AYURVEDA — Being (review)

Album · 2008 · Heavy Alternative Rock

3/5 · 2020-11-14
siLLy puPPy

AYURVEDA existed from 2003-2011 and was from Ithica, New York and consisted of Tom Burchinal (vocals and keys), Diwas Gurung (guitar and vocals), Shikhar R. Bajracharya (guitar), Dan Halperin (bass and laptop) and Mike Parker (drums). The band’s name which refers to the Vedic branch of knowledge most associated in the West as a healing system actually comes from Sanskrit and means “the knowledge of life.” This name was chosen because of the band members focusing on personal spiritual practices as well as having an ancestry from the Himalayan nation of Nepal.

The band released two EPs and four albums under the nam e AYURVEDA but also released a fifth album titled “Rato Mato” which was basically a collection Nepalese folk songs adopted to alternative rock but for some reason was released under guitarist Diwas Gurung’s name perhaps to set it apart from the main band’s established sound that was heavily focused on 90s alternative heavy rock with a mix of sounds from bands like Stone Temple Pilots and a lot of Tool. BEING was AYURVEDA’s first full-length album that was released in 2008.

BEING features 13 tracks with most hovering around the 4 minute mark and a few exceeding past 6. AYURVEDA may not be a household name but found regional success and embarked on regular touring schedules. The band was helped by the fact that it worked with producer Alex Perialas who worked on many albums from bands like Anthrax, Testament and Bad Brains. AYURVEDA’s sound has ben described as Tool meets Radiohead with a bit of Led Zeppelin, Beatles and Pink Floyd thrown however unlike the darkened themes of 90s alternative metal bands AYURVEDA focused on spiritual and uplifting themes.

While Tool is certainly the main influence here, the band is less heavy than its LA counterparts and instead delivers more of a Tool lite approach however stylistically it borrows not only those distinct chugging repetitive riffs but the tribal percussion and vocal counterpoints. For some this may come across as too close to the original source but in comparison to other Tool inspired bands like Soen, AYURVEDA somehow works for me on an enjoyability level however there is never a doubt from whence inspiration was derived. The opening track “Universal Mind” was released as a video.

Perhaps not the most original band at this point yet AYURVEDA delivered a polished and professional sounding debut album. While BEING still dwelled a bit too heavy in the Tool department, it’s is different enough to at least warrant investigation. Having more succinct tracks as opposed to Tool’s progressive sprawlers allowed AYURVEDA to construct tighter songs that didn’t outstay their welcome. Despite a job well done, BEING does suffer from copycat syndrome and prevents this album from being essential in any way but for anyone interested in Tool influenced bands, this one is surely worthy of consideration.