Metal band The Down Troddence drops the first track ‘Maharani’ from its new album AYAKTIHIS

When The Down Troddence (TDT) is returning with an album after ten years, expectations are bound to be high. ‘Maharani’, the first track from their new album As You All Know, This Is How It Is (AYAKTIHIS), dropped across streaming platforms on February 20. And collaborating with TDT for the track is Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna. 

The folk-groove-progressive metal act from Kannur, Kerala, which broke into the underground scene with their formidable debut album How Are You? We are Fine, Thank You in 2014 took systemic oppression head on with its ferocious riffs, growls and potent lyrics. 

Over a video interview, members of TDT discuss their new album and what took them so long, their politics, and the fire they share. 

“Ten years is a long time, but we have been figuring out our individual lives and careers, regrouping to work on our music, exploring our influences; we have become more mature and consistent,” says Nezer Ahemed, who handles the bass guitar. The initial strains of ‘Maharani’ were conceived in 2011, but they kept adding to it, layering it until it evolved into its present form. 

“While the first album was more visceral and direct in terms of how we wanted to address issues, this one is more nuanced. We saw ourselves as separate from the system then. Now we recognise that we are part of the system and part of the change that has to come,” Nezer adds.  

Though the anger has not dissipated, the approach has more finesse, “we have evolved, just as our listeners have,” says Varun Raj, who plays the lead guitar. 

Varun and Munz were part of a two-member project Ultimatyum in 2008, which later grew into TDT. Soon, Sushin Shyam, currently one of Malayalam’s busiest film music composers, joined as keyboardist. With Nezer, Ganesh Radhakrishnan (drums) and Advaith Mohan (rhythm guitar) on board, the band went on to push the boundaries of metal, bringing in traditional Kerala folk ethos, especially blending in elements from the ritualistic art form, Theyyam.  

Music has always been their language of resistance, “However, I’d say we have never been this serious musically. It was after seeing the impact of our music on people; what music can do — to learn that there are people listening to our music every single day! We wanted to take time on this,” says Munz, who is also the lead vocalist.  

‘Maharani’ is about the repeated oppression faced by certain sections of people around the world. Especially by authoritarian states and figures, on the basis of caste, creed, religion. The song expresses anger over the Palestinian crisis. “The main seed of the idea came to us during the Israel-Palestine conflict. It was affecting everyone in the band and we wanted to channelise that into a song. In that sense, Maharani is an ode to the Palestinian struggle. But, it isn’t limited to that,” Munz adds. 

The collaboration with TM Krishna happened organically. The song, with layered instrumentation, intense riff progressions and unconventional rhythmic patterns, holds the emotive depth of Krishna’s Carnatic vocals. “He was one among us, it was extremely easy to work with him. Though our genres differ, we are on the same page of dissent through music,” says Sushin. “(TM) Krishna is way too metal than us. He is actually living the metal life,” Munz adds. 

AYAKTIHIS contains 10 songs, predominantly in English, with a few tracks combining Malayalam and a smattering of Tamil. ‘Ejjathi’, another powerful track in the album, is a take on casteism. The band plans to release five singles first and then the album as a whole. Live shows too are on the cards. 

TDT dreams of being able to host its own metal fest, something along the lines of Knotfest, a music festival created by American heavy metal band Slipknot. “We want to be able to bring that here, and go big with it,” says Advaith. 

While music preferences have undergone major shifts, with younger listeners preferring more hip-hop and electronica, the band is trying to bring back the raw, chaotic energy of heavy metal. “We know we have to organise more shows, put ourselves out there a lot more. Where we are now, we owe it to our loyal fans,” adds Advaith. 

The band credits its success to the friendship between the members. Despite their personal and professional commitments, they stuck together. “We have had the same line up for the past 10-12 years. So much has happened in that time. We got married, changed careers, cities… What kept us together was that we were friends outside of music too,” says Munz. 

TDT has also released The Decade of Defiance, a remixed, remastered 10th anniversary edition of How Are You? We Are Fine, Thank You, featuring exclusive collaborations and bonus tracks. A documentary on the band, the philosophy of its music and evolution, is in the pipeline.

‘Maharani’ is on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music.