Nephelium was formed in the fertile underground of Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the fall of 2001 as a response to a Metal scene saturated in mediocrity and closed-minded stagnation. Founding members Alan Madhavan (Drums) and Alex Zubair (Guitar) had a vision of a band with equal amounts of brutality and complexity, that stayed true to the roots of old-school Death Metal yet forged ahead with experimentation and with a proud nod to their numerous musical influences from Metal and other genres.
Early incarnations of the band proved to be unstable, with numerous line-up changes in a short span of time as member after member proved to be incompatible with Alex’s and Alan’s uncompromising goal of making Nephelium an indomitable Metal force – first in Dubai, then the rest of the world. The first step toward their destiny was winning Abu Dhabi’s Battle of the Bands in March of 2001, their first show with a stable line-up, a gig that also earned Alex the award for Best Guitarist. Nephelium soon became the most talked about Metal band in the U.A.E..
After releasing two demos, 2002’s “Archaic Malevolent Sorceryâ€, and 2003’s “Ignite the Wrath of Silence†to an incredible reception from their rabid local following, the band set their sights beyond the Middle East and a momentous decision was made to relocate to Canada, home of legendary Metal bands like Sacrifice, Cryptopsy, and Gorguts to further spread Nephelium’s insidious gospel. Alex moved to Toronto in March of 2004 and set about finding musicians to fill out the rest of the line-up until Alan arrived in Toronto that summer. Alex immediately contacted his long-time friend Boyan Guerdjikov, a Metal singer already infamous for his role as frontman for local band Bleak Destiny. A chance encounter after a Metal show saw the addition of guitar prodigy Dan Glover, an invaluable addition to the band, and in August of 2004 when Alan finally arrived from Dubai, the band commenced rehearsing and writing for the follow-up to “Ignite the Wrath of Silence†while looking for a bass player.
After months of searching, the band acquired well-reputed and formally schooled bassist Jay Cockerill (formerly of Progressive band Thangelic) to complete what is beyond a doubt the definitive Nephelium line-up. Word of the newly-completed line-up spread quickly, and the band was immediately offered a show opening for Death Metal heavyweights Skinless. Such an impression was made that a show with Deicide was offered almost immediately afterward. It has been a long and tumultuous journey across 5 years and 2 continents, but Nephelium has finally become the unstoppable Metal juggernaut its members always knew it would be.
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