American death metallers Skeletal Remains. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
California’s death metallers Skeletal Remains will make their India debut this week, performing on Aug. 22 and 23 in Mumbai and Hyderabad, respectively.
Part of their larger Asia tour promoting their new album Fragments Of The Ageless, Skeletal Remains comprises vocalist-guitarist Chris Monroy, guitarist Mike De La O, bassist Brian Rush and most recently, drummer Marco Prij who replaced Pierce Williams mid-tour earlier this month.
They kick of their Asia tour in India, followed by shows in Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan until Sept. 2. “It’s been amazing seeing how far our music has reached throughout recent years. Very fortunate to say we have a worldwide fanbase,” Mike De La O tells Rolling Stone India over an email interview.
Their India shows are put together as part of Hyderabad-origin gig series Aggressive Tendencies. De La O says they might be playing in a country for the first time but the new album takes precedence on this tour. “We’ll be pushing the latest record so you’ll be hearing more newer material than anything else. When an album is freshly released we tend to stick with the same setlist when touring country to country,” he says.
The band arrive in Asia on the back of playing staple metal festivals like Wacken Open Air in Germany, Brutal Assault in Czech Republic, plus supporting death metal stalwarts including Deicide, Misery Index, thrash metallers Exodus and others. It’s been a hectic time promoting Fragments Of The Ageless on the road since July and Skeletal Remains are just getting started. Through September and October, they bring their pummeling, cutthroat (and acclaimed) brand of death metal across North America. “The Death Train never stops!” as the guitarist says.
By the time they’ve gotten to India, it’s a different pace. Asked about plans in India outside of the shows, he says, “Mostly traveling from show to show with little rest in between. We’re at the later leg of this tour so the fatigue is definitely kicking in.”
A major challenge that Skeletal Remains have had to take on was replacing Williams with Netherlands-based drummer Prij during the tour. Understandably, the guitarist calls it an “extremely difficult and stressful situation.” De La O adds, “The possibility of having to cancel the tour only days in was very real. We spent hours searching and asking around to finally land somebody who was willing to take the gig with only hours to prepare. First few shows were a bit on the rough side, as expected, but have since gotten stronger and much more fluid. We couldn’t be happier with how everything has turned out.”
For anyone who’s never been to or heard of Skeletal Remains, the guitarist promises a “heavy” show. He says, “We play fast and mean! We play old school death metal with a modern twist. If you love Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel or Suffocation, then you’ll love what we have in store for you.”
Skeletal Remains perform in Mumbai on Aug. 22 with Chaos, Darkrypt and Oblitera.
Skeletal Remains perform in Hyderabad on Aug. 23 with Septic Isle, Moral Putrefaction and Oblitera.
