It's been on the slow-burner for a while. But after four years of taking their time over writing new material, groove metal band The Down Troddence is nearing the completion of their second album. Their debut offering — How Are you? We are Fine, Thank you — established them as an outfit that infuses Carnatic folk influences with straight-up metal music. But the upcoming one will see them trying out a new sonic sensibility, says bassist Nezer Ahemed, adding that the band is keeping their fingers crossed about it.

"We finished mastering our first album in 2014, and after that there was this usual point that everyone hits in their mid-20s. We were like, 'Oh, we are not making enough money through metal and so we have to focus on our careers.' So music became secondary for us. We were still jamming and playing shows here and there. But more importantly, we were also writing new material, though it was slow progress," Ahemed says ahead of a show that the band — whose members are based in Bengaluru and Kochi — will play in Mumbai this weekend.