I have to say that that I never really associated India with a healthy heavy metal music scene, and well it turns out that metal music is actually quite popular in that part of the world. Doing his part for Indian metal is a talented musician called Sahil Makhija, Sahil who performs with multiple bands including Demonic Resurrection and Reptilian Death goes by the stage name of Demonstealer. Demonstealer is also the name of his studio solo project, now with a second album that is titled The Burden Is Mine. A multi instrumentalist Sahil Makhija is the vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist, while in what is a significant draw card the drums are in the hands of Nile's renowned drummer George Kollias who for those whom may have missed it released an impressive solo album last year called Invictus. That leaves the bass and it's very capably taken care of by Sahil's Demonic Resurrection and Reptilian Death band mate Ashwin Shriyan.
Sahil Makhija has created a multi faced metal release displaying varying influences on The Burden Is Mine such as progressive, death and thrash metal with both aggressive and clean vocal parts, mixing the intensity with melodic and atmospheric inclusions. With Kollias blasting away "How The Mighty Have Fallen" is a powerful track though it does mellow out somewhat and the growls are replaced by clean vocals while that volatile side does return later on. "An Unforgiving Truth" is a slower song that ramps up gradually, and you find that tempo shifts a lot on this album. Just don't go into this one expecting a non stop intense darkened metal experience there is so much more to this release. It's top points for musicianship, George Kollias's sounds so good on "The Last Jester Dance" and elsewhere for that matter, and not just when his kick pedals are propelling the music at some insane speeds, and not to forget that artwork which sure is cool. If I had to be critical I will say that due to so many different ideas appearing I do find this to be detrimental to the flow of some tracks, but ultimately this is a release that needs multiple plays to be fully appreciated. As initially I found myself thinking that The Burden Is Mine was much more memorable in parts than as a whole, but after persevering those early impressions have improved.
Track Listing
1. How The Mighty Have Fallen
2. An Unforgiving Truth
3. When The Hope Withers And Dies
4. This Burden Is Mine
5. Frail Fallible
6. The Failures Of Man
7. Where Worlds End
8. The Last Jester Dance
9. From Rubble And Ruin
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