Five like-minded youngsters from the city Luke Verghese (guitarist), Shawn Vivian (bassist), Aniketh Yadav (drummer), Deepu Joseph (vocalist) and Timothy Alan Paul (guitarist) who are passionate about music and have similar tastes, formed the band Pandora’s Box in 2010.
Explaining the genesis of the name, the band’s founder Timothy says, “In Greek mythology, when Pandora’s Box was opened, all the evils of the world flew out to afflict mankind. But we came out with a different perspective on it. If all the evils come out, it leaves no scope for hope in the box. Through our music, we want to raise hope so that all evils go away and there is peace on earth.”
Vocalist Deepu Joseph states that their band is unique in its own way. “Since the progressive scene is quite saturated, we’re looking at bringing unique sounds and a fresh spin to progressive metal. Our music and lyrics are honest, inspiring and true to what we are,” shares Deepu, adding, “We pair our music along with the visuals (in the background) for a better connect. Our visuals complement the lyrics so that the audience can not only listen but also see and experience our music.”
2018 signals the start of a new phase in the band’s journey with the release of its debut EP, Divergence, which talks about how humans come to terms after fighting difficulties. The EP got a great response and the band was also featured by Rolling Stone India.
Guitarist Luke Verghese shares, “To be featured in Rolling Stone was overwhelming and a great honour. It has opened up several opportunities and we are now getting offers from other cities to play. We feel our hard work is paying off.”
Interestingly, the band has been nominated to take part in the prestigious Monkey Town music festival in Mysore in October.
“It’s a great platform for us to showcase our music and share the stage with some of the biggest music bands in the country. It’s also an opportunity for us to interact with other musicians to see how music is evolving across different cultures,” reflects bassist Shawn Vivian.
Since rock music is still in the nascent stage, Timothy admits that it takes time for a niche genre like progressive metal to reach out to people. “But being a part of more than 50 gigs has been a learning experience. It has helped us to grow and eventually enabled us to better understand who we are as artists. Now we are also trying to perform in other cities like Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, etc.,” he says.
