RAINBURN

Now, having also found a home with the label Unherd, Rainburn have brought out an EP titled Resignify. As the title indicates, it is a revisit of songs from Insignify (as also Veil from the EP Canvas of Silence). The EP has five tracks in all, of which two (Suicide Note: Alive in Black and Someone New: Another Night are taken from aforementioned live performances (tight as can be, I might add) while the other three are reworked to varying degrees.

Veil: Recanvased is pretty faithful to the original but has a different, scorching guitar solo contributed by Chirag Samtani. The percussion patterns are different too, addressing the slight loss of momentum in places in the original version. Very nice to hear this track again after it first appeared on Canvas of Silence. It's still the least interesting of the three tracks that have been done afresh (which really says more about how interesting the other two are).

Elusive Light: Resignified offers a big, big surprise (assuming, that is, that you haven't already heard the well received unveiling of the track on Youtube). Muscular drums make away for tabla (performed, interestingly, by the band's own second guitarist Paraj Kumar Singh as opposed to a specialist tabla player) and Vats Iyengar switches off the electricity on his guitar. Add Adarsha Ramkumar's soulful contributions on violin and you have something straight out of a fusion album (I am thinking Shakti with vocals). In a recent article, Iyengar mentioned that the songs on Insignify had departure points rooted in Hindustani raags. But it is only when the melody as well as the riffs are placed in familiar Indian environs that these roots finally become evident. Needless to say, the melody is right at home in these settings as well and people are going to have a hard time remembering that this was originally a heavy prog/prog metal track, so seamless is the transition to its Hindustani core.

To borrow an unfortunate expression frequently used in India, last but not the least is Suicide Note: Fading Into White. The crushing and pummeling machine gun riffs of the original are nowhere in sight as the song opens instead to what sounds like rain, followed by gentle, jazzy piano (played beautifully by Akash Kumar) before Iyengar's vocals come in. He adapts appropriately to these dramatically redone arrangements, softening his attack whilst losing none of the melancholic intensity inherent in the composition. It has an uncanny vulnerability that takes you by surprise and haunts you, leaving a lasting impression in a way that prog with all its technical and cerebral brilliance doesn't always do.

In summary, Rainburn truly resignify the EP per se, making it a very interesting creative endeavour with much to offer even if you have previously listened to these tracks in their original incarnations. And if you haven't heard them before, you're in for a treat because these versions are at least as good as the original ones, if not better (I, for one, do prefer the 'soft' version of Suicide Note).

"Insignify" is wide open and vehement in its will for exploration, clearly plotted but sounding off the cuff and based heavily on the organically-presented chemistry between drummer Praveen Kumar, guitarist / singer Vats Iyengar, and bassist / singer Ravi Nair that has only developed further since the band's debut EP, 2014's "Canvas of Silence".

The new album oscillates between laid back jams and powerful rockers, creating that lovely rich atmosphere. It's clear the band has been working on dynamics.

Starting real strong with 'Merchant of Dreams', this cut shares all the strengths into firm doses. Its groovy bass line, enhanced by the hypnotic percussion paves the way for several guitar solos. There are multiple waves where the band builds and then falls into peaceful, soothing moments.

As we dive further into The Island, we find a couple of lighter tracks. On 'Someone New' the spotlight goes to the drum/vocals interplay, as they playfully drive into proggy territories. The guitar and bass embellish with several layers of sustained leads and chords, but they tease by building tension, at times keeping it for minutes before explode into a powerful jam. 'Purpose' continues the flow in the same tempo as its predecessor but it's all vocals, while the final 'School of Atlantis' feels considerably subdued when compared to the rest of the record. Like a recap, it fervidly peaks one last time before gently fades away into thin air. This is a really nice, 'atmospheric' ending to such a strong album.

Rainburn has crafted a very solid album that can truly take you on a musical trip. Overall, Insignify proves to be a very worthwhile journey and any fan of progressive or psychedelic rock music should check it out.

And the answer is: a bit of both. The music is generally very much in the vein of the tracks on Canvas of Silence - kinda soft prog metal with hints of jazz swing here and there and clean guitar parts woven into the music rather than left to stick out in an in your face manner. BUT there are certainly more hints of Indian music, mainly in the guitar leads but also in some - simply gorgeous - Indian flute playing in School of Atlantis.

