Serpents of Pakhangba Link Mythology and Mysticism on Their New Album, ‘Air and Fire’

Experimental folk/metal crew Serpents of Pakhangba have released their thirteen-track concept album ‘Air and Fire,’ forged with epic storytelling narrations, traditional instruments such as Dotara, Erhu, and Pena, and proficient throat singing, operatic vocals, and tribal chants.

From composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Vishal J. Singh is Serpents of Pakhangba, an outfit rooted in Asian mysticism and shamanic arts who are making waves for their theatrical avant-garde metal, neo-folk, and noise-rock style of compositions. The band derives its name from Pakhangba, a primordial shape-shifting dragon deity of Meitei mythology, honored by Vishal’s ancestors.

Revealed via a press release, ‘Air and Fire’ “aims at bringing high-level positive experiences through the heavier sounds of metal with a goal of massive self-awareness, soul transformation, and finding the clue of the future in ancient roots.”

Along with band members Vishal J. Singh, Hinoki, Akash, Tamara Kazziha, Mousumi Dutta, and Varun Sood, the record is brought to life by several local and international collaborators, including Victoria Villarreal, Chaoba Thiyam, Arghadeep Barua, Pratika, Manas Chowdhary, Fidel Dely Murillo, Tanushree Saha, Ambar Das, Nate Miller, and Mallika Sundaramurthy. Songs and chants on the album are performed in Ancient Manipuri, Meiteilon, English, Japanese, and Goalparia languages.

Plunging into the music, ‘Divine Tree,’ a spoken word prayer recital lifts the lid off the album, beseeching for strength, wisdom, and blessings. This is the first of such narrative/meditative pieces on the album. It is also heard in ‘Ancient Forest,’ ‘Wings,’ ‘Air and Fire’ featuring multidisciplinary artist Chaoba Thiyam on the string instrument Pena, and ‘Soul of the Word,’ which is performed in Japanese and includes throat singing over the sound of flowing streams of water, along with picking off the Dotara and tapping synthy drums.

‘Invocation of Pakhangba,’ not to be confused with ‘Invocation‘ (2021), unleashes a barrage of overtone chanting against speedy drum pedal movement, pulpy bass yanks, and heavy string sections. ‘Carnivorous’ roars through with rapper/metalhead Pratika spitting ferocious rap verses, while the drumbeat-led folk melody ‘Forest Hymn’ is seized by lyrics in Goalparia (Assamese dialect via Arghadeep Baruah), deep echoes of a didgeridoo from Manas Chowdhary and a sublime injection of the violin.

Next up is ‘Fury,’ which unleashes bellowing vocal segments, crashing cymbals, and rabid electric guitars minced with symphonic metal motifs. It is followed by ‘North of Koubru,’ referring to the Koubru Mountain range in Manipur – a sacred place for the Meiteis. Clocking in at 8 minutes, it is the longest single on the album and is a healthy aural representation of everything Serpents of Pakhangba is and has to offer, from genre-blending sound and storytelling to vocalizations and instrumentation.

Earlier release ‘Panthoibi,’ which is carried out in Ancient Manipuri/Meiteilon and voices “Every woman has a Panthoibi in her, who wakes up as she understands her personal strength and rekindles her oneness with the divine,” also makes the album’s tracklist. ‘A Wounded Leader’s Last Stand’ ensues next, roping in the prowess of singer/guitarist Victoria Villarreal from death metal crew Syrebris. The artist brings in an immaculate vocal performance over a virulent metalcore/alternative metal score seasoned with growls, lighting-fast guitars, and dollops of the Pena.

‘Soraren Chant,’ a chant or prayer to Soraren – a sky god and guardian of the east in Meitei mythology, sees multi-instrumentalist Nate Miller provide flavors of the Erhu, a two-string vertical fiddle, over-tapping percussions, and elevated melodious chanting. The melody gradually progresses to a more fiery progressive metal ballad.

On release day, Serpents of Pakhangba posted on social media, “This album is dedicated to each and every tribe who are fighting for their land, for their people, for their birthright and existence, and for peace and love. Peace and Love that is coming with tomorrow’s sunrise. The world is watching your battle every day yet nobody offers you help. It is time to observe, learn, and make your move.”

Further delving into the concept album, they expressed, “We receive blessings from the ‘Divine Tree’, we breathe heavily during ‘Invocation of Pakhangba’ with the Spirits of ‘Ancient Forest.’ A never-ending will to fight the Industrial ‘Carnivorous’, we grow our ‘Wings’ with our fighting skills while chanting the ‘Forest Hymn’. Watching our people dying mercilessly, the ‘Fury’ inside us rattles violently yet we train ourselves peacefully one more time while standing towards the ‘North of Koubru’. The ‘Soul of the Word’ will not go waste when ‘Air and Fire’ will meet each other. We are children of Ima ‘Panthoibi’ and we accept no defeat. Though it might be ‘A Wounded Leader’s Last Stand’, together, our ‘Soraren Chant’ will guide us through the sky and light.”

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