Demos

Mahavira - Warhorse

Owain Paciuszko 24/05/2009

Rating: 4/5

Billed as a fusion between Indian classical and Rock, it's a little hard to hear this exact alchemy in lead-track Warhorse but what can be heard is a really strong, bluesy-rock number in the mold of Jeff Buckley's Mojo Pin, especially thanks to the powerful vocal of lead singer Ed Parker and the ethereal and epic guitar of Jay Matharu. It's a fantastic track that goes on a journey of changes in tone, into dark and light territory.

There's an obvious Soundgarden influence all over Mourning Star which is a sparser number, guitar-lines interweaving with Zolton Toth's bass, and the song bursting into thunderous choruses before changing gears into an almost Red Hot Chilli Peppers-a-like bridge. It's here in this wilder final furlong that the song really finds its feet, and a touch of that Indian influence can be heard in the guitar.

Mahavira pull off the big, loud rock sound with absolute ease and manage to feel individual and not totally derivative. These two tracks place a big fat 'Keep Watching!' stamp on the band as they prep their debut LP.