GMA Interview Interrogation: Enmachined (Bangladesh)

"When we started our journey, we did not get any proper platforms for live performances. All the gigs were push-sell gigs which we never did. Things went bitter when our buddy bands started messing things up. Too bad they don't exist anymore! "

Enmachined do not really need much of an introduction to our regular readers or to those who are well apprised of the South-East Asian Metal scene. Enmachined, popularly dubbed as the "bone crushers" are a five piece Thrash Metal outfit hailing from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Having started in 2011, the band has earned massive accolades and reverence from both sides of Bengal as well as other parts of the world.

Enmachined is highly spoken of for their annihilating live performances and have been confirmed to play at the upcoming Banish The Posers Fest 2014, where they will cause mass banishment alongside the likes of  Nafarmaan and Orator from Bangladesh, Serpents Athirst from Sri Lanka and the mighty Impiety from Singapore.

GMA's interview with Serpents Athirst can be read here.

GMA's Bangladesh correspondent Nabil Abaddon sat down with Abir Mahmud (vocalist) and discussed live performances, Enmachined's songs and the struggles, the upcoming event and much much more.

Greetings brother! How is the band preparing for the upcoming event banish The Posers Fest 2014?

Greetings brother! Before every live gig, we partake in a couple of rehearsals and this time, there are no exceptions as well. The set list for BTPF has been fixed and that is going to unravel some new tracks and at the same time regular bone crushing numbers will be played. Enmachined is ready to diffuse the madness of Thrash Metal with full force.


Enmachined's set-lists are always well sequenced for the live assaults. There is always a broad array of songs, from mid-paced to fast, from groovy to thrashy numbers. It really seems to click on the audience. How do you go about making the perfect set?

We do consider ourselves as the audience before composing any material, before selecting the set list for a gig and mostly before taking any further actions that are related to any audience. After all, if we do not like the composition, order of the set list, then how can we expect the audience to like it?

So regarding the order of the tracks for a gig, we consider how the order would perfectly enchant us, how the variation of the set list would perfectly be utilized, if we were in front of the stage.

Watch the live performance of 'Thrash Assault" here


On the same note, it seems that Enmachined’s latest singles have significantly changed in terms of tempo and composition style. Needless to say, they sound “bone crushing”. What do you have to say about that?

We do not try to repeat the same things. Yet, we have not drastically changed to a new dimension either. A little bit of experimenting has always been made before finalizing any composition. Above all, we want to make it BONE CRUSHING haha!

Enmachined have performed at almost all the prestigious gigs this year. We are just a few days away from Banish The Posers Fest 2014. How excited is the band to perform alongside Nafarmaan, Orator, Serpents Athirst and Impiety?

We are really honored to share the stage with the aforementioned bands. Impiety is one of the biggest Extreme Metal acts of Asia. Also, watching them live for the first time will be a great experience.


Do you think being the only Thrash Metal band in this year's bill gives Enmachined any advantage?

Hahaha. I do not know what you mean by the term “advantage”. In my opinion none of the bands of the roster are alike in terms of sound. Everyone on the roster is going to represent their own music. Both Orator and Impiety have Thrash Metal elements present in their music.


You guys like to label your music as "Bone Crushing Thrash Metal". How did you guys came up with this label?

We always try to create something that will CRUSH your BONES. No matter whether it is Heavy Metal or Thrash Metal. A lot of people doubt our genre. Some people term it as Heavy Metal (because of my vocals and the track "Piranha"), some term it is Thrash Metal (I think this is the perfect criteria for our music to fall under), some even term it as Crossover Thrash Metal (because of the track "Thrash Assault", where one can perceive the influences of Crossover Thrash Metal). It really doesn’t matter how we are being termed. Our music will always be bone crushing.

Watch the live performance of 'Piranha" here

You are very much inspired by the classic Heavy Metal bands. Would you like to tell us as to how you got into Metal music? How old were you when you discovered it and how were you driven to become a vocalist?

