IN Guyana, heavy metal music is not among the most popular genres but it has quite a following in our neighbouring countries and in the Caribbean. While there isn’t much of a commercial scene for the music locally, however, this has not stopped young ambitious musicians from following their dream of playing in a rock/metal band. And over the years there has been, many names have popped up on the local scene. Some of these bands are no more, while some remain. Amongst the few active bands keeping the heavy metal flame alive Celestial Burn.

Celestial Burn was formed in 2011 by musicians Zaheer Baksh, Roodi Balgobin and some other friends. However, after playing a debut show, the band quickly broke up due to difficult work schedules. In 2017, Baksh decided to re-launch the band and change the direction of their music. After one-year, Celestial Burn has produced a Demo CD, played a few live gigs and has lots more in store for the future.

“Our music is of a dark, ambient kind of sound. The vocals are dark and heavy. The guitar gives a very atmospheric sound with some symphonic vibes to it which makes us stand out from the regular heavy metal sound,” Baksh told The Buzz. “We are trying to bring a different genre of metal into the heavy metal arena in Guyana because most of the bands over the time were cover bands. But we came forward with our originals – we were confident in writing our own music and in the sound. That was what we put out into the public for our debut show and it was well received. We knew then we were on the right track. Even persons who were not heavy metal fans commented on our music and they enjoyed it because it is different.”

The musician stated that the band is trying to set the bar for young persons and to encourage them not to be afraid to venture into unorthodox subgenres of heavy metal once they love playing it.

Tomorrow, the band will host its anniversary and demo launch party, called “The Summoning” at the Grill and Fun Park, located in the YMCA Compound. There will be live performances for several bands, including a Brazilian rock band.
The gates open at 20:00hrs with free admission. The live performance starts at 21:30hrs. There will be band merchandise on sale, which includes t-shirts, demo CDs and more. The show will also feature a performance by the band Alcateia which will give the local crowd a taste of Portuguese hard rock. Baksh stated that the music being performed by his band will also be heard for the first time and is not included on their demo.