Greetings, fellow metal-heads!

Today, we have Agrath with us and we will be asking them a

few interesting questions. We're quite sure they have some really cool answers as well.
Yeah, guys?
- YO! Shoot the questions already man.. (laughs and giggles all around)

Firstly, a pretty obvious question. Why the name Agrath? It rings in your ears when you
hear it you know, very catchy! How did this name come into being?
Well, we wanted a name which should sound Indian but kick ass globally. So with that in
mind we decided on the name Agrath (pronounced as Agr-aath) which means leadership in
Sanskrit. Prithvi(the drummer) had studied a little bit of Sanskrit back in high school and he
just decided to go through all he had learnt from back then, and then he just came up with
this word Agrath. Somehow, it just clicked and we finalized it instantly without searching
for any other heavier but common names.

How did you guys come together? Were you friends before the formation of the band?
Well, Sankalp (Lead Guitars) has been into music from quite a long time back. He was
performing since sixth-grade and when he was in 12th, He met with Prithvi and encouraged
him to pick up the drums. Together they joined the same college and we somehow just
stuck after that. We were looking for more people to join the band and I guess nature just
favored us. By luck, we met Kanav (Vocalist) in our hostel room as a roommate.

So what's different about your band? We hear new metal bands every other day. What is
it that makes Agrath come into the limelight? What exactly is the 'X' Factor in your music?
We had a lot of line-up changes whilst deciding on our genre, but we were never happy with
doing just anything. We've always wanted to do something out-of-the box (with metal-core
and djent influences, of course. Theyre irresistible genres). So, when Kanav joined us in
August 2012, we tapped his unique beat boxing skills and decided on a totally new genre
which we can proudly call Lab Metal'. That's what is different about us. We love what we
do and we are passionate about it.

LAB METAL?! Wow. So you guys aren't just musicians, you're pioneers too! Can you tell us
about all your members? A bit about everyone?
Sankalp Singha (Guitarist) - Sankalp has been a musician/guitarist for several years and is a
trained Sound Engineer from Ahmedabad. He has been recording for a lot of bands and yes,
definitely for Agrath as well. He is also a computer freak and loves programming, especially
web development.

Prithvi Raj Tikku (Drummer) - He is quite a fast learner and has evolved as a drummer over
the course of the entire year. Prithvi is a studious guy and is currently pursuing a degree in
Mechanical Engineering. Fairly recently, He made a Go-Kart in collaboration with Teja (the
manager of the band). They whip it out for a spin, now and then.

Kanav Bharadwaj (Vocalist/Beat-Boxer) - He has always been a brilliant beat-boxer. During
his school days, he used to follow Hip-Hop and several other genres excluding metal but his
outlook changed when he realized that he could growl. He found his new love in Metal.
Also, he has always maintained his job as the front-man of the band well.

Kaushik Madhab Das (Bassist) - This guy is a movie freak that sits on his ass and watches
movies all the time. He is a hopeless romantic as well, but other than that he has been a
great support to the band right from the beginning and always makes sure that he plays
perfectly on stage. Being a very good cook, he also makes sure that he makes awesome
chicken dishes for the band!!

Okay. So, has this always been Agrath's line up or has it ever changed? If yes, who and
why?
Yes, we had lineup changes twice, in the beginning. But it has always been because of the
constant need for a change in the tone and the tightness of the band. We were earlier a
five-piece band but the current genre required us to change the lineup.

What is your band's genre?
Being a metal band, people usually think we listen to only heavy stuff, but thats wrong. We
listen to anything and everything(provided we like it). So naturally, our influences are varied.
We call our genre 'Lab Metal cause it mashes up metal, rock, pop, funk, beat-boxing and
what-not. We aren't aware of any other band which does so. When Kanav joined in with his
unique abilities, we experimented a lot and in the end came up with the concept of Lab
Metal.

Tell us some of the most memorable gigs/concerts you've performed in since the band's
formation. What made them so memorable?
Mind Rocks at Le Meridien for obvious reasons, and the show at XIMB because of their
culture called JLT (Just Like That) which is basically an all night dance party. Truth be told, all
the shows that we attend to are our favorite/memorable gigs because we always learn
something or the other from every concert.