The emphasis on actual guitar solos (the way there used to be in rock music up to the 90s) is also a subtle change from the EP. These solos are still pretty short in length - no Hackett/Latimer like expansive leads here - but they clearly serve the function of solos rather than just guitar leads that take the song from point A to point B. There is even some scorching shredding by Toshimoa Jamir in the final solo of Elusive Light. Songwriter, vocalist and main guitarist Vats Iyengar is no slouch either (check out the solos on School of Atlantis and Suicide Note). Perhaps, an argument could be made that solos are outdated and ought to be done away with but I feel in the absence of much textural variation (we are basically looking at heavy distortion and clean electric guitar, with a few variations like on Someone New), the solos add more character and drama to the tracks. Especially because the typically busy nature of prog rock/metal doesn't leave much scope for the vocalist to build drama through his lines. Vats runs into the same constraint...except one track.

Mirrors is set to good old 4/4 with no time signature changes en route to the finish, has audible and catchy basslines underpinning the song and revolves around Indian sounding (but not REALLY Indian) guitar chord progressions rather than riffs. It also has a memorable chorus and a very effective bridge. In short, it's topnotch pop songwriting without resembling pop in the commercial, derogatory sense of the word that progheads are fond of resorting to. It's pop in the way a Stevie Wonder or Beatles would have crafted it (or maybe Radiohead today). Suddenly, without busy instrumentation and changes to take care of, the music starts to really breathe and is rich in mood and atmosphere. Vats also sings almost all of it low in his chest voice (except for a high chorus towards the end) and it feels like the words resonate more at least with me in this zone. High up in the stratosphere, he is like many other metal vocalists out there, commanding, proficient and powerful, but it is down below that I hear a more distinct character in the vocals to set them apart, an unique individual as opposed to yet another voice.

If all this is not exactly welcome news to your ears (!), fret not as there is enough variety on offer to satisfy different palates. If Mirrors is the song people who don't like prog as such would dig (and I know some who fit that exact description and who liked this song), there's Someone New and Suicide Note to satisfy more technical and muscular considerations. Especially Suicide Note is a headbanger's paradise but still accommodates clean guitar here and there (but it has no room for Indian elements). By making room for clean guitar even in their heaviest and most aggressive track, Rainburn are able to make a seamless transition to a VERY clean/non metal track like Within. Elusive Light and Merchant of Dreams are similarly lush and relaxed while remaining in a prog zone (unlike Mirrors). As said above, Mirrors is very different from the rest of the bunch but the melodic and harmonic patterns at work do not to my untrained ears sound too far removed from the other tracks. So nobody is going to ask what's a pop song doing in a prog album because it fits and only serves artistic rather than commercial considerations (of which there are practically none in this day and age for prog music). The other (very short) track that's completely different from everything else is the fugue Purpose. I will leave it to you to listen and see what you get out of it as it has received very diverse reactions so far.

In summary, this is prog metal/heavy prog with a hint of Indo-Western fusion and with some tracks like Suicide Note remaining in a 100% Western zone. Melodically, it is very original and memorable and has a freshness that isn't found in much of prog rock today. I have slight concerns about the textural limitation I mentioned earlier and do feel say keyboards would have filled out the sound more. But on the other hand, the introduction of Indian flute also introduces timbre that you just never hear in prog rock. So...having thought about what I should do, I am going to give the album all five stars. Not because I am truly convinced it's an overwhelming masterpiece but because it does chart its own course and has a voice of its own without resort to gimmicks that are meant to titillate rather than express.

This little gem comforted me as I prepared for surgery in 2014. Like the band's name, this music abounds in contrasts. The tug of war between aggressive metal and soothing folk/pop sounds creates a tidal rhythm that rocks me into a relaxed state. Despite the subject matter - loss - I found the music to be uplifting and hopeful. Although I continue to listen to new music, I still return to this time and again.

"Refuge" contains some evocative lyrics and interesting wordplay: "Washed up, eroded souls are/in solitude reborn/sing to me of rain/for tomorrow shall be/washed free of the reins/holding you and me". The jangling guitars and chorus have a '60s sound that reminds me of The Byrds, The Doors, The Mamas and The Papas...something that I can't quite pin down but brings a warm sense of nostalgia.

"Canvas of Silence" explores mysteries of life and death and boasts a stronger progressive metal sound. I like the mood changes in this one.

