Kolkata blackened death-metal band Heathen Beast are atheist, antifascist, and pointedly anonymous, and their self-released album The Revolution Will Not Be Televised but It Will Be Heard is 35 minutes of vitriol aimed at the anti-Muslim bigotry of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Indian government’s turn toward authoritarianism and hate. The song titles are direct, pithy, and profane: “Fuck Modi-Shah,” “Fuck Your Police Brutality,” “Fuck the Economy (Modi Already Has),” and “Fuck the B.J.P.,” which takes aim at India’s current ruling faction, the Bharatiya Janata Party. For those not familiar with current Indian political issues, clips of news announcements provide brief context about anti-Muslim citizenship laws and sexual-assault allegations against religious gurus. Carvaka (vocals, guitars), Samkhya (bass), and Mimamsa (drums) don’t write complex or varied tunes, and their lyrics can come across as a bit schematically dry, when they’re intelligible at all (“Humanity suffers for your hate / Religious disharmony you create / Exploit the poor for your gains / Your powerful friends have their way”). But Heathen Beast have a gift for channeling rage into pounding, anthemic assaults that beg for headbanging–they scrape away layers of flesh, viscera, and bone to reveal a pulsing mass of adrenaline and righteous anger. The revolution can definitely be heard, and even from a couple of continents away, it will make your ears bleed for justice. v
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