GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES — Hail to the Heroes (review)

GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES — Hail to the Heroes album cover

Album · 2022 · Hard Rock

3/5 · 2022-03-02
siLLy puPPy

One of the many Indian bands to emerge in the last decade, GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES has looked to the West for inspiration and has forged its career filled with the retro sounds of a Los Angeles scene of the past. This band formed in Gongtok in the Sikkim region of India situated near Bhutan but has since relocated to Bangalore. The band formed in 2009 and retained the members of Girish Pradhan (vocals, guitar), Suraz Karki (lead guitar), Yogesh Pradhan (bass) and Nagen Mongranti (drums) ever since.

GIRISH released its debut as far back in 2014 but didn’t release a followup up until 2020’s “Rock The Highway” but it only took two years to follow that one with HAIL TO THE HEROES fresh out in 2022. While many newer bands from around the globe have incorporated their own ethnic sounds into their hybridizing approach, GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES sounds more like it emerged in the LA scene in the mid 1980s rather than anywhere in India. This band emulates the glam metal and hard rock groups of the 80s such as L.A. Guns, Trixter, Lynch Mob and Firehouse.

HAIL TO THE HEROES features 12 tracks that find the band living out its wildest 80s fantasies with all those glam metal and 80s hard rock sounds that make that era so distinct. This band has learned the fine art of starting with catchy ear wormy melodies and augmenting them with heavy guitar riffs and 80s glam metal attitude. Lead vocalist Grisih Pradhan has the singing style down pat sounding like he’s part Michael Monroe and David Coverdale. He hits those high screechy notes like the best of the glam metal scene of the mid-80s. Add the sing about nothing lyrical delivery which celebrates the mere act of rocking out and you have a veritable retro album unlike any other in the modern era.

Like many of the glam metal bands of the 80s, GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES’ tunes range from the heavy rock and rollers such as on “Rock n’ Roll Fever” in the vein of early Guns N Roses to the sappy AOR ballads such as “Lover’s Train” that virtually every band of the 80s created to have a crossover hit. This album pretty much ticks off all the glam metal goods without missing a beat. For me personally glam metal and the hard rock of the 80s isn’t my favorite style of the larger metal universe but i don’t downright hate it either. Yeah this album is a bit cheesy but so was a lot of the music that this emulates.

When it comes down to it though if i’m in the mood for classic 80s glam metal than i’ll stick to that era and throw on some Dokken, Ratt, Motley Crue or 80s era Whitesnake. This is not a style i have the urge to experience in a retro setting. There are many newer bands from India that i have been loving a lot but i have to say GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES isn’t one of them. I find this music to be excellently consistent in its dedication to sounding authentic and for anyone into the glam metal scene more than me you should definitely check this out because it’s performed extraordinarily well but the 80s Sunset Strip scene sounds terribly dated now and tribute albums to it just don’t thrill me too much.