Chennai's Moral Putrefaction are leading the way to worldwide recognition for India's burgeoning death metal scene. Their eponymous debut album, heavily influenced by the classic Morrisond era, was self-released by the band at the end of May. Vocalist/guitarist Shiva Moorthy was kind enough to answer my questions.
Dreams of Consciousness: Please introduce Moral Putrefaction - who are you, where are you from, and how would you describe the music you make? Is there any particular era or region of death metal that you draw inspiration from?
Moral Putrefaction is a 4-piece death metal outfit from Chennai, India. We play old school death metal, drawing inspiration from Immolation, Morbid Angel, Gorguts and Bloodbath. I’d say we are more drawn towards the 80s-90s era death metal.
DoC: Please give a brief history of Moral Putrefaction - when did you form, and what did you set out to accomplish with this band?
Moral Putrefaction was a band put together by me and my former bandmate back in 2015. We were just individuals frustrated with everything going on in the country, and wanted to make music that voiced that anger and rage. We wanted to put our hometown in the national metal map, and also push the limits and go international.
DoC: What can you tell me about the history of the underground metal scene in your city, Chennai? Which bands from your area do you think metal fans in the rest of the world should know about?
Chennai’s metal scene has always had a start-stop sort of a dynamic, with many waves of bands and organisers coming and going. But now I think we have bands who are clearer about their vision for their music. That’s a great start. From my city I’d like to give shoutous to Godia, Incendarius, Vidyut and Frankendriver. From across the country, there are acts like Aempyrean, Obliterating Vortex, Splinter, Bloodkill, Kill the King, Septic Isle, Chaos, Goatsmoke, Hell Hordes and so many more that I can list that deserve more love.
DoC: Your first release was the Scum of the Earth demo, which came out in 2019. How long did you have these songs before you recorded them? How clear of an idea did you have about what you wanted your band to sound like when you wrote these songs?
The songs on the Scum of the Earth demo were written a couple of years prior to being recorded. The demo was our first experience recording music. At that point, we were just looking to put some of our music out there. While we had an idea of the sound we were going for (the influences mentioned above), we didn’t have a lot of resources to put into the recording.
DoC: What is your songwriting process - does one person handle most of the riff writing/arranging, or do you write together as a group?
The songwriting for this album was handled by me and the former bandmate/cofounder. We exchanged a lot of riffs with each other and eventually sat down in the jam room to arrange and put everything together to make them cohesive. Lyrics would come in once the song is completely structured. We took our time with the songs, we were in no rush.
DoC: You released your first full-length album, titled Moral Putrefaction, on May 24th. When did you begin work on this album? What do you want listeners to experience from it?
We initially planned, and started working on the album before the pandemic (2019), with a different lineup. The pandemic brought the band to a screeching halt, and it certainly took us time to recover. With the cofounder departing due to personal reasons amplified by the pandemic, we recorded the album as a 3-piece band.
We’d like for the listeners to experience the details, the melodies and the harmonies weaving and flowing into each other. We want people to understand what’s actually being played on the record.
DoC: What can you tell me about the lyrics of the album - what sorts of themes or topics do you draw inspiration from? Do you see your songs as a platform to raise awareness of the social/political situation in India?
The lyrics, as you’ve mentioned are about the political and societal issues prevalent in the country. The lyrical themes include divisive politics based on various differences among people, sexual predators, and right-wing politics. Will it raise awareness among people? That’s certainly the hope, for those who will check out the lyrics at least.
DoC: Where did you record the album?
The guitars and bass were all recorded at our homes. Drums and vocals were tracked at Cornerhouse Studio, Chennai. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Aakash Sherpa from Anomaly Sound Designs (except track #6, mixed and mastered by Clinton Stephen Selvam).
DoC: Why did you decide to self-release the album, instead of looking for label support? How important are streaming services like Bandcamp for you to get your music to the wider world?
Deciding to self-release the album instead of seeking label support allowed us to maintain creative control and autonomy over our music. We wanted to express ourselves without constraints or interferences in a manner where we were able to experiment and figure out our band’s sound for the record and going forward. Everything we’ve done and do has been DIY so far, and we’re hoping that our debut record will be good enough that we can approach labels for the next release.
Streaming services like Bandcamp are incredibly important for us to reach a wider audience. They provide a platform for independent artists like us to share our music with the world and connect with listeners globally. Bandcamp, in particular, allows us to sell our music directly to our fans.
DoC: How often do you get to tour/play gigs outside of Chennai? How easy/difficult is it to tour India? How important is the live experience for you?
At this point we play more shows outside Chennai than we do in the city. Touring is an expensive business, as it is everywhere in the world. If a band can muster up the finances, it isn’t necessarily hard to work out a tour in the country. There are some great organisers around the country who would help bands work things out.
Our live experience, at least at this stage, is super important for the band to get our music to reach more people. And even for us to stay motivated and keep writing music.
DoC: What's next for Moral Putrefaction?
Our debut album is out now. You can order and grab some merch here:
Within India
Worldwide
We have some shows lined up to promote the album! We’re playing Southern Slaughter on June 23rd alongside a stacked lineup full of our friends. We have a few more other shows that will be announced soon.
linktr.ee/moralputrefaction
Moral Putrefaction on Facebook
Moral Putrefaction on IG
Moral Putrefaction on Bandcamp
Moral Putrefaction merch
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