On April 12, Thiruvananthapuram will witness a high-decibel night of underground metal as TerraSonic and Tribal Sacrament present K/ALAPAM, an independent music concert for peace, at the Mahatma Ayyankali Hall in Palayam. Touted as one of the first events of its kind at a public venue in the city, the concert brings together a lineup of metal bands from across the country, foregrounding a genre that continues to remain in the shadows of the larger commercial music industry.
Defined by energy, aggression, speed, heavily distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sounds and vigorous vocals, the concert promises a relentless sonic experience. At the same time, it is framed by a larger intent to bring people together through music at a time when the world is marked by unrest and conflict. “It goes without saying how imminent it is to be there for one another at times like these. Not just human life, all life is at stake. From the dawn of time, music has given us reasons to listen, think, act and uncompromisingly come together,” the organisers note.
The lineup features Hyderabad-based death metal band Septic Isle, Chennai’s old-school death metal act Vidyut, Kochi’s black metal band Agharath, and Thiruvananthapuram’s Malayalam heavy metal band Mooted. Bringing together different strands within metal, the concert attempts to create a shared space for both artists and listeners, while also strengthening a community.
“There is a difficulty in pulling off events like this. Venues are limited, especially for metal, and we are not invited to other platforms, so bands themselves end up organising programmes like this. While other independent music cultures are flourishing across platforms, metal still doesn’t have many spaces in the city,” says Devan Narayanan, one of the organisers. The effort, he adds, is to make such music more accessible and to reach more people through initiatives like K/ALAPAM.
The concert also carries a message that extends beyond the music itself. “Wish for no war, stand with peace, we don’t need an iron dome, we need a dome of love. These messages will be placed in the music and will be communicated through the programme with the heavy soundscape. We know the potential of the sound, and it will influence the people who hear this on that day,” Devan says.
Tickets for the event are priced at `1,000 as a support-the-culture pass, `500 for regular entry, and `250 for students, with bookings available on SortMyScene. With an expected turnout of around 200 to 300 people, the organisers see the concert not just as a performance, but as a step towards building a stronger and more visible metal community in the city.
Set against what the organisers describe as a turbulent time for both people and the natural world, K/ALAPAM positions itself as a moment of coming together. “While war mongers go louder with war and hatred, we all go that day even louder with music and love,” they say.