The world of modern metal is now littered with bedroom musicians who claim to have a grip on production and creating the most mind-bending tunes. Of course, there are truly deserving one-man solo studio projects such as Cloudkicker and Skyharbor that have branched out to receive global recognition and even demands to perform live regularly.
When Skyharbor finally did make it out of their bedroom to begin performing in 2011, they had one formidable drummer named Anup Sastry behind the kit, coming in straight from Maryland in the States. Ever since then, Sastry’s contributions have extended to not just Skyharbor, but also instrumental band Intervals, prog metal veteran Jeef Loomis and currently, UK prog metal band Monuments. The whole time, though, Sastry has never stopped putting out solo material that is just the perfect treat for anyone who loves baffling drum work.
His latest offering, the five-track Bloom is a
feast for prog and technical metal fans and anyone who is a drummer. Sastry is one of the few musicians who turns the regularities of bedroom djent bands on its head. While most djent and prog metal bands record guitars and program their drum parts via digital audio software and workstations on a computer, Sastry records all his drums live and ends up programming guitar and bass parts to fit. Now that is subversion. From the opening rampage that is ‘Enigma’ to the groove-laden ‘Bloom’, Sastry dips in and out of riffs and crushing drum-skin bashing that will instantly get heads bobbing on songs like ‘Villain’.
With his two-part closer ‘Memoirs’, Sastry attempts to go as long as possible, possibly in a test of endurance not just to his own skills, but also for listeners. After all, how much of that crazy drumming can one’s ears withstand? Amidst proggy interludes, Sastry reigns down on his kit so hard it might make you wince. The slow beatdown that closes ‘Memoirs, Part II’ proves that Sastry is one of the metal world’s best drummers, one who probably has an infinite number of drum fills locked into each groove.
