EMQ with Rainburn

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the
band?

Hello! My name is Vats Iyengar, I am the primary composer/lyricist, singer, guitarist and
bassist for a band called Rainburn. We’re based in Bangalore, India and have been around
for nearly 15 years. We’ve released two full-length albums, ‘Insignify’ and ‘Vignettes’, and
two EPs, ‘Canvas of Silence’ and ‘Resignify’. Our third LP, ‘thirty-seven’, comes out this
year.
Our previous releases have been very well-received particularly by the UK press, and we’re
hoping this one’s the same.

How did you come up with your band name?

I wanted an oxymoron like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to suggest an interplay of light
and shade, meaning we cover a very wide spectrum of emotions in our music. There’s a lot
of freedom with a name like that. Our previous drummer actually came up with it.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We’re based in Bangalore, India. The scene here is small but growing all the time. A lot more
international metal and rock acts play here now than ever before, and it’s only getting bigger
with each passing year. There are quite a few Indian bands that have toured the UK too.

What is your latest release? 

Our third full-length record, ‘thirty-seven’, comes out on 4 November 2026. It’s a concept
album based on a near-death experience when I was stranded at sea miles away from the
coast, with nothing but water in sight. Like every Rainburn album,it sounds different while
retaining the core elements of the band’s sound. What’s new here is a lot of industrial and
electronic influences, and also quite a bit of acoustic guitar.

Who have been your greatest influences?

King Crimson, The Beatles, Tool, Dream Theater, Jeff Buckley, Tears for Fears, Porcupine
Tree, Yes, Shakti, Pain of Salvation, Freak Kitchen, Opeth, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest.

What first got you into music?

To be honest, at first, it was mainly wanting to look cool like the pictures of metal bands I
saw in magazines, and going around telling girls in school I was in a band even before I
knew how to play a chord on the guitar. But over time, I fell in love with music itself and that
superseded the “wanting to look cool” bit, which must be clear from the fact that we play
prog haha.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?

Off the top of my head, probably Devin Townsend. I love the vision he has for his music, it’s
very holistic and well-thought-out. Mattias from Freak Kitchen would be great to collaborate
with as well.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Can I pick two? ProgPower and RADAR. ProgPower is a festival I’ve read about for a long
time and it’s always been a dream to be on the bill. Some of my favourite bands have played
there. RADAR, because they program new acts rather than relying on nostalgia, and they
seem to strike the right balance between teeming and intimate.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

I’m drawing a blank. I’ve gotten a lot of nice gifts from fans over the years – including a guitar
and some really lovely artwork – but I don’t think I’ve ever been given anything really weird.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you for your support of our music over the years. And if you’re a musician (which a lot
of our fans are), tap with your heel, not your toes.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Probably Jeff Buckley. He only released one album in his lifetime and I’d love to have seen
where he’d have gone next. A lot of others had time to realize much of their potential before
they died.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I love everything related to the musical aspect of being a musician (writing songs, recording,
rehearsing, playing shows) and dislike almost everything that isn’t directly related to music
(social media, talking to venues or promoters at times, basically everything that has to do
with promoting yourself/your music).

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Make payouts from streaming fairer to musicians.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

I mentioned Jeff Buckley earlier, so I’ll go with ‘Grace’. It’s probably my desert-island CD.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?

Vinyls are great but their sound is an acquired taste for many. Not to mention how expensive
they are. I’d go with CDs because they last longer than cassettes, the artwork is bigger,
there’s more scope for detailed inlays, and the sound is better than cassettes too.
Downloads can technically allow for higher audio fidelity but I miss the physical aspect of
holding a work of music in my hands.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

There have been so many over the years. I loved our most-recent show which was in our
hometown, Bangalore, where we played a much longer set than we normally do. Some of
our family members were there too; it was such a great atmosphere.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I’m not sure I’d be totally happy doing anything else. Maybe I’d be a writer. Something
creative, at any rate.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Carl Sagan, Leo Tolstoy, Vincent van Gogh, Hermann Hesse and Steve Irwin.

What’s next for the band?

Well, we’re all very excitedly gearing up for the release of our album that I mentioned before.
And then a tour of our country in November. I hope we can get to the UK at some point too –
that would be really fulfilling

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

https://rainburn.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/rainburnofficial
www.facebook.com/rainburnofficial
www.rainburn.com

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct
name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a
Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

I like bap and barm! They have an endearing comic book quality. Least favourite – tea cake.
Sounds too formal.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you to all your readers who’ve read all the way through. If you’re interested in our
music, please join the waitlist for our upcoming album for exclusive previews, free goodies,
discounts on merch and so on: https://forms.gle/5pW2HesuUQSTJz5c6

Thank you for doing the interview, Ever Metal.