When you think of music in India, you associate it with Hindustani, indie pop, Carnatic tunes, regional music or Bollywood dance numbers. But Gutslit does not have time to cater to the cliche. They went full death metal. In India, that sounds like a concept never heard of, but boy are we wrong.
We got in touch with Gurdip Narang, Gutslit’s band member to know more about this unique and dare we say ‘badass’ musical troupe.
India’s First Death Metal Band – Gutslit
Based out of Mumbai, Gutslit is a critically acclaimed metal band based out of Mumbai. Band members Kaushal, Gurdip, Prateek and Aaron started the quartet in 2007 as a Brutal Death Grind outfit.
“ Since then we’ve grown to be the biggest band in the Indian Death Metal scene. We’ve successfully toured across 25 countries.Gutslit has over the span of 13 years, has three releases on multiple labels, both Indian as well as International. ” – Gurdip Narang, Band Member
What is Gutslit’s music?
In 2007, four like-minded musicians came together looking to create something out of the ordinary. Gutslit’s success, much like any other music band, did not take place overnight. It took them years to understand and perfect the niche music genre and market it right to a country that can be pretty judgemental with art.
Gutslit has adapted various styles of death metal and grindcore into their own brutal array of grinding riffs, pummeling blasts, vicious bass grooves and a signature death metal guttural roar. Say what you will, Gutslit is definitely a unique and extreme band.
But, does India like Death metal?
According to Gurdip, they do. Over the years, a lot of cities have grown to appreciate and bang their hands to Metal. There is also a rise in members joining the Metal community and population.
With social media and music apps, it’s become way easier to reach to a wider audience.
“ Metal in India has only grown over the years. We’ve built our fan base, one fan at a time. It’s taken a lot of hard work and random shows to get where we are.” – Gurdip Narang
Today, India is hosting music festivals that give bands like Gutslit the right platform to showcase their talent and gain followers. Luckily, Gutslit’s music and talent allow them to take their music internationally. The band has a strong fan base in Europe, Asia and the USA.
Growing Gutslit’s Presence in India
After dedicating two years to developing their sound, Gutslit released their debut music on a split album titled “Contorted Mutilation” (Cataleptic Remains Prds) with French goregrind veterans ‘Pulmonary Fibrosis.’
Soon, the band got featured on Rolling Stone India in an article headline, “How Mumbai brutal death metal band GUTSLIT turned into one of the most intense live acts in the country”.
“ Music is our priority. Then comes the whole part where you record, release and take the music world over. Be it digitally or physically. We worked on both. “ Gurdip Narang
Dealing with Roadblocks
Gutslit faced challenges too, during their music journey. Especially, when it came to finding the right audience.
“ Getting a fan base, finding venues to play, getting reliable merchandise printers, places to sell the same, shipping and so on – these were some of the challenges we felt every band faces in their early years.” – Gurdip
The band took it one step at a time – but to focus on their music, they needed a trustworthy platform to handle everything else.
Discovering Instamojo and mojoXpress
True, they use Instamojo payment gateway and not just one feature! Gutslit, like many other music bands, sells merchandise that fans buy on their online store. But that was the issue. They needed an online store to sell their merch.
Enter Instamojo.
“ Instamojo has been a major role player in helping us with the merchandise front. They not only provided us with a platform to display our stuff but also handled the payment gateways for us.” – Gurdip Narang
But that’s not all. Once fans ordered merchandise on Instamojo, Gutslit realised they needed a trusted shipping service to help them package and send the products across the country.
Gutslit took orders on Instamojo but had to take it to a local shipping agency or postal service for the delivery. Luckily, mojoXpress eCommerce shipping happened soon enough.
“ Later when Instamojo partnered with Vamaship for mojoXpress, it just sorted it all for us. Instamojo started with being a platform for our Indian customers. We listed one or two of our prints on the online store and it gave us a great response. “ – Gurdip
The services offered on Instamojo urged Gutslit to shift all their merchandise on the online store.
“ Instamojo has been a lifesaver for bands like us to help reach all our buyers from India.”
Gutslit has dedicated online stores catering to India and Europe and a network of shipping agencies for worldwide distribution.
What’s next for Gutslit?
In lieu of the Coronavirus pandemic, Gutslit canceled their March tour. However, they have confirmed tours in Europe in November and December.
It’s that simple? Do you have a dream to kickstart something as unique as Gutslit? Let us know! We can help you make it a reality.