Back in my school days, I discovered Iron Maiden. I was 15 years old at that time. Later, I became thrilled by the singing of brother Torsha Khan in a Stentorian single. I thought if a Bangladeshi vocalist like him can show the dexterity with the voice in such an excellent way, then probably I should also try hard to be a good vocalist.


Your Heavy Metal roots are also quite prominent in your own vocal styles. Your frequent use of falsetto and vibrato techniques, squeaky screams highlight you out from all the other vocalists in the local scene. Who are your favourite vocalists that you have always looked up to?

A lot of vocalists have inspired me and yes, this is true that most of them are from a Heavy Metal background. I am mentioning a few names here: Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) and obviously Brian Johnson and Bon Scott from AC/DC.


Enmachined’s demo “Thrash Assault” was released via Salute Records (Sweden) last year. How has the label helped or promoted the band worldwide?

Salute Records has helped us a lot to spread our music worldwide, and we are grateful to the owner of the label, brother Tony for his immense support. Zines from different parts of the globe reviewed the demo, conducted interviews and featured articles of the band.

See our interview with Enmachined last year here!!!

What are you guys focusing on after the demo release?

Well we have been working on the next release for a long time, which is going to be the first studio release of the band. Some of the songs we have already done at shows and the feedback was killer!


Enmachined is one of those bands whose journey was no bed of roses. Would you like to tell us about the band's rough journey since 2011? The hurdles you had to go through during the dead era of the local Metal scene?

Initially it was a very difficult situation. We had to practice without a drummer for six months, we couldn't find a permanent bassist either. When we started our journey, we did not get any proper platform for live performances. All the gigs were push-sell gigs which we never did. Things went bitter when our buddy bands started messing things up. Too bad they don't exist anymore! There were good organizers too, I remember each and everyone of them who helped us. But struggling still exists and now looking back to those past memories, a lesson well learned is "you form your own band, YOU fight for it".


The struggle also continued when you were going through the hassle of getting the visas for the gig in Kolkata, India last year, which turned out to be a complete fiasco. The gig was postponed by a few months but the visa issues were still unsolved. Please tell us about the whole suffering.

Some of our members got the visas initially, some did not get it. Members who did not get the visa, applied again. Even, some of them applied thrice. But in the end only two of our members were issued the visa. Despite the postponement of the gig, we could not make it there. That was actually a terrible situation.

We even got an offer to perform in another city in India after that, we were even assured financial assistance by the organizer and you can probably guess the rest of the story. Same issues, visa problem and we could not make it again.

Are you guys aware of the fact that a bunch of young Metal bands are inspired by Enmachined in one way or the other? What do you have to say about it?

We are actually a young band haha. We do not know if we are inspiring anyone. But if we are, that's great! Yet, we have gained some dedicated supporters. Without their attendance at shows and their general support, we would not have reached this far in our musical journey. So hats off to you warriors, who ever and where ever you are.


You are quite an iconic figure in the local scene for your memorable dialogues and stage acts at the gigs! Your dialogues go viral every time! On a serious note, how important do you think its important for any band to pull off a great performance for the audience?

Honored brother. I am still very young and I think the term, “iconic figure” is not really an appropriate one for me haha. I do not know for the other bands. But, first of all we try to be flawless in terms of our performance (vocals, instrumentals or whatever), we probably have not yet reached the level to do everything flawlessly yet. But that is our ultimate target and obviously that can pull off a great performance for the audience. I, personally try to interact with the audience and I do believe that brings enjoyment to the audiences.


It was a pleasure conducting this interview with you. Looking forward to Enmachined's performance at BTPF. Anything that you would like to say to your supporters, perhaps to the folks at Primitive Invocation?

Primitive Invocation is a revolutionary community in our Extreme Metal set-up  They have organized a couple of killer concerts in the past and I think Banish the Posers Fest 2014 will also be a remarkable one. Anyways, thanks for the interview, and your endless support. To the local metalheads, show up in RCC on Friday, the 7th of November, 2014!


https://www.facebook.com/enmachined/timeline

BTPF event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/383753765111170/