A paradigm shift

Date: 8 Jul 2003 22:22:47 -0700
Newsgroups: soc.culture.punjab,soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.bengali,soc.culture.pakistan
Size: 5,360 bytes

A paradigm shift
By Qasim Abdallah Moini Incredibly loud, definitely cohesive and full of post grunge, nu
metal vitriol is the best way to describe Lahore's Entity\Paradigm, or
EP as they are more commonly known. Emerging from the foam of the
newest wave of pop pretenders to have crashed upon the mass media
beachhead, EP have distanced themselves from their competitors with
one very basic, clamorous difference; their love of high wattage big
rock balladry.
Whereas most of the other pop greenhorns have taken a liking for
light, poppy hooks, EP, for better or worse, have chosen the more
confrontational path by turning up the guitars. How well that
translates into record sales and concert bookings remains to be seen,
but as the large group (there were eight members at last count) proved
at a recent, visceral Karachi gig, they have vastly improved their
live show and have delivered a solid, if a little clogged, record.
Held at the small, yet intimate venue of M Live, the gig was billed as
an album listening session for fans and the press, where the entire
forthcoming record, Irteqa, was played. In between tracks, band
members would give explanations behind the tracks, talking about the
philosophy and concepts of each song. Suffice to say, the material on
the record is a great departure from the substance-lite fare that is
the choice of most of today's popsters.
The young, capacity crowd was definitely in the mood to rock as head
banging was the order of the day. Though a bout of load shedding
(thank you KESC), threatened to scuttle the programme while the CD was
playing, the band made the most of the situation by launching into an
acoustic strum-along of Oasis's Wonderwall while the audience did most
of the singing in the pitch dark venue.
However, the lights soon came back on and the band played the rest of
the CD (clocking in about 45 minutes), showcasing such songs as
Barzukh, Fitrat and Irteqa. Though the tracks presented a dense
package of Soundgarden and Tool (EP seems to be obsessed with Maynard
and Co.) inspired riffs, the thing they needed to improve upon was the
song structures, as some of the tracks featured extensive instrumental
passages which were way too Whitesnake.
Though a bold attempt, Irteqa the song came across as a little too
dramatic, trying to pull the listener in too many directions, but the
exercise did prove that this group has massive potential to progress
and mature. In between the aural chaos, there were certain passages
that displayed brilliant instrumental flourishes and signs of melodic
life.
Following the listening session, the band proceeded with a question
and answer session, in which fans asked few, but biting questions,
especially regarding the group's overindulgence of Tool. EP revealed
that it would take at least another two months before the album would
be available in the market, and credited studio whiz Mekaal Hasan with
helping them out on the record, as was evident by the stellar drum
recording heard that night (or was it sequenced drums?).
When all the talk had died down, the moment of truth arrived; the live
acid test. Suffice to say, EP rocked hardcore. Though they did one too
many covers, their dexterity over their instruments absolved them of
this sin. One wondered how all eight (this time there were seven
members, as one had fallen sick and stayed behind) would fit on the
tiny M Live stage. But the band managed well, at times rotating
members on the instruments, as a drummer (they have two, mind you)
would take up rhythm guitar duties while the rhythm guitarist would
take a coffee break.
They opened with a POD cover, a lame choice considering their penchant
for progressive metellars Tool. Maybe a rousing version of Part of Me
or 46 and 2 would have been a better choice, but the kids seemed to
enjoy it. Limp Bizkit's version of the MI:2 theme was also performed,
with Ahmad Ali Butt filling in amply for Fred Durst, while their twin,
Les Paul driven guitar attack did well to ape nu metal ferocity. What
they lacked in their choice of covers they more than made up for with
their energetic stage presence.
EP did manage to squeeze in a few originals, but they depended heavily
on covers, which, though aptly played, don't quite provide the same
legitimacy as winning over a crowd with original compositions does. A
couple of System of a Down tunes followed, of which Toxicity was done
brilliantly. What one admired most about the band was that their
coordination was near perfect, despite the fact that members were
often swapping instrumental duties. Hum ko Aazma, which has gained
them considerable notoriety, was the second to last song, as they
finished with Tool's Sober. One strongly felt that the sequence of the
last deuce should have been switched, as people would have much rather
left with Hum ko Aazma swirling around in their heads.
With command over their instruments, especially the strong rhythm
section of bass and drums, Zulfi's tight riff playing and the vocal
dynamics of Fawwad's wailing and Butt's rapping, EP has upped the ante
for local popsters by providing a bolder sonic agenda. They intend to
market the new record as a concept album, which would be an
interesting endeavour. If the band fine tunes their act and works more
originals into their set list, one is sure they can become a bankable
entity.