Chennai based hard rock outfit Skrat (with some funk for added effect) have recently emerged from hiding, and this emergence is accompanied with some awesome new music. The band, which formed six years ago and endured a struggling voyage within the metal-dominated circuit, recently relaunched itself with a fresh new persona, a new logo, some new music and of course, a video camera. Skrat performed two well-received gigs in Chennai last month and have now released a kickass video with five new compositions. Before you go hunt for it, let us make your job easier:
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The video features T.T.Sriram on lead guitar and vocals, Satish Narayanan on bass/additional vocals and Tapass Naresh on drums/additional vocals, all of whom are the founding members of Skrat. The trio perform five new compositions, characterised by gritty hard rock riffage, some funky drumming, tight basslines and whole lotta energy. The band members sure seem to be having a lot of fun, jamming up in overdrive in a mysterious, undisclosed location (my superior sleuth skills tell me it’s a shed).
Skrat’s new songs are determined to spread the joy of rocking out like there’s no tomorrow. The guitar tones are chunky and delicious and the drumming is tight. Sriram’s riffs, coupled with his energetic singing liven up the entire shed.
Tin Can Man is the up-beat opener guaranteed to get your head bobbing, followed by the equally energetic Smoke a Cigar, with its sarcastic lyrics and chunky riffs. The band is incredibly tight over the changes. The band slows down with Big Bad Bombs, which features some soulful singing. The epic intro riff of High with the grungy vocals is a nice shift from Big Bad Bombs. Finally, Skrat finish off with Shake It Off, with its driving rhythm and catchy hooks.
Things always haven’t been smooth for this act. They’ve gone through quite a few line-up changes and yet managed to hold on to their distinct sound. They’ve even released an album called Design which features some of their most popular songs. Do check them out whenever you can. We promise you, you will only come back from the gig groovin’ and singing some of their hooks.
Oh, and for those of you who thought that the video was well made (me included!), do check out the behind the scenes video as well. Right here:
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