False Gharial – Tragic Demise (2021)
Tragedy is something that is rather unavoidable and we will all face the dark emotions that come with it at some point in our lives. These moments have been picked up by False Gharial for their sophomore EP Tragic Demise. Through the tracks of the EP, the band works through the negative emotions to come to a sense of tranquillity or indifference to one’s own death.
While touching on a serious heavy topic, the band pushes into your brain with punchy guitars and hard rock grooves. The insistence of their sound is tied to the basis of the band which was started by Hatem (guitar, vocals), Faisal (bass), Aditya (drums) and Francesco (guitar) to bring madness to the polished society of Singapore. Drawing on a wide range of influences, they bring a touch of metal to hard rock, Hindustani traditional music and more.
The EP opens with the punchy tones of ‘Delusional Waters’. The guitars crash through your chest and shake you up from the first moment and don’t let up. Hatem’s vocals call out against the pulsing melody with a rather melancholic tone. There is a raw feeling to this track as it takes negative emotions and transforms them into the most engaging opening track possible. The music moves from punchy pushes to soaring which is an absolute pleasure to listen to. The arrangement brings a touch of heaviness but this is perfectly wrapped in an authentic vibe that turns everything on its head.
‘Turning Point’ continues the punishing pace of the opening track with a more metal vibe. The guitars cry out into the soundscape while the vocals are packed with darkness. At times, there is an almost marching feeling to the music that leads you deeper into the darkness of the track. As you march down the soundscape, the vocals lay out an interesting story of dark emotions that strangely resonates through you. As you listen, there is a hint of frustration and anger woven into the vocals that leads you to a soaring touch of freedom.
There is a lighter touch to the guitars that open ‘Suicide Forest’ that gives way to a really ominous feeling. It is like the mists of the early morning rolling between the trees of a forest that brings a stillness like a deep breath before the jump. The descent into the track is a tumble of heavy rock tones with a hard rock vocal performance. There is a touch of melodic metal to the track through the vocals that really makes itself known with the dark growls of the vocals. This is such a great spiral into darkness that you can’t help but what to go a bit crazy to it. The arrangement is engaging from start to finish and you can’t help but have an absolute blast while listening.
‘Silence’ brings a lighter rock tone to the soundscape with the rolling drums that easy guitar line. This lets you breathe easily after the darkness of the last track while leading you into a strange middle ground of emotion. The soaring guitars feel like they are leading you to positive emotions, but there is something in the lower levels trying to pull you down. It is a really beautiful guitar line that puts a smile on your face without any effort. This all changes later in the track when the heavy guitars make an appearance and toss you off the light path. There is a tussle between the guitars that is the perfect sonic representation of positive and negative emotions battling for dominance in our lives.
The EP comes to a close with ‘Lockdown’ that sounds like it is coming from a distance only to jump into your face. You can feel the energy of the band flowing through the music and into your veins making you want to jump and tap to the melody. The vocals flow from rock tones to a growling metal darkness with effortless ease. The battle of the last track can be felt at times throughout the single as the guitars battle each other. Through the song, you are filled with the negative emotions that filled most of us during lockdown but this is amazingly tempered with a strange resilience that stands against the darkness.
False Gharial smashes through your defences with their pulsing rock sound as they tackle dark emotions to lead you to acceptance in Tragic Demise. Each track brings the rock punch of the band to your ears in the most engaging way possible. The band also showcases what they have to offer with movements from melodic metal to heavy rock.
Find out more about False Gharial on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
