The first time I heard of this band, I’ve to admit it, I was a bit amused by the name. But, then I learnt the yon is short for the English word yonder and has nothing to do with the Hindi word and breathed a sigh of relief. Yonsamples (erstwhile Moshpit) music, though, is nothing to laugh about. This 5-piece metal band from Kolkata kicks some serious ass with their debut self-released EP Paraphernalia. Genre-wise they can be pegged as metalcore/post-thrash/groove metal with abundant djenty riffs and synth thrown in as spicing.
The 5-track EP starts off with the slow-ish ‘The Instauration’. It is the shortest track with a mellow beginning with nice SFX, progressing into djent-laden riffs which carry us directly into the next track,Passage. The song progresses at a nice tempo, a very headbangable material. The versatility of the vocalist shines through as he does growls, screams and clean vocals with equal elan. The keyboardist, Pupai, provides good atmospheric keyboards which dont get overwhelming. The album really gets into form in the 3rd track, ‘Reincarnation’. It starts off at a brutal pace with drummer, Tuhin, beating the shit out of the skins. This track also has the best facemelting solo (courtesy of the axe genius, Jojo) on the EP, one which makes your eyes dilate in wonder. ‘Chaos Theory’, as the name suggests, is a bit chaotic with the guitars going crazy and it isnt as melodic as the rest of the tracks. My least favorite track of the EP, although by itself it is quite good. I just love the intro of the next track, ‘Breaking Through’, and I wish it was stretched a bit more, but it wouldve made it a bit more black metal-ish (weird, eh?). The synth lays a perfect ambient backdrop in the entire track. Like in ‘Passage’, clean vocals feature a bit more in this one. The track ends with chug-chug riffs reminiscent of a Lamb of God and it takes a few moments to return to your senses.
Whoever was minding the knobs has done a great job producing this album. However, I wish the guitars had a little bit more crunchier sound. Overall, Paraphernalia is a stellar effort and should rank among the top albums of 2010 in India. Yonsample couldnt have asked for a better debut EP. A very promising band, we have higher expectations from them in the future. Bravo!
Rating: 4/5