Who are the main minds and innovators when it comes to songwriting and composition in
the band? Or does everyone chip in to make a perfect team-effort?
Its actually the riffs first, drums second and then we have the vocals. The bass-line fits in at
the end. That is when Kanav or Prithvi usually sit down to write the lyrics.

Okay. Which of your songs are the 'people's choice'?
We would say 'Trauma'. Once during a regular jam session, Kanav dropped by and jammed
along. We came up with something weird but amazing at the same time (actually thats
when we took Kanav in the band). So we sat together, racked our brains till we were
traumatized and Trauma was born in 3 days. And hilariously, it has become a song that we
are mostly identified with.
The other people's favorite is 'Dreammaker'. Personally it is our favorite.

So I hear you guys are doing your engineering from LPU. How tough is to maintain your
passion for music while focusing on being successful in your careers in whichever subjects
you are studying in college?
It's just that we have to always remind ourselves of our priorities and remember what we
need to do to get ahead. When that is cleared, it gets kind of easy. All you need to do is
work towards that goal. Thanks to our supportive parents, we have been able to focus on
both, music as well as studies.

Any tips for our viewers, most of whom are young and aspiring musicians on how to
balance between one's passion and academics?
Its really difficult to manage both the things. Living in India we have been taught to study,
land up a good job and have a family. And this cycle should not be disrupted by music, but
luckily we all have extremely understanding and supportive parents who help us in every
way possible and we dont feel lost or confused.

We all know that Agrath recently won at NIT Jalandhar Battle Of The Bands, three times in
a row. Share with us your experience in this particular event.
Performing at NIT Jalandhar is an awesome experience every time. And it is still just as
amazing even now, to see the crowd singing to our songs with us. The people out there are
awesome and amazingly supportive for the bands that come there to perform and really
know how to head-bang, and that includes the girls as well.
Seeing such an enthusiastic crowd, we always try our best and end up winning the Battle Of
Bands every time.

What is the ONE dream festival or event you guys want to play in? For which you can do
ANYTHING to get to play.
DOWNLOAD fest!! DOWNLOAD fest!! DOWNLOAD fest!! And even Wacken Open Air metal
festival!

So other than the music, how would you rate your band's stage presence as a whole on a
scale from 1 to 10? 10 being the best.
This is a trick question is it? (Laughs)
We love performing each time when we are up on the stage and so for us, we would rate us
on the basis of how we felt playing. Other than that it's up to the audience to decide our
stage presence. We think we do good.

So, 10 on 10? Everyone has those few bands he/she worships and always has on the
playlist. For you, which bands give justice to the aforementioned statement?
We were heavily influenced by a metal-core outfit from Delhi - Phobia, they kicked some
serious ass when they had come to our university for a Battle of Bands in which even we
were competing (our first show ever). We never really got to meet them but they influenced
us a lot. We respect a lot of other bands such as 'What Escapes Me' from Kolkata, who have
become really good friends of the band as well. They definitely influence us a lot. Every
good musician is an inspiration to us, because you can always learn so much from one. The
bands we absolutely love are August Burns Red, Periphery, Skyharbor, Meshuggah, Lamb
of God, Vildhjarta, Threat Signal, After the Burial, Veil of Maya and Cloudkicker.

We just have two more questions to go now. I can't stop myself from asking this. Every
band has those hilarious moments both on and off stage which tickle your funny bone for
the rest of your lives. Has anything of that sort happened to you guys? If yes, please share
them with our viewers so that they have something to laugh about too!
This one time when we had some guys in the crowd doing bhangra to our songs and this one
guy just suddenly grabs the vocalist for a photo with him in the middle of the song! Also, the
times when Sankalp tried singing cleans with the lyrics - 'What you meant!' but because of
the really weird sound system it was sounding like - 'Chumma chumma de de.. '. It was
hilarious when we heard the recording.

Hahahaha, now that's hilarious! Last but not the least, do you have anything to say to
your fans and the readers of Muzeption Underground?
Love Music, Keep supporting because music has no barriers. And yeah, remember to attend
our shows when we come to your city!!
Cheers!!

You heard it guys, KEEP UP THE LOVE FOR MUSIC! Without music, there's no life, is there?
Thanks again guys for giving us your precious time! I, on behalf of Muzeption Underground,
wish you all the best for your future endeavors.
-STAY METAL, STAY RAW!

Over and out.