Interview Written By Chris Norris
India’s heavy music scene has never suffered from a lack of ambition, in this Fallen Letters Interview the band are carving out a particularly intriguing corner of it.
Formed by Vishal Naidu and Aditya Ramesh, the Bangalore-based progressive metal duo have built their sound around atmosphere, melody and emotional weight, drawing from progressive rock and metal without allowing themselves to be boxed neatly into either.
Their 2024 debut EP Forlorn Pages introduced a band fascinated by the darker machinery of the human mind, while their latest single, “A Familiar Absence,” points toward something larger still taking shape.
It is music conceived almost cinematically, where songs become stories and atmosphere matters as much as sheer heaviness.
In this Fallen Letters interview Metal Lair caught up with Vishal to dig into Fallen Letters’ beginnings, the evolution beyond Mindfractures, the psychological narratives behind their music, the realities of building a metal band in India, and where this increasingly international journey takes them next.
Inside Our Fallen Letters Interview With Vishal Naidu
Fallen Letters Interview
ML: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today.
Fallen Letters is still a relatively young band, but you’ve already gone from Forlorn Pages to Mindfractures and now “A Familiar Absence.”
Take us back to the beginning. How did Fallen Letters come together, and what did you originally want this band to be?
Vishal Naidu: The band came together during COVID. Aditya and I are college friends, and we used to exchange a lot of metal music because we enjoyed many of the same bands.
At the time, I could never really get into Opeth, even though he kept asking me to listen to them. In 2019, we went to an Opeth concert together in Pune, and after that, Opeth was constantly on repeat for me.
During this period, we started sharing compositional ideas, which eventually became Fallen Letters. Originally, we wanted the band to have more of an alternative rock sound, influenced by bands like Blackfield, Evans Blue, Parabelle and the softer side of Opeth.
As we evolved, we began leaning much more heavily towards metal, but we’ve never let go of those rock roots.
ML: Mindfractures feels built around atmosphere and emotional tension as much as musicianship.
What was happening creatively when you wrote that album, and what did you want listeners to experience when hearing it as a complete record?
Vishal Naidu: With Mindfractures, many of the songs came from moments of inspiration that appeared out of nowhere.
We wore our influences on our sleeves with this album. We wanted to experiment with our different musical tastes, put them together and see what came from it.
For example, “Monochrome Visions” was heavily inspired by Amenra, a band Aditya and I were blown away by after seeing them at ArcTanGent. “Everdream” is a very Tool and Klone-inspired track, with elements of Agalloch in there as well. “Drenched” is a direct homage to Opeth’s Damnation.
Along the way, that combination of different influences and tastes became Mindfractures.
Its broader theme gradually developed around different states of the mind and the ebb and flow of life, from changing personalities and feeling confused about life to escaping reality and confronting death.
The album ends on a bittersweet note: we’re all placed on this earth without a choice, and perhaps we may survive it.
ML: You’ve cited bands including Opeth, Katatonia, Blackfield and Deftones as influences. At what point does a young band stop asking “What do we sound like?” and begin recognizing its own musical identity?
Do you feel Fallen Letters has reached that point yet?
Vishal Naidu: I believe we’re getting there, but we haven’t completely reached that point yet.
We do have a strong identity built around fusing shoegaze, alternative metal, progressive metal and black metal, but our music still carries flavours of our influences.
I think the newer material we’re working on comes much closer to what we’ve always wanted Fallen Letters to sound like.
It’s a long journey to reach a point where you feel genuinely unique in the constantly changing landscape of progressive metal, but we hope to get there someday.
ML: “A Familiar Absence” feels darker and more aggressive than some of your earlier material, bringing death, black and post-metal elements further into the progressive foundation.
Was that evolution intentional, or did the song simply take you there while you were writing it?
Vishal Naidu: None of our songs are ever forced; they just happen naturally. The opening riff of “A Familiar Absence” was something Aditya randomly came up with during one of our jams.
I loved it, recorded it on my phone and immediately felt that it could become something.
A couple of jams later, the song began writing itself. In parallel, I was working on another song and eventually realised that the two pieces fit together perfectly. We combined them, and that became “A Familiar Absence.”
ML: Is “A Familiar Absence” a standalone chapter, or is it our first glimpse into a future Fallen Letters album or EP?
And if something larger is developing, what can you tell us about where you’re headed next?
Vishal Naidu: We can’t reveal anything yet, but all I can say is that it’s going to be an important piece of what we’re trying to do next.
ML: There’s a strong psychological and cinematic quality to Fallen Letters.
You’ve described “A Familiar Absence” in terms of memory and reality beginning to blur.
Where does that fascination with psychological storytelling come from, and how important are film and visual storytelling to the way you write music?
Vishal Naidu: It comes from my love for psychological thrillers. I’ve been fascinated by them for years, from Death Note to the South Korean film Oldboy.
I actively look for these kinds of films and shows because I love unexpected storytelling, cinematography and filmmaking in general.
If I had the time and money, I probably would have loved to become a filmmaker. But music is what I know best, so I try to write songs that feel like short films and take listeners on a journey through both the harsh and beautiful parts of life.
Film and visual storytelling are very important to the way I write music. I usually imagine the story and imagery in my head and then try to translate that into the music and lyrics.
