GUWAHATI: In a candid conversation with Eclipse, the classical rock band from Guwahati who has defined and re-defined the culture of rock music in the region over a span of 15 years, band member Kundal Goswami speaks to G Plus about the journey of the band.
Tell us something about the band, Eclipse, and the journey so far
Eclipse is one of the oldest rock bands playing in the local scene. We play heavy metal and we are very proud to say that we have entered our 15th year of existence which, for a rock band, is not easy. The band was formed way back in July 2004.
The journey from 2004 till date was tough and sweet at the same time. We started off as a 4-member band in the beginning and the keyboard was added later on as we felt it was needed for our sound as a band. We participated in all major rock competitions at that time. We won in Synchisis at Gauhati Medical College in 2005 with awards of best vocalist, best guitarist and best bassist, Pyrokinesis at Assam Engineering College in 2005 with awards of best vocalist, best bassist and best guitarist and were runners-up in the same year's Rockophonix at IIT Guwahati with the best vocalist award.
Introduce the band members
We have Sumon Saikia on Lead Guitar, Rahul Kaushik on Bass, Joy Das on Drums, Chinmoy Talukdar on Keyboards and I am Kundal Goswami, the frontman and also do second guitar duties for the band.
What have been the ups and downs in your journey?
Managing a 5-member rock band is an arduous task. In the beginning, all the shows did not go the way we planned or anticipated. Sometimes the performances were not up to the mark, overconfidence and lack of practice, bad sound, less experience and to top it all bad management were some key issues. We learned as we moved on, gathering experience through our journey.
What are your thoughts on the current rock and metal scene in Assam?
We have seen the rock scene in Assam since a long time. It has grown a lot. The quality has improved. The scene right now in Assam, especially in Guwahati, is amazing. We don't think any other city in India offers you the quality of rock music that's played here. So many new bands have come up. There are many pubs here which promote local rock bands and it is great for the scene. However, the number of open air shows in Guwahati has come down which is worrying. Also, we don't see too much support for open air rock shows nowadays. Well this can only be improved if the rock fans come together and show good support for the few open air events that take place. Also, though many new acts have come up which is encouraging, sustaining as a rock band isn't easy. Bands should try to focus on sustaining themselves and also have a vision for the future. Rock music, I believe, is purely and only about passion.
What is the market for original music in Assam like according to you?
The sound, the thought process and philosophy of the band is reflected through their original music. The market for original rock/heavy metal music in Assam is not satisfactory. The more music you make, the bigger fan base you will create and this will eventually help find more acceptance among the masses. People have to let go of a mind block towards accepting this form of music and more so their attitude towards the local bands.
What is the future plan of the band?
We are focusing on making our third album. The song writing has begun and hopefully we will come out with it by next year if all goes as planned. All the members of the band have a key role to play in making this a success. We are more focused on making an approach to blend in heavy progressive metal along with melodies of power metal this time.