Album review

RockStrata revisited

The Metal scene in Dhaka has changed a lot during the last 2- 3 years. Gone are the days of waiting for a Metal concert. In fact, people can go to quite a number of concerts in a month these days (of course, it is happening in Dhaka only). Anyway, I was wondering whether the new Metal fans in Dhaka knew about the band that started and introduced Modern Metal in Dhaka. For those of you who do not know, the pioneering Metal band was RockStrata. They were truly masters of Metal during their time, but were surely overlooked for some reasons.

RockStrata was formed back in 1988, with similar bands such as Rock Brigade, Aces, WarFaze, etc. But no one could reach the level of intensity like they did. People who like Thrash and Old School Metal will definitely like their album. Their lineup consisted of Mushfique (Vocals), Imran (Guitars), Moinul (Guitars), Arshaad (Bass) and Mahbub (Drums). Here is a review of their self-titled album.

The opening track of the album is called "Rokkte Bheja Maati". Though it is a good song, it still has some boring parts. This song tells about the only human left in the planet who has survived a great war. A nice track to open with!

Those who are deeply rooted to Heavy Metal, this song will definitely top their list. Titled "Aartonaad", this is the best song in the album. The lyrics prove that this song was written out of frustration by a group of youths. This song gives a grim reminder of the distressed world and what would become of it in the future. The main highlight is the constant bass line throughout the whole song.

"Nirbashon" is a good song, filled with solos and heart- pounding double bass beats. You'll have to keep your ears open to hear the drum lines properly, as the recording of the album was not that good. This song mainly tells about a man who has been sent to an exile and who once had many expectations.

"Nuclear Shadhinota" is definitely a mind- blowing track. Filled with ear bleeding solos and heart- pounding drumbeats, this song shows the complexity of the band in terms of composition. This is the first song where the drummer shows off his talent. Actually Mahbub (Drums) was the first drummer in Bangladesh to bring the concept of double bass drum setup. He was once considered to be the best drummer and percussionist of Bangladesh.

A very hyper track, the next song is called "Shamanno Dushshopno". People who have listened to it said that it resembled "Power Slave" by Iron Maiden. This song is one of the ordinary ones in the album, though not a bad one. Each song gets better with the arrival of a new one.

"Mukti Dao" is one of two the songs sung by the great Sunjoy (ex- WarFaze). He added great dimensions to this song, whereas it could not have been achieved if the original vocalist sang it. As I said earlier, each song gets better than the previous one. This song proves the level of maturity with their instruments and also with lyrics. It is really a grim song and frustration has taken a big toll on them. This is evident as you can hear them shouting "Mukti Dao" towards the end.

One of the best songs in this album, "Shesh Ratri" speaks for itself in every way. Intricate composition, ear- bleeding solos, great lyrics and what not! Though the theme remains the same throughout the album, it tells about a man who did many things just to get a peaceful life. A comparatively slower track than the other ones, it still remains a classic among most Metal fans.

The next song in line is called "Shotto Lok". A very typical and commercial song though it has a nice solo in the middle. Other than the solo, there is nothing so remarkable about it.

A very ordinary song, Track 9 is called "Pagolta". Very
powerful lyrics though, it could have been a great song. Lack of creative composition is seen towards the end of the album, though the good songs outweigh the bad ones. This song tells the tale of a loner who, slowly turns into an insane.

After listening to all those intense and complex
compositions, this song will definitely be a change. Titled "Shantir Shopno", it's the slowest song in the album. A very meaningful song, trying to spread the message of peace and to stop wars.

The last song in the album is called "Kaalo Raat". It is a great song to end the album with, the band showing how they can reach their climax. This song also features some guest members performing in it, namely Sunjoy (ex- WarFaze), Mashuk (ex- Aces) and Piklu (Aurthohin). It mainly describes about the disasters the dead of the night can bring. In terms of composition, it has superb solos, jackhammer double bass drumbeats and lion's roar vocals. Even at that time, these people came up with Modern Speed Metal. Amazing!

Conclusion: I think it is a great Metal album, although the recording was not that good. It is an all- time hit among most Metal fans in Dhaka and will remain so in the future. The fact that people in Dhaka hardly listened to Heavy Metal in the late 80's and still RockStrata were bold to release their album. But due to lack of attention from both the organizers and the so- called "Metal crowd" at that time, made RockStrata to disband. It is very hard to find the album these days but it sure is a collector's item.

-- By Mushfique Mannan

Darjeeling is a city 8,500 feet high above the ground in India. It might sound scary but in reality there's no such bloodcurdling feeling within you once you have reached this city of height. The number of sites which I would recommend to visit are: - The Rock Garden, The Ganga Maya Park, Tiger Hill, The World Famous Ghoom Monastery, Batasia Loop, The Zoo, The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Tenzing Rock, The Ropeway, Mirike Lake, Pashupati Nagar and the Japanese Buddhist Temple. Believe me, they are simply the best tourist spots!

As to start with, "The Rock Garden" is 2000 feet down Darjeeling. It is a real beauty consisting of colourful gardens and mind soothing waterfalls. Mother Nature stands in this part of Darjeeling , fully naked. "The Ganga Maya Park" has a lovely natural panorama of gardens and waterfalls too. If you are interested in shopping, then you can afford the attractive souvenirs like key rings and photo stands at a very reasonable price.

The visit to "Tiger Hill" will be worthwhile. Tiger Hill is on a bit higher altitude than Darjeeling and beside it, the breathtaking Kanchanjanga and Mount Everest can be viewed. To watch the sunrise, Tiger Hill is the best place for it, but if the weather is cloudy, then you have got a hard cheese!

