Album Reviews :: Shrapnel: INTELLECTUAL PURSUIT [INDEPENDENT]

Mind-blowing is the only way to describe ‘Intellectual Pursuit’, the debut album from Bangalore-based rock band Shrapnel. Although the band has only been around for a couple of years, they have already come out with an excellent album, flipping the birdie to anyone who thinks ‘young’ and ‘good’ do not usually go hand-in-hand. And you can be quite sure that from now on, ‘Intellectual Pursuit’ will be a sort of benchmark by which all Indian rock albums will be looked at.

The album kicks off with a brief one-minute-fourteen-second clip “An Introspective Quest”, which sets the tone for what is to come, and leads into the first song “Race To Oblivion”. This is one of those albums, which draws you in right from the first listen, and keeps growing on you; there isn’t a single dull moment on the album. The music is reminiscent of Motorhead, and vocalist Deepak also sounds like Lemmy with a slight south-Indian accent.

Songs like “Path of Vengeance” (about a serial killer, killing to take his revenge on society, as he believes that society has turned him into the monster he is), “Futile” (about the times when you realize that a lot of things that you’ve done weren’t worth anything at all, and about the consequent feeling of helplessness), and “When Doubt Takes Over” (about the detrimental effects of doubting your own abilities) are quite addictive. The album artwork and inlay art is truly outstanding, and can easily stand up to any international album. The production is awesome as well, all credits to Ricky Kej.

One of the younger metal bands from Bangalore, Shrapnel’s music reflects the personalities of its band members, and they believe that music does not have to be complicated to strike a chord in the mind of the listener.

Make no mistake about it. ‘Intellectual Pursuit’ has to be among the best Indian rock albums to have ever come out. If you’re looking for some good, heavy, progressive, intelligent music, then this album is a definite must-buy.