The prog scene in India is on fire! Indian Prog-Rock band Antariksh is another example of the solid music scene brewing over there. A fusion of traditional Indian classical and Western Rock/Metal, they have created a sound that is both fun and complex without being overcomplicated. Their latest video, "Quest" incorporates carnatic music inspired guitar riffs, a hindustani sitar solo (Dhruv Bedi – Parikrama), and of course the boss – Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth) making a guest appearance with a mind blowing guitar solo section.
The band comments on the collab: "The story behind collaboration with Marty Friedman on Quest is a really interesting one. I think it came about in a really unique and almost a bizarre way. I was playing with my band, Antariksh on Day 1 of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender Festival in Shillong, India in November 2019. I stayed back on Day 2 of the festival to watch Marty, who was the headliner on the second day. I’d been a huge fan of his playing all these years – in fact, I distinctly remember watching and learning from Marty’s guitar instructional DVD, ‘Melodic Control’ back in 2006 when I had picked up the electric guitar. However, seeing him live was a completely different experience altogether. Who would have thought, when I’d be returning to Delhi the next day, I’d find Marty and his band sitting two rows ahead of us in the aircraft. I went up to him and introduced myself when we landed at the Delhi airport and spoke to him about some of his recent music, his collaboration with Skyharbor and Keshav Dhar (who I’d worked with previously and he'll now be mixing an all-English version of Quest). After watching him play the previous night, all I could think was about asking him if we could have him play on our song Quest, which we were in the process of recording at that point in time.
Once he got back to Japan, I wrote to Marty and sent him some of our existing music which he found really unique, international sounding and interesting coming from an Indian act. It was when I sent him a demo of Quest, he agreed to come on board. Coming to think of it, it really is one of those dream-come-true stories for sure. Working with Marty was plain-sailing. Of course, he’s a thorough professional, but the fact that he’s such a humble and amiable guy, it’s really been a pleasure and enriching experience interacting with him during the course of the project."
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