Bengaluru-based tech-death/prog metal band Ksetravid
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After a moderately successful crowdfunding campaign last year, Bengaluru-based tech-death/prog metal band, Ksetravid, have been quietly plotting the release of their debut album, God Playing Dice.

Now, the band comprising vocalist Siddhanth Sarkar, guitarist Pritam Middey, drummer Nikhil Rajkumar and bassist Arunav Bhattacharjee will preview their album with a four-city tour called Hisaab Barabar that began in Mumbai on June 5 and travels to New Delhi on June 7. From there, they play in Kolkata on June 8 and wrap up with a homecoming gig in Bengaluru on June 15.

About finally being able to execute a year’s worth of planning, Siddhanth says, “It feels like a long-held storm is finally breaking. We’ve been working on the album and building this tour quietly for over a year, navigating venues, line-ups, funding and logistics. For us, hitting the road is not just about performing; it’s a way to bring to life the stories, themes, and energy we’ve buried into this project. We’ve missed that visceral exchange with live audiences.”

Known for their pummeling, mind-bending style of modern metal that draws from the likes of Meshuggah, Car Bomb and more, Ksetravid played in Mumbai and New Delhi for the first time. “It’s been challenging coordinating with venues and local promoters without any centralised backing, but we’ve had tremendous support from the community, and fellow artistes,” he adds.

Bengaluru-based tech-death/prog metal band Ksetravid
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

For those who have never been to a Ksetravid show, the band promises a “narrative-driven, intense” setlist that delves on “inner conflict, collapse and catharsis,” according to the vocalist. “It’s immersive — equal parts sound, story, and emotion. We focus on atmosphere, transitions, and visuals that match the weight of the music.”

Formed in 2021, the band has so far released four singles, starting with “Man-made Crisis” in their first year and most recently putting out “Anamnesis” in September 2024.

With the album, God Playing Dice, in the final stages of production, their songs shine a spotlight on topics such as “societal dogmas, personal reckoning and the human cost of imbalance.” There is another reckoning taking place with Hisaab Barabar, an intent to push back against music industry norms such as gatekeeping and influential forces.

Siddhanth says, “This tour is a breakthrough moment for us as an independent act; we are not waiting for permission or validation. We are creating our own path, curating our own spaces, and taking our music directly to listeners on our terms. Hisaab Barabar is us reclaiming balance — artist to audience, message to medium.”

Ksetravid’s album will release on streaming and physical formats soon after the tour and they do have something special planned for Bengaluru. Siddhanth says, “Bengaluru is where it all began for us. This show will be the most expansive and intimate. We are planning a special set with deeper cuts, extended sections, and a few unexpected twists in both sound and visuals. It will be part celebration, part closure, and a full-circle moment for the band.”

Once that is done, Ksetravid are planning everything from performance art pieces around the album’s themes to global shows and collaborations. “This is just the beginning of a much larger conversation we want to have with the world,” says Siddhanth.

Ksetravid will play at Flo on Church Street on June 15. Tickets on Skillboxofficial

Bengaluru-based tech-death/prog metal band Ksetravid
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement