Bhelliom: Furious five

Bhelliom has mastered the art of being metal. The Singapore band has a crushing new album out called The Collosal Tragedy that has guttural barks, catchy guitar bits and drums that sound more intense than a teenager going through puberty. Beyond just the fury found in the band's sound, we had a chat with lead singer Vivek to learn what else makes Bhelliom brutal. We get more than we bargain for as we find out about jungle defecation, shared menstrual cycles and how the hunter has become the hunted.

Share your hair care secrets with us.
I go to the best hairstylist in the world called “Vivek 5 fingers”–just hair gel and my hands….

Tell us about your album and where you get your ideas from.
The Colossal Tragedy is an album that chronicles the detriments of greed and tyranny in today's world. The story follows the rise and fall of a fictional leader who has an empowering vision, but soon becomes a victim of his own demons. Actually, we get our ideas from watching the sh*t that goes on in our world today. Just pick up the paper or watch the news.

You guys got that Mastodon mastering guy to work on your material; what was that like?
Alan Douches has established his reputation having done works for successful bands like Mastodon, Haterbreed and Sepultura, and we are very honoured to have him work on The Colossal Tragedy. This opportunity proved not only to be a good, functional working one, but we also benefited from the mentorship. So the result is an intense sound with a polished edge.

Metal music rules because a lot of it is about a group of guys doing things in sync at the exact same time. What else do you guys do in sync?
We all have our periods at exactly the same time of the month. Our hair also grows at the same rate.

Vivek, your metal bark is very brutal. Tell us about your bite.
Well, it is achieved by obtaining both a diaphragmic and throat contraction followed by a strong outward force that comes out at a measurement of 90 decibels.... May I add that this is also technically used for a belch.

There are a lot of young bands now–teens even–who are in metal bands that sound like 80s thrash. How did they miss the 90s?
We find that going back to retro allows musicians to revisit music and extract the best. However, it is always important to define your own sound so there is a need to recreate instead of duplicating. Personally I feel the best years in music were the 80s to early 90s, particularly in the metal genre. I don't think there were as many good works in the 90s as compared to the 80s though.

What's the most “metal” item you've owned?
A Bapthomet, which came with a chain you use to clog your sink.

What's the chick pick-up rate like being in a metal band as brutal as yours?
We don't pick up chicks. Chicks secretly dig guys who are into hatred, destruction and most importantly, SEX. We are actually the “hunted”, not the “hunters”. But in terms of who has the most chicks lined up must be our guitarist Damien. Usually after our show, girls will be lining up to have their photo taken with him.

Do you think “brutal” is an overused description in metal? What would be a good substitute?
“Brutal” is just fine, man. At least it's not as dumb as “kvlt”, “grim”, “frostbitten” and my personal fave, “Necro”!

How do you think the world will eventually end?
The world will end in a “Colossal Tragedy”. Listen to our album to find out how exactly!

Why is it that there is only one member in the band with long hair? Did you guys lose a bet or something?
Haha. Well actually most of us had long hair at some point before. Since we are Singaporean males, we have to unwillingly chop off the hair to wear a uniform and sh*t in a jungle. As this happens once a year, it's quite pointless growing it for such a short time.

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