ML: Fallen Letters has begun attracting attention outside India, including coverage from Metal Hammer and Prog and Kerrang!. Has that international response surprised you?
And has anything noticeably changed for the band since Mindfractures began reaching listeners beyond the Indian scene?
Vishal Naidu: It has definitely been exciting and a little surreal. We’ve always wanted to be recognised by publications like Metal Hammer, Prog and Kerrang!.
We believed that the quality of the music and the way we were presenting it were at an international level, so we were incredibly glad that Metal Hammer and Prog picked up on the new single.
It’s still only the beginning, but it feels like a step towards a much bigger future for the band.
Since Mindfractures began reaching listeners outside India, we’ve received messages from people asking us to perform in their countries or simply telling us how much they love the music. That feels amazing.
I believe Mindfractures sends a message that we’re serious about what we do, that we’re here to stay and that this is only the beginning for Fallen Letters.
ML: Bengaluru has played an important role in Indian rock and metal for years, yet much of the international metal audience still knows surprisingly little about India’s underground.
What is happening in Indian metal right now that listeners elsewhere are missing?
Are there any Indian bands you think the rest of the world should be paying attention to?
Vishal Naidu: Definitely. Bengaluru has played a huge role in Indian rock and metal, and along with Mumbai, it has one of the most active scenes in the country.
What international listeners are missing isn’t the quality or variety of the music. The scene is here; people simply don’t hear enough about it.
Part of the problem is that many bands still release music in a fairly old-school way.
They spend heavily on an album, put it out and hope people find it. That’s very difficult now.
You need a proper release plan, strong visuals, regular content, press, promotion and relationships.
At the same time, I don’t want to make it sound as though bands aren’t trying hard enough. Recording is already expensive, and then you have videos, marketing and advertising on top of that, while most bands make very little from streams or shows. It’s difficult to sustain.
The bands gradually breaking through are the ones that keep at it and build those international relationships.
Gutslit, Godless and Midhaven are good examples. They’ve released strong music, toured internationally and continued putting themselves out there.
Bloodywood has opened a massive door and made people curious about Indian metal, which is great. But it can also create the expectation that every Indian band will use traditional Indian sounds or imagery.
That isn’t an accurate picture of the scene. Indian metal isn’t one sound. There are world-class bands here working across many different styles, and international audiences have barely scratched the surface.
ML: We would like you to suggest a Gateway Track and Deep Cut for your fans.
Which Fallen Letters song should someone hear first, and which overlooked track from your catalogue deserves considerably more love? Tell us why you chose each one.
Vishal Naidu: Gateway track: “Distant Lines”
Deep cut: “The Farthest Window”
ML: You’re still near the beginning of Fallen Letters’ story. If we’re having this conversation again five years from now, what do you hope has happened between now and then?
Vishal Naidu: Honestly, five years from now, I’d love for Fallen Letters to have built a solid international audience and to be touring places like the UK, Europe and Japan, and perhaps even the US.
We wish to open for our favourite bands like Opeth, Katatonia, Deftones, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Mastodon..
Hopefully, we’ll have released a few more albums by then and will be known as a respected metal band from India.
We’re still very early in our journey and only around three years into releasing music, so I do feel that we sometimes get overlooked by listeners back home.
I’d really love for more Indian rock / metal fans to give us a chance, listen to the music and decide for themselves.
What emerges from this Fallen Letters interview is a band that may still be early in its story, but is already thinking far beyond its home scene.
Fallen Letters may only be three years into their recorded history, but they are already thinking far beyond Bengaluru. Vishal talks about the UK, Europe, Japan and the US; about sharing stages with Opeth, Katatonia, Deftones, Tool, A Perfect Circle and Mastodon.
Those ambitions are enormous, but nothing about the band’s approach suggests they are interested in thinking small.
More importantly, Fallen Letters are building toward that future without sanding away the things that make them difficult to categorize.
The atmosphere, melancholy, psychological unease and progressive instincts running through their music are not being traded for an easier route to recognition.
If anything, “A Familiar Absence” suggests they are disappearing further into their own strange little universe.
Whether the wider metal world follows them there remains to be seen.
And if Vishal gets the five-year future he described, perhaps the next time Metal Lair speaks with Fallen Letters, the conversation won’t be about whether the world is paying attention to a metal band from Bengaluru. It’ll be about where they’re playing next.
Band Members:
Vishal Naidu – Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar
Aditya Ramesh – Lead Guitar
Abhay Prakash – Bass Guitar
Mukund Narasimhan – Drums
Fallen Letters were also featured in Metal Lair’s World Metal Weekly India Edition. You can read the feature here.
FALLEN LETTERS ONLINE:
About the Author
Chris Norris is the voice behind Metal Lair’s global metal coverage, World Metal Weekly. From funeral doom in the north to thrash born in the streets. Known for spotlighting bands before algorithms notice them and for writing with the precision of a scalpel… or a well-sharpened guitar pick. Vinyl collector. Night-shift journalist. Believes heavy music has no borders.
Read More From This Author:
Rotting Christ Interview: Sakis Tolis on 35 Years of Greek Metal, History and Legacy
Interview With Cutthroat and the Sound of Urban Collapse
Green Carnation Part III: The Messiah Complex Interview
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