and Adithya (drummer). For the album, there was also Dibin Savio Jude (an ex-member and keyboardist), who was also an integral part of our album. All of us were playing in different cover bands, and it was during the summer of 2021 that we all decided to come together and start making the music we all grew up listening to. Skreen 6 was formed on May 1st, 2021. On November 5th, 2021, we released our first album single and title track “Rockin’ Head” and later on March 11th, 2022, we released our second album single “Watch Me Die”. Both of these songs gave us a little exposure in our country, and on May 19, 2023, we released our debut album “Rockin’ Head”. which was a project we had all been working on for the past 2 years.
By Lorraine Foley
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