"The World Famous Ghoom Monastry" is a Buddhist temple with the huge statue of Gautam Buddha in it. The statue is carved in pure gold and it is glamorous. "The Batasia Loop" is mainly a memento for the martyr soldiers of India. A street side market is also present there and Nepalese festival dresses are the main fascinations here. You surely would look different on this dress and don't forget to snap a photo!

The zoo is a real big one with various species of animals kept there. "The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute" and the "Tenzing Rock" on the other hand are excellent visiting spots, as they contain all kinds of photos and souvenirs of Mount Everest and its climbers. You can even get the opportunity of visiting the grave of Tenzing Norgay, one of the first man who mounted the Everest.

"The Ropeway" is a very exciting one to go. It is a sort of a ride through which the tourists can vision the whole of Darjeeling along with the beautifully set tea gardens. "The Mirike Lake" is a relaxing location and you can easily enjoy the peaceful boat ride. "Pashupati Nagar" is the Nepalese border with a market beside it. I am sure you will cherish every moment of it.

As to conclude with, the "Japanese Temple" is a wonder. Thousands of pine trees are arranged in such a neat and orderly way that one gets bewildered and we cannot stop ourselves from thanking God for creating such a magnificent empire of nature in Darjeeling.

-- By Sarah Tabassum

There seems to be a certain predominant propensity of a particular part of the population of Homo sapiens to give an ear-splitting shriek followed by a sudden surge of active dynamism (resulting in a lot of jumping and leaping in the air), whenever they happen to notice sleek-coated crustaceans or serrated insects gliding mutely past them. They carry on their frenzied movements until and unless some plucky hero (or heroine) comes to the much-awaited rescue and throws the poor creature out of the open window--or as happens in most cases, squashes it brutally with the sole of a shoe (Innalill... ...un).

This ridiculous and totally uncalled-for fear of insects--or perhaps it is just plain disgust at the sight of living beings not endowed with good enough looks to challenge the likes of Brad Pitt (if you ask me though, I think spiders are a lot cuter...)--never fails to amuse me.

Especially during a boring class when you're in no jolly mood to sit and listen to the droll lecture on organic chemistry, and would rather join in the stamping of the feet and shout at the top of the lungs--"Eeekkk...there's a cockroach under my chair! Yuuckk.... its eating an ant...Disgusting..."

And the teacher stares at the vibrant spectacle before him/her, open-mouthed, trying very unsuccessfully to get the class to settle down. "Why, children, it's just a cockroach. Don't tell me you're actually afraid of it!" she vainly tries to calm us down. What she doesn't know is that it isn't so much as the fear of the insects as it is the thought of going back to attending the class that we'd all love to miss, that makes us so hysterically frantic. Who's afraid of these cute cockroaches anyway?

After a considerable amount of time has been wasted on the commotion, the teacher decides to slaughter it mercilessly. Here's where the insect loving populous, like yours truly, come into action. We jump out of our chairs, and fervently protest the vicious bloodshed that we are about to spectacle. "Please, miss, don't kill the cockroach. It isn't doing us any harm, except, as it seems, to scare the hell out of some cowards. Why should it be punished for the spinelessness of some humans? It may be just a cockroach, but it is also a creation of God.

Okay. Good speech. Here we wait for the verdict. But before Her Honour can pass out the judgment, chaos breaks out. "How dare you call us cowards? And why are you so concerned about these filthy cockroaches? Tomar jaat bhai lagey naki?" yells one from the back.
Ahem. Did somebody just call me a cockroach?

Cynicism is inevitable, and a fierce battle breaks out. The classroom is now little better than a mach-er bajaar on a Friday morning. The teacher is thoroughly aggravated. But what can she do at the face of such a crucial conflict? "Okay, students, let's go back to our lesson..."
"Oh, well, next class then. In the meantime, get rid of the cockroach. You may kill it or arrange a VIP transportation to carry it away. I don't care. But make sure I see no insects in the next class!" she says, worn-out with the undue excitement. And leaves the class, muttering, "These kids of today...Pests themselves..." But hey, where's the cockroach? Nobody seems to have seen it: "I didn't! She saw it...No he saw it...no she saw it...no, not her...I certainly didn't..."

Well, if you must know, at last it turns out that the cockroach in question is nothing more than a brown chocolate wrapper somebody has left on the floor. I guess it takes more than a genius to turn a mountain out of a mole hole--or in this case, complete chaos out of a
chocolate wrapper...

But now that we managed to miss the class--and that also in the best possible style--who's complaining? The point is that cockroaches and other equally venerable insects (imaginary or otherwise) come in very handy during boring classes. After the phenomenal success of this incident which we named, 'the cockroach calamity,' the fad became so functional that one classmate of mine, a cracked head if there ever was one, used to bring a convenient supply of LIVE insects (in a plastic packet) to be exploited during tough examinations. If not anything else, it provided the class with ample time to check answers with one another while the teacher tried to find a way of getting rid of the conspicuous insects without disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the exam hall!

A dead cockroach is also the best thing you can drop on the head of your archrival, or anyone else you want to bug, for that matter. The hilariously combustible reaction is sure worth the trouble of picking it up with your bare hands and taking it all the way to her/him! Be careful of retaliation, though.

Before concluding, I beseech you all to show a little more compassion to these insects who share our homes, communities, country, this planet...

Boring lectures aside, do try and not stamp on an insect the next time you see it. After all, it doesn't hurt to be a little more compassionate!

-- By Preetha