Midhaven bring forth a new concept album on their sophomore long-player Of the Lotus and the Thunderbolt.

The Mumbai heavy music trio Midhaven is made up of musicians Aditya Mohanan (guitar and vocals), Aviraj Kumar (drums), and Karan Kaul (vocals and guitar). They released an EP in 2013, Tales From The Tide, and followed it up the very next year with Spellbound. The music they create can be broadly described as heavy metal and it runs a wide spectrum from death metal to progressive, often incorporating fusion elements.

Of the Lotus and the Thunderbolt is a concept album that deals with ideas of time and rebirth. The band describes the ideas that they incorporate into the compositions well: “We follow the single but universal soul on its journey to realization, with symbolisms that are deeply rooted in the collective Indian subconscious. They are curated in a manner wherein each song appears as though it’s a chapter in a book, conveying individual meanings that when heard together form a holistic understanding of the universe.”

“Para Brahman” starts the set off and has a talk-in segment beginning near the front that establishes the narrative over a mid-tempo, mild prog base. Next we hear exceptional lead guitar work on “Primal Song” – this song flat out slaps and so it is no wonder it was chosen as a single.

“Codeman” is proggy, poppy, energetic, and again features some great guitar work. The tempo changes on “The Immanent Effervescence of Sorrow” which opens with storm effects and is quiet and beautiful. “Zhitro” is ten minutes long and is very doom-like for the first few minutes then it rolls into a death metal posture before transforming into hypno-prog. It is my favorite song on the album.

The last two songs are “Mahakaal,” which is grungy and also very ritual-music-like, and “Bhairav,” a more ethereal and understated piece. As a concept album, this new Midhaven release delivers what it promises. Even without connecting one song to the next thematically, it is an impressive heavy music achievement. Recommended.

Of the Lotus and the Thunderbolt is out now. You can find it at the Bandcamp link below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://midhaven.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/midhaven.ind/