How does one balance a working-class lifestyle with the hardcore passion of a metalhead? Thirty-two-year-old management consultant Chiranjiv Rajan has been doing that for most of his life. The vocalist for the Mumbai-based band, Astrit, is now riding high on the latest release of the band’s debut single Amrit, that banks on a deep philosophy of nature and a hard rock soundscape interspersed with traditional instruments.

“Shamik [Debnath] and Varchas [Sinha] were part of the band first, and were looking for a vocalist. We teamed up early in June last year,” shares Rajan. It was natural that the band veered towards the metal genre, but with a difference. “We call it heavy Hindustani music. More importantly, we want to focus on what we are saying in a way that it resonates with listeners,” the vocalist adds.