Lynchpin reached Suriname and won the Caribbean Metal Battle.
Now, the second part of the journey begins –getting ready for Wacken, Germany where they compete for the world finals of W:O:A (Wacken Open Air 2016) in August. They are close to maxing out their credit cards, with travel tickets costing $20,000 a head. Still to consider–accommodation, transport, freight fees for their instruments and equipment. They also have to consider how to get to a gig in Amsterdam, and make sure they make their flight home on the following day.
But amidst the challenges, they laugh–sometimes the corniest of jokes–making them the geeks of rock, or so Sievan Siewsarran says. "People think since we are a deathcore metal band, we drink � blood. Yeah, I like red wine," he said. "But seriously though, we don't drink alcohol. We ask for Ginseng."
"We'd rather buy good instruments than drink or do drugs," said Gerard Ferreira, the guitarist.
At the Paramaribo event, their resolve to stick to soft drinks was strengthened after seeing what other rockers were doing. "We came here to show what we have. While we were doing sound check and making sure we had stuff in place, the other bands were just there, drinking," said Sievan.
"Yeah, that would make me not want to drink so much again," said Aaron Maharaj, the band's drummer.
Both he and Sievan attended Hillview College. Gerard attended Presentation College, San Fernando and Jiggy (Jignesh) Khatri, the bassist, is an alumni from the brother school in Chaguanas. Although the band is seven years old and they are in their 30s, the quartet of deathcore rockers are veterans having performed with other popular rock bands - Necropolis, Overrdose, Krucifix/Abaddon and Vox Deus.
The Suriname experience made them realise one thing though, away from the small venues that they often perform in Trinidad, Lynchpin is way stronger than they look. Amidst the six-foot rockers and musicians, often dressed in black, Lynchpin stood out in their green work shirts, their lead singer shorter than the other rockers performing.
But with the mic close to his mouth and the guttural sound that followed (very much like Hulk roaring) Sievan commanded the stage with deep, forceful tones and high-pitched long-breathed screams. Gerard and Jiggy carry dark, robust licks. Aaron keeps the guitars metered.
"Our band is known for plenty energy on stage," said Jiggy. "We have choreography in this madness."
In their band room, they are ear-ringingly loud for those who are not accustomed to the decibels but one cannot help but appreciate their tight performance. In Suriname, they edged the rest of bands because of that level of connection.
"We believe that is what gave us the edge. One of the judges who hosts rock shows was given permission to stay back stage, that way he looked at how the bands set up before they perform. We had about 15 minutes to set up and since we don't have roadies, we trained to do it ourselves. And I think that is what impressed that judge besides our performance. We were able to help each other and get our set up done in the best possible time."
They had four months to prepare for Suriname, starting from when they received the good news on Christmas Eve. After Christmas Day, they began researching how to get their instruments across to Paramaribo. Their band room practices were more intense, drilling their compositions to ensure they had every pause, snare, flick, and inflection on point.
The victory, they said, was sweeter knowing that 14 local fans each paid $3,000 out of pocket to see them play. "We were flattered that anyone wanted to come with us," Gerard said. "It was an emotional moment for one fan Veron, who started to cry. He said he was so blessed to be part of this."
But the greater significance for them was they created history by being the only Caribbean band to participate in the best metal festival in the world.
"I think we are still in shock," Sievan said.
Now, onward to Germany they have to strengthen their steel-minded focus. Firstly, they have to find $240,000 in two months to cover their travel and accommodation costs. A fundraising concert will be held on July 9 at Space La Nouba, Gulf View. The concert will also feature local talent bands
Goodnight Parliament and Sidekick Envy. Will Be No More, a band from Aruba which participated the Metal Battle will also perform.
Wacken takes place between August 3 and 6 and will be host to 30 bands from across the world. Legendary rockers, Blue Oyster Cult is also in the line-up. Lynchpin will be facing more seasoned musicians and singers there but they are not daunted.
"We won in front of international judges in Suriname. We had the confidence to represent the Caribbean. We are going there (Germany) to represent and give credence that we have a chance," said Aaron.
"Going to represent the Caribbean is not enough. We want to go and win," said Sievan. "When we touch the stage we know we can perform."
In Germany, they will show what the Caribbean is capable of. In Trinidad, they will continue to break the niche proving that rock music, particularly deathcore rock, is part of this country's music collection.
In their band room, they are ear-ringingly loud for those who are not accustomed to the decibels but one cannot help but appreciate their tight performance. In Suriname, they edged the rest of bands because of that level of connection.
"We believe that is what gave us the edge."
One of the judges who hosts rock shows was given permission to stay back stage, that way he looked at how the bands set up before they perform. We had about 15 minutes to set up and since we don't have roadies, we trained to do it ourselves. And I think that is what impressed that judge besides our performance. We were able to help each other and get our set up done in the best possible time."
They had four months to prepare for Suriname, starting from when they received the good news on Christmas Eve. After Christmas Day, they began researching how to get their instruments across to Paramaribo. Their band room practices were more intense, drilling their compositions to ensure they had every pause, snare, flick and inflection on point.
The victory, they said, was sweeter knowing that 14 local fans each paid $3,000 out of pocket to see them play. "We were flattered that anyone wanted to come with us," Gerard said. "It was an emotional moment for one fan Veron, who started to cry. He said he was so blessed to be part of this."
But the greater significance for them was they created history by being the only Caribbean band to participate in the best metal festival in the world.
"I think we are still in shock," Sievan said.
Now, onward to Germany they have to strengthen their steel-minded focus. Firstly, they have to find $240,000 in two months to cover their travel and accommodation costs. A fundraising concert will be held on July 9 at Space La Nouba, Gulf View. The concert will also feature local talent bands Goodnight Parliament and Sidekick Envy. Will Be No More, a band from Aruba which participated the Metal Battle will also perform.
Wacken takes place between August 3 and 6 and will be host to 30 bands from across the world. Legendary rockers, Blue Oyster Cult is also in the line-up. Lynchpin will be facing more seasoned musicians and singers there but they are not daunted.
"We won in front of international judges in Suriname. We had the confidence to represent the Caribbean. We are going there (Germany) to represent and give credence that we have a chance," said Aaron.
"Going to represent the Caribbean is not enough. We want to go and win," said Sievan. "When we touch the stage we know we can perform."