MUMBAI: While there are not many black metal bands in the country, Diabolus Arcanium, a Chennai based symphonic black metal band is trying to make it big in the independent music scene with its upcoming album 'Spellbound-Path of Ascension'. Apart from bands like Cosmic Infusion, 1833 AD, Solar Deity and a few others, Indian independent music does not see good black metal bands.

The members of the band go by nicknames, which are also their individual evil alter egos, Hex (Vyas Manalan - vocals, guitars), Archon (Roshan YR - keyboard, orchestral arrangement), Nero (Shiva Moorthy – rhythm guitars), Solas (Ganesh Mahadevan – bass) and Astaroth (Nikhil Narayan – drums). While different sub-genres of metal music like thrash, death and groove talk about political issues, fantasies, mythology and rage, black metal bands generally convey anti-religious sentiments and have dark and evil philosophies.

Front man of the band, Hex, explains, "We do not believe in Christianity because religion, in my case - Christianity, has always been hypocritical. Most of black metal music deals with anti Christianity."

About the album, he said, "All the tracks follow the same theme. The album is set in the dark ages when the crusades were murdering all the 'heretics' and people saw the true light of Christianity. It talks about how people have lost consciousness, blindly believing in religion."

He added, "Religion, according to us, is imposed and preached to gain political power, the power to control people. That is what we want to convey through our music, that we need to be free from that control."

Although 'Spellbound's' demo version had been released a few months back, the full studio version is due to be released late in October this year. 'Spellbound- Path of Ascension', which is the band's debut album, has now been recorded with a small orchestra. It includes violin, trumpet, cello, trombones and live drumming whereas, the drums in the demo version were programmed.

The album contains 11 tracks in total and has clear influences from the biggest symphonic black metal Norwegian band, Dimmu Borgir. The band has also been inspired by bands like Mayhem, Emperor, Dark Funeral and others. The album will be released through a label called Transcending Obscurity, which has released music of bands like Cosmic Infusion, Gutslit, 1833 AD, Albatross and many more.

The vocalist, who has Wacken Open Air and Bloodstock in his wish-list as festivals he wants to perform at, says, "We will be headlining Stormbringer in Pune in October, somewhere around the album release. After that, we have gigs in Bangalore and plan to go to Kolkata, Guwahati and Mumbai for our album tour."