Girish and the Chronicles, also sometimes known simply asGATC, is an Indian rock band from Sikkim, India, formed in 2009, by vocalist Girish Pradhan.[1] The line-up consists of Girish Pradhan on the vocals, Yogesh Pradhan on the bass, Suraz Karki on the lead guitars and Nagen Mongrati on the drums. They have been based inBengaluru, Karnataka, since 2013.[2][3] The band has three studio albums to their name.
The band released their first ever promotional demo single, "Angel", in 2009, in CD format. It was re-released in January 2010 with The North Eastern Times Magazine's,The Great Eastern Rock Vol. 2, CD compilation.[26][27][28] It was followed by a series of demos and single releases between 2011 and 2013, with songs such as "The Golden Crown", "Loaded", "A New Beginning", and "Yesteryears", mostly on their YouTube Channel.
The plans to release a debut album had been a long overdue for the band, since their jamming days in 2006. They had already independently released several singles on their YouTube channel (from 2009 to 2012).[32]
In the middle of 2013, the band successfully got in touch with Universal Music India and got a deal to release an album, with some help from their management at the time. They further wrote a few newer songs such as "End of Civilization" and "Born With a Big Attitude". They also finished recording some older demos such as "Revolving Barrel". The entire rhythm guitar section was re-recorded with Les Pauls, replacing the earlier Fender Stratocaster + Telecaster versions. The album was namedBack on Earth and was finally released internationally via Universal Music India, with the video for "Angel" being featured on VH1 along with a six-city Hard Rock Cafe tour.[33][34][35][36]
The album did not make a large impact and it failed to reach the intended audience, according to the band. Later on, the entire album was shot with Music Mojo (Kappa TV) and was released on their YouTube channel, which helped the songs reach out to a wider audience.[37] At around 2019, the band got in touch with the label and decided to take down the album from all the streaming platforms, as they felt that a reissue was much needed in the future. It was in 2023, the band finally re-released a re-recorded version of the album, withFrontiers Records.
The band released their single, "Endless Road", in 2016, in collaboration with the clothing company Roadster Life Company. Meant originally as an anthem for the company in their campaign, it gave the band a wide exposure to the Indian audience, with over 2 million views on the video. The band also took an Indian folk rock approach on the songwriting. It was shot at theRann of Kutch, a salt desert in the state ofGujarat.[38][39]
The band released a video for their new single "Rock the Highway" on New Year's Eve in December 2018.[40] It was first featured on the Canadian web magazine,Sleaze Roxx.[41] The band was approached by aDenmark-based record label, Lion's Pride for a new album.
They released their second album,Rock the Highway,[42][43][44] with Lions Pride Music, in April 2020.[45][46]
The idea of releasing a second GATC album had been building up for many years, sinceBack on Earth. It became concrete with the band releasing the title-track. Soon after, the band was approached by Lions Pride Music for an album deal. It was perfect timing, as the band had already written many demos and were ready to start recording a new album. The album release date was set to 27 April 2020 and it was to be namedRock the Highway.[47][43][44]
After a year, the band released a video for "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay", officially announcingRock the Highway, on 29 March 2020.[48][49] It was filmed by Cary Hubbs, a Prague-based film maker, originally from Los Angeles, during his visit toBengaluru, India.[50] Axl Rosenberg ofMetalSucks wrote: "It sounds exactly like somethingRiki Rachtman woulda played on Headbanger's Ball in the late '80s or early '90s, and I mean that in the best possible way".[49] The song received praises from prominent names in the world of metal, such asChris Adler andThomas Gabriel.[51] Girish Pradhan had also already joined Firstborne, a side project led by Chris Adler along withJames LoMenzo and Myrone by then.
Rock the Highway was finally released on 27 April 2020, with the video for "Identity Crisis".Sleaze Roxx was one of the first to feature the song,[52] along withRolling Stone India.[53]
The latter wrote: "Standing at about one hour and four minutes, Bengaluru-based, Gangtok bred act Girish and the Chronicles' new album Rock the Highway is pretty much pure mayhem for any fan of Eighties rock and metal. Across 13 songs that don't bow down to any gimmicks and offer everything from glam metal to rock 'n roll, frontman Girish Pradhan is at his soaring, pitch-perfect best."[53]
MetalSucks listedRock the Highway third position in 'Vince Neilstein's Top 15 Metal Albums of 2020'.[54][55]
Other magazines listed the album as one of the top rated album released that year.[56][57]
In early 2021, the band signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers.[61][62][63][64] With that, GATC became the first ever Indian band to get signed by the label.
The band released their first single, "Lovers' Train",[65][66][67][68][69] off their upcoming album, with Frontiers on 11 November 2021. The band were in Switzerland, for UrRock Festival during its release and also performed this song live out there.
Soon after, GATC released a music video for "Primeval Desire", on 2 December 2021, also announcing[70]Hail to the Heroes.[71][58][72][73][74][75] Axl Rosenburg ofMetalSucks wrote: "Get ready to party like it's 1989: Girish and the Chronicles, who are arguably the best hair metal band out there right now, have released a new song called "Primeval Desire.""[76]
Their third release and their second music video, also the title track to the album was released on 14 January 2022.[77][78][79][80] It was featured on Metal Injection which wrote, "The single pays tribute to the rock and metal heroes of the '80s that have sadly left this world while also offering a positive message of unity. As for the music, it does an excellent job of memorializing the legends that have gone before us all".[80] The videos for both songs were shot by Prabal Deep Das at different locations inBengaluru andGoa.
On 11 February 2022, the band released the video for "Love's Damnation", also announcing the album.[81][82][83][84]
The band released a new single, "Kaal", on the 5 November 2024,[85][86][87][88][89] amidst their Europe/UK tour named “Re-Ignition tour”, in November, which lasted for 40 days, covering parts of Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, France and the UK (London and Scotland).[90][86] The band also visited India, for a notable performance at theIndependence Rock Festival,[91][85] held at Bayview Lawns in Mumbai, before returning to Spain to complete the remainder of the tour. 2024 saw them tour multiple countries in Europe, with also being a part of multiple festivals. This also includes their tour in Belgium/Germany/France during May.[92]
