How Serpents of Pakhangba brings together Meitei mysticism and music

A band that carries the waft of an enigmatic affair, Serpents of Pakhangba is not like one of those usual bands. You press the play button, or you watch them start performing in front of you, and seconds later, you’ll find yourself being transcended to another world, an experience quite similar to the one I have when I listen to Sigur Rós, but that doesn’t imply that they sound like them. They are in a league of their own. They have a unique approach to creating music, where shamanic vocals and metal compositions mingle to give listeners an out-of-the-world experience.

A band formed in 2019, its inception is based on a freestyle impromptu jam with four musicians and a vocalist in the said year. “The whole 9-hour jam was audio recorded to hear, transcribe and arrange into conceptual song formats,” the band says. “That became our debut 2 tracks self-titled EP released on Bandcamp in 2019,” Vishal J Singh, the band’s founding member adds.

With influences from bands like Mr. Bungle, Arch Enemy, Wardruna, Heilung, Wolfheart, Meshuggah, and The Hu, Serpents of Pakhangba exudes what may be termed as an eclectic symphony that encompasses the genres, viz. Art Metal, Shamanic Metal, and Avant-Garde Metal.