SEPULTURA Frontman Issues Another Update From India

SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green has posted the third entry in an ongoing tour diary covering the band's first-ever appearance in India. It reads as follows:

"Day 3 - October 28, 2007 New Delhi: It's show day and there is some time before soundcheck to see another landmark in New Delhi history. We decide to go to a place call the Red Fort which is close to the hotel and we can go from there straight to soundcheck.

"It's Sunday and traffic is not too bad we make are way to the Red Fort where there is a huge line of men and a separate line with women. There is always heavy security at historical monuments due to fear of terrorist attacks. The metal detector is made of wood and it looks like it might have been made in a 6th grade science competition. I'm not sure it really works but they pat everyone down and place all bags through an x-ray machine.

"The fort is enormous and is laid out along the river Yamuna as an irregular octagon built of red sandstone. It was completed in 1648 and the Mughal king at the time transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi, Agra is the city here the Taj Mahal is located and we plan on going the next day.

"We walk around taking pictures and bargaining in the market area which is located inside the fort. We don't have a guide this time but there are signs that are explaining a little bit the history of the place.

"Time passes quickly and we have to get on our way to the soundcheck, shows start early in India due to a noise curfew.
"The area we are are performing is outside and is surrounded many different places. There is a kids museum with a large missile propped up on top of the building and a banquet hall for weddings and parties.

"I'm not too worried about our soundcheck. Stanley, our sound engineer, assures us that he will make it work. The waiting around is the worst part — I want to play, I want to see the crowd and feel their energy.

"There is something very special about playing a place for the first time. It's a show that you and the fans will never forget and I have no idea what to expect.

"The dressing room has two air conditioners pumping freezing cold air and outside the room there are millions of mosquito's ready to feed. I stretch and listening to the opening band keep the power of the cow bell alive.

"It's showtime and I have a wonderful energy flowing through me we came a long way to play and I don't want to let anyone down. The crowd are absolutely fantastic there energy is insane and the barricades begin to break down. There are various mosh pits breaking out and extra people are called to reinforce the barricades. People are singing along to old and new songs and from looking into the eyes of the crowd you can see that the show is fully appreciated, it's an unbelievable feeling for all of us.

"Once we are off the stage we are put into a car heading back to the hotel and I feel doped up with a super natural high plus a feeling of absolute exhaustion. I can't help but thinking over and over in my head we did it we finally played India our first show and two more to go, it's surreal and I'm in love with this place.

"Day 4 - October 29, 2007 Agra: Today is our day trip to the Taj Mahal and we are told that it will take over four hours. We pile into a bus early in the morning and slam right into a wall of traffic.

"The hardest part is getting out of the city. It's an overload of sights, smells and sound that I have never seen before in my life.

"The road to Agra is a two-lane highway with people traveling by trucks, bus, bicycle it doesn't matter people are everywhere.

"We encounter snake charmers on the way and people with monkeys who make them do tricks on a stick. People do what ever they can to make money for food for survival.

"Once we arrive in the city Of Agra there is even more chaos on the way to the Taj Mahal. When ever the bus stops people instantly run to the side of the bus tasking for money or to sell items or just staring intensely.

"There are many children on the streets and there ability to survive is crucial. There are some that have taught themselves to speak a little bit in different languages in order to be more effective at selling there product. Some of them wear bright colored shirts and give themselves easy to remember names in English to help remind you when you come back from the the Taj Mahal that you do not for get them and buy from them.

"There are people entering from all over the world and many have come from a long way like us. The mood of everyone seems to be of joy and happiness

"It's so overwhelming walking into area of the Taj, I even have goosebumps! The view looks like a huge mirage it's fascinating there is nothing that exist or will exist like this ever again. If there is such a thing as true perfection this is it and we are all drawn to walk towards it. The energy pulls you in.

"We have a guide who explains the history of the Taj Mahal which is a love story filled with tragedy and romance. To walk on the marble part of the Taj and to enter it your shoes must be taken off or covered with this shoe cloth they provide. It's dark inside and hot because the cross ventilation was sealed with glass to prevent pigeons from entering and destroying the inside which is preserved as it was back when it was constructed. There is a mosque to left of the Taj Mahal and you can hear the praying over the mosque speakers. People are sitting all around everywhere enjoying the atmosphere of the area and then there are some people who are asking for photographs of me because I look like a freak to them ahah! It's not a problem for me — the people are very friendly and then a group of people approach us and the one girl has a SEPULTURA tattoo on her leg. The girl is shaking and asks to take a picture of all of us. She and her friends are from Australia. There were a few more people who recognized us after that, which is insane; I never would have guessed this could happen at the Taj Mahal of all places.

"We leave to head back to New Delhi and the final question that was put to the guide which he didn't say much about was what happened to the workers. 1,000 of the workers after the completion of the Taj Mahal had there hands cut off along with their eyes blinded and tongues cut off by the Mughal ruler who had the Taj Mahal built. The reason why was to prevent them from every rebuilding a duplicate of the Taj Mahal or even speaking of it, I knew there had to be dark side to this story."

In a recent interview with Romania's Metalhead TV, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser stated about the band's current touring/recording plans, "Our intention, really, is to play as much as we can to prepare this band to start writing new material. So we're gonna start writing a new album at the end of the year, hopefully to release next year, sometime in the second [half of 2008]."

Back in March, SEPULTURA filmed the second video from their "Dante XXI" album, for the song "Ostia". The clip was shot at a studio in São Paulo prior to the band's departure for their European tour. During the following week, the video crew and the main actor shot the outdoor scenes in downtown São Paulo. The script, which adapts the story from the book "The Divine Comedy" to the modern days, was directed by Geraldo Moraes.

SEPULTURA performing in New Delhi, India - October 28, 2007: