Sundogproject To Launch Sophomore Album – Tora

15 July 2014

Delhi based electronic and experimental rock band SundogProject are to release a new LP, titled ‘Tora’ after the excellent dark wave/post metal treat that was Hex1/Visions, released in October last year. They’ll be playing a few new sounds at Hard Rock Café in Delhi on 17 June.

The band founded by vocalist, guitarist and primary composer, Rahul Das released a minute long teaser of one of the tracks from ‘Tora’. As anyone who has heard Hex1/Visions would know after they give the snippet, titled ‘Tentacle’ a listen, SundogProject are anything but un-ambitious. I had the chance to listen to more than a morsel of the new LP and I think it’s safe to say that Sundog will be garnering a lot of attention in the coming week.

‘Tora’ is a lengthy LP clocking in at almost an hour and a half. ‘Hex1/Visions’ had a distinctly darker, grungier feel than its successor with heavier influences that demonstrated themselves - most obviously, in Rahul’s whispery but menacing vocals. Metal has always been cleverly used by the outfit as a subtle undertone to tint a much larger picture, and if you like analogies, the sounds in ‘Hex1/Visions’ are reminiscent of latter day Tool.

‘Tora’ retains that inimitable layered, droning darkness in a very different way.

The band makes a clean shift to a much more electronic and pleasantly glitchy sound where droning bass is combined with layers of tinkering melody helping temper the industrial overtones that Sundog has been so fond of in the past. But the overall effect isn’t heavy; the sounds in the album are surprisingly delicate with some stunning alternative and atmospheric electronic tracks.

We got in touch with Rahul to tell us a little bit more about the album:

“This (double) record is essentially a collection of mood based impressionist tracks. The reason I call it impressionist (it has nothing to do with 19th century Paris) is because it was composed in a manner which captured the first impressions of a particular mood, instinctively translated into sound. The record is predominantly instrumental apart for some songs which have vocals. I would say ‘Tora’ is largely abstract and mood based, exploring different colours as opposed to Hex 1/Visions which was conceptual and had a constant theme running through it.”

From what I’ve heard so far, ‘Tora’ sounds like an impressive experimental LP which pushes the boundaries so far explored within the Indian underground. It'll be released online in the coming week and till then we suggest you save 17 June at Hard Rock Café in Delhi to attend a performance by SundogProject where you can hear a little more from the album.

The solo act consists of Rahul Das while the bands line up also includes Anupam Roy, Shardul Mehta, Viraj Mohan and Rahul Sainani. Keep a lookout on Sundogproject’s facebook page for updates and a final release.

Till then, here’s a snippet of their single, titled ‘Tentacle’:

SoundCloud
Facebook event

Words: Diya Gupta

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