Antariksh – Marty’s ‘Quest’, A combination like never before
Antariksh’s first release of 2021 is absolutely a wow moment for them and for all it is a collaboration with the living legend, Marty Friedman. The piece, names ‘Quest’ touches the topic of breaking the illusions of ‘me and mine’ that one lives with and gets attached to. The song has introspective lyrics (Hindi & English), questioning the true cause of our existence as humans, and how our ego, lust for money, power, and greed make us feel separate from the world outside, while the world we see is not reality but a projection onto our consciousness.
Quest, an out and out Progressive-Rock meets Fusion track, is a dark, heavy, and intricate song incorporating Carnatic music inspired guitar riffs and breakdowns, a Hindustani sitar solo (Dhruv Bedi – Parikrama), and of course a mind-blowing guitar solo section by guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman. The US-born, Japan-based artist is known as one of the most influential and respected guitar players of all time. The seed for the collaboration was sown when Rajput got a chance to meet Friedman at the Delhi airport, post the famed guitarist’s performance at Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Shillong, Meghalaya in 2019.
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One could say that the idea of Antariksh was born out of an experiment etched in desire. At the beginning of the second decade of the 2000s, the project’s founder and vocalist Varun Rajput along with his friends & former bandmates (Mridul and GT) felt the need to bridge the gap between their two favorite styles: progressive rock and Indian contemporary sounds in their mother tongue – Hindi. Coming from a Progressive Heavy Metal background, back then it was natural for them to want to reach more people with their prog-rock musical sensibilities but not get limited by a language barrier.
The brainchild of Music composer, singer, and guitar player Varun Rajput, Antariksh is a premier Hindi-Rock act based out of New Delhi, India. Alongside Rajput, the line-up of the project – rated by MTV, as one of the best rock artists in India – includes Joshua Peter (Keyboards & Vocals), Dan Thomas (Drums) and Shrikant Biswakarma (Guitars).
Their previous releases include Jee Le Zara which seeks to motivate people to live a life on their own terms. Jee Le Zara has a Pop/Rock vibe, thought-provoking lyrics, an anthemic chorus with an edgy dubstep section thrown in which comes across as a surprise element.
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