https://youtu.be/Jjoy624RfpA
Band info
Band: Vikshipt
EP: ‘Seeds‘
Released: June 19th, 2026
Genre: dark folk, atmospheric black metal
Location: India
Review
No. The coldness, gloom, and ice of atmospheric black metal do not belong exclusively to the European North. While the genre’s sonic foundations were undeniably forged in Scandinavia, desolate mountain landscapes and biting frost are not a Western monopoly.
Today we bring an excellent example: Vikshipt. Its latest EP, ‘Seeds’, challenges this Eurocentric bias by grounding its atmosphere in the Pahari and Himalayan folk heritage of Himachal Pradesh. And, yes, these mountain valleys have held their own music of solitude, ritual animism, and ancestral desolation for centuries, long before metal was even a thing anywhere in the world.
Behind Vikshipt there is a prolific mind who is also the creator of projects like Harul and Primaevus, building a growing body of work that places him at the forefront of the new wave of the atmospheric/gaze scene in India, alongside artists like Raat and Lesath.
Within ‘Seeds’, Vikshipt integrates native acoustic textures directly into a raw, atmospheric black metal framework. Sharp, frigid tremolos collide with spoken word and the resonance of mountain folk, creating a soundscape that feels both ancient and relentless. A reminder that atmospheric depth and dark heritage belong directly to the nature that inspires them. And Vikshipt delivers a stark, vital testament to mountain isolation, ancestral memory, and steadfast anti-fascist black metal.
Decolonise music, and listen to Vikshipt!
Other links and platforms:
Harul: https://harulvinay.bandcamp.com/
Primaevus: https://harulvinay.bandcamp.com