"Veil" is a fever dream awash in Indian-inflected melodies, nice bass work, and evocative vocals simmering in quiet desperation.

"Time Turns Around" is a beautiful little song. The guitar carries a pretty Indian-inflected melody. The vocal is achingly lovely. Struggle yields to resignation and peace here. This is the tidal pool of the album and my favorite track.

The waves roar back with"Fragments," a return to aggressive metal. The loss of a dear loved one is raw here, and the singer questions if the gains of moving beyond this life outweigh the losses experienced by those left behind.

Despite some minor quibbles - e.g. unnessary (to me) fade-out endings on some songs, the rough middle section in "Time Turns Around" - I believe this is one of the best EPs I've heard. I like how the band assimilates metal, pop, folk, and even a little jazz to create a wonderfully balanced sound. The lyrics are generally thoughtful, picturesque, and sometimes poignant; they hold up very well in the personal songs (e.g. "Time Turns Around" and "Fragments"), but they sometimes seem a bit forced elsewhere. Although not a true masterpiece, it's close - maybe a 4.5/5. I'll round up to 5, because this EP is a balm to me, more so than many "masterpieces" I've heard.

Rainburn has replaced its bassist, Shishir Gupta, and the guitarist Toshimoa Jamir with Allan Julius Fernandes and Vineet Gogoi, respectively, and I wonder how this change will affect the band's sound. I can only hope that Rainburn continues to explore life's weighty mysteries while marrying metal, Indian folk music, and pop as successfully as they did here.

With that, let's get started with the review. Rainburn is one of the very few Indian bands - and I personally don't know any other - that approaches Indo-Western music synthesis from a predominantly Western perspective. Usually, Indian artists either approach this kind of fusion by infusing a lot of Western instrumentation in a mostly Indian composition (in terms of melody). If they do try to make it more Westernised, then this usually consists of sticking on a Carnatic/Hindustani tinged guitar lead to a rock song. Check out the 2012 Bollywood chartbuster Sun Raha Hai Na for Exhibit A....er, no, on second thoughts, better don't! With very few exceptions like the extremely prolific composer Ilayaraja, Indo-Western fusion, with the greatest respect, tends to lack depth and substance. It is perhaps no coincidence that the members of Rainburn consider Ilayaraja to be a source of inspiration.

Rainburn do not wear the Indian side of their music on their sleeve. It is coaxed into the music gently and subtly so that it never sounds forced or gimmicky. What their music essentially is then is extremely accessible prog metal. Again, this is prog metal with a strong emphasis on songwriting rather than shred. There is not much flab or noodling in any of the five tracks that make up the EP. Leads, wherever they appear, tend to be brief and concise. Rainburn also emphasise contrast very effectively. They make room for generous portions of soft guitar textures to balance out the heavy metal riffage. The contrast between the soft and the hard is more of an organic blend here than jarring juxtaposition.

Thus, while Rainburn evoke Pain of Salvation in terms of their hard-soft contrast, they avoid the latter's more dramatic and drastic changes. As already alluded to, their songs are concise and in this respect, they distinguish themselves from one of their most prominent influences....you guessed it, Dream Theater. There's also some Rush and a bit of Steely Dan as well. I shall not point out instances of these lest I spoil the fun for listeners reading this review. At times, their source of influence is quite evident, obvious even, but mostly it's subtle and, in totality, presents a sound that is quite unlike anything you may have heard before. And let's not forget the aforementioned Indian elements while we're at it.

All five tracks offer something distinct for the listener and each is well crafted and satisfying though Time Turns Around is perhaps just a bit too short to be sumptuous. But I mean that in a good way; it ends just as one is hoping it goes on for a lot longer. I don't think I would be doing justice to the rating system if I gave this a five. It would have to be utterly, undeniably seminal at the very least to justify the highest rating and as original as it may be, Canvas of Silence isn't quite that.

So what will the next Rainburn release bring? Will Rainburn write longer prog epics or will they get even more concise, to ask the cliched proghead question? Will they widen their instrumental palate or stick to the double guitar set up? Personally, I am more curious about the direction in which their Indo-Western synthesis proceeds: does it get deeper from hereon or will they write more full Western material? Here's hoping the next Rainburn album materialises pretty soon and we get the answer to some of these questions.