Interview with metal vocalist Pritam Adhikary | On Aarlon, Earthside, finding his voice and more

Siliguri-based vocalist Pritam Adhikary has been carving out a name for himself in India’s metal scene. Frontman for the alternative rock/metalcore outfit Aarlon and the power metal act Kill The King, he’s also lent his voice to collaborations with acts like American progressive metal band Earthside and metal act Blinded By Silence, among others.

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Journey from the crossroads

Bands like Arogya and Gauley Bhai have arisen from the Siliguri corridor, including places like Darjeeling and Kalimpong. It lies right between the East and the North-East. “In the hills, you’ll find a strong rock and metal culture, mostly due to English medium schools”, says Pritam. “While there have been pioneering rock bands like Fossils, on the Bengali side, the music culture is more rooted in folk, classical music, and Rabindrasangeet, so metal is not as strongly entrenched.”

I first came across Pritam through guitarist Jorden Lama (ex-Arogya, The Root-Less). He’d shared with me a few of Pritam’s vocal covers of Linkin Park, Slayer, Slipknot, and I found them damn cool, with immense versatility, emotional expression, and technical finesse in his singing.

Much later I stumbled across this stunning album called Dafan by Aarlon, and the vocalist was none other than Pritam. If you haven’t heard Dafan yet, don’t sleep on it. It’s a masterwork in Hindi-language rock and metal. Full of growls, soaring cleans, intricate soundscapes, and headbanging riffs. You’ve got the prog rock anthem Rok Lo, the revolutionary metal of Vidroh and Inquilab. Then you have four magical tracks which blend the best of fierce and heartfelt songwriting: Tu, Saavan, Aaina, and the title track, all accompanied with some brilliantly made music videos.

A lot of heavy metal musician in the west have been rooted in the working-class, may it be Black Sabbath or Lamb of God. In India, though, as Sahil “Demonstealer” Makhija once pointed out, the Indian indie/rock/metal scene tends to be made up of people from relatively well off backgrounds. Pritam offers a refreshing counterpoint emerging from a working class background.

“I don’t fault privileged musicians” he says carefully. “But when you come from a working-class background, it’s very hard, tougher than one can imagine. It’s like building something out of nothing”. “I first started listening to metal in 2012-13,” Pritam tells me. “Back in school, I didn’t even know such music existed. It was only later that I discovered bands like Linkin Park, Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and eventually Lamb of God and others.”

Poetry in metal

Pritam who connects deeply with Bengali modernist poetry, especially the works of Jibanananda Das, says “Poetry and metal aren’t that different”. This approach may be why his deep dive into heavy music wasn’t just about headbanging. “For me, metal vocals is much like poetry. Just like how we interpret poetry, you can analyze the vocal delivery of various singers. For instance, why Chester Bennington screams a certain way in one song or decides to be less aggressive in another.”

That makes his musicianship even more remarkable. Whether singing for Aarlon in Delhi, despite living thousands of kilometers away in Siliguri, or filling in as vocalist for Undying Inc. during the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland. Performing with Undying Inc. was a dream come true for him, singing songs sung by ex vocalist Shashank Bhatnagar who he’s been a fan of. While Pritam has displayed his chops in all these projects, his versatility is stunning, may it be clean, screamed, dabbling in Hindustani singing, or growled vocals.

Teaching, composing, and singing Prog in Bangla

Pritam isn’t confined to rehearsals or studios. By day, he’s a schoolteacher, a role that gives him stability to pursue his artistic vision without compromise. “I never intended to make music my full-time profession,” he says. “I look forward to those few people who reach out and say the music resonated with them”. His work also gave him a platform to do something unusual: introduce children to metal. A video of him jamming to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” with students caught much attention. “I never had this kind of exposure when I was young,” he explains. “So I want to create that experience for my students. Art is never valued unlike subjects like maths are in our society”

While many artists are chasing trends, deadlines, and algorithms, Pritam believes a more deliberate pace brings quality. “I believe in the school of though where I give importance to melodies because words are limiting”, he says. Quality comes with time, “I don’t believe in churning out songs quickly, it’s okay even if takes ten years”.

That philosophy shapes how Aarlon functions as a band too. Though based in Delhi, they work remotely, guitarist Rithwick lays down the riffs, while Pritam and lyricist/guitarist Piyush Rana work on melodies and lyrics. The result is music that feels intentional, and expression align with what is being sung. The band had also featured ex-Nigambodh’s Gaurav Basnet on “Rok Lo”. “They were pioneers of the Hindi metal scene in Delhi,” says Pritam. “Having Gaurav on the track was our way of paying respect.”

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While Hindi remains the primary language for Aarlon and other projects require English, Pritam primarily feels at home writing lyrics in his mother tongue Bangla. He explored this in a collaboration with popular American cinemtic progressive metal band Earthside on the track “Tyranny,” where he contributed not only vocals in English but also composed and sang in Bangla. Aarlon’s drummer Prankeet was friends with Earthside guitarist Jamie van Dyck, who asked him to join on one of the tracks for their 2023 album Let The Truth Speak.

Pritam’s favorite Indian indie artists include the Anand Bhaskar Collective, Bishwadeep Sikder, Amit Shankar Dutt, Dreadhammer, and Sambit Chatterjee from aswekeepsearching. He also hints at an upcoming release with Soara, the experimental metal project by Akhilesh Rao. Personally, I’m looking forward to the next Aarlon album and any other projects he’s involved in!

Be sure to check out and follow Pritam’s Instagram page.