HYDERABAD ROCKS | C6 Is The Instrumental Band That’s Been Shaking Things Up In The City's Metal Community For Half A Decade
Although Mumbai and Bangalore dominate music headlines, the idea of an instrumental metal band thriving in Hyderabad sounds unlikely. Yet, that’s what C6 has done.
Published : May 15, 2025 at 11:27 AM IST
There’s a curious little debate happening in the underbelly of Hyderabad’s indie rock scene: What does C6 actually mean? Is it carbon on the periodic table? Is it a chord: C major with a sixth? Is it a cryptic inside joke that only the band C6 understands? The band members themselves, now five years into playing shows, still aren’t in agreement. And that feels perfect. Because C6 isn’t about easy definitions.
It’s a band made up of four musicians: Chirag Samtani on lead guitar, Praveen “PJ” John on rhythm guitar, Aditya Bharghav on bass, and Aaron Paul on drums. They’ve spent half a decade carving a niche that is equal parts melodic, mathematical and unapologetically metal. They don’t have a vocalist. They don’t write lyrics. What they do have is an arsenal of time signatures, tone shifts, and a deep, collective love for storytelling.
A Gig That Launched a Band
The story begins in 2018, when Chirag, at the time part of another commercial project, got the opportunity to open for Plini, the Australian guitar virtuoso who for many instrumental prog fans, is what Tolkien is to fantasy readers: a world-builder.
“I had written these primitive versions of songs,” Chirag recalls. “Then I met PJ through Mayur, who was organizing the live concert. We jammed, and it clicked.” Watching from the audience that night was Aditya Bharghav, future bassist of the band, already drawn into the orbit of what C6 could become. That debut show, for all its rough edges, set the tone: heavy but thoughtful, melodic but layered.
Metal as a Language
The band’s evolution since then has been subtle but seismic. “We had a heavier sound initially,” Chirag admits. “Over time, we added more nuance. It’s more progressive now. More textured.” And that’s saying something because in a country where most audiences expect to hear vocals by the second bar, C6 is choosing a far harder route: keeping people hooked using only arrangements, dynamics, and musical intuition.
“We work extra hard to make sure the performances hold attention,” PJ says. “As an instrumental band, you’re already catering to a smaller niche.” Aditya adds: “It’s about dynamics. You need an ebb and flow... soft, heavy, shifting. Not constantly changing, but enough to keep the listener curious.”
Their inspirations are appropriately vast and genre-defying. Chirag cut his teeth on Periphery, Green Day, and Iron Maiden (“I was gifted Van Halen and Maiden CDs by my cousin in Delhi”). PJ’s gateway was Judas Priest, followed by Killswitch Engage. Aditya came to metal through Kota, where his brother introduced him to Children of Bodom and Cradle of Filth after a childhood of Tollywood radio.
And yet, despite the ferocity of their playlists, what comes out on stage is not chaos, but control. Think Intervals meets Explosions in the Sky, with some subcontinental seasoning.
Why Hyderabad?
In a country where Mumbai and Bangalore tend to dominate music headlines, the idea of an instrumental metal band thriving in Hyderabad might sound unlikely. And yet, that’s exactly what C6 has done: rooted themselves, built a following, and stayed grounded.
“The community in Hyderabad is special,” PJ says. “It’s small but tight. You see people turn up repeatedly. You remember faces.”
That community includes passionate documentarians like photographer Shitabh Pillai, close friends like Raghav and Prashita who travel across districts to attend gigs, and other bands whose members juggle college, jobs, and jam sessions. Most of their shows happen at EXT, a venue that’s become a haven for Hyderabad’s indie scene. “EXT gave us the space for Hyderabad's beloved artist Peekay’s farewell gig when she was moving to the US,” the band recalls fondly. “They always come through.”
Mercury Rising, Power Failing
Every band has its inside jokes. For C6, it’s stage banter and power outages. “Chirag once started talking on stage and the power cut out,” PJ grins. “It came back on, he tried again—bam, gone. It happened three times. I picked up the mic and said something… nothing happened. Since then, I do all the talking.”
But if there’s one track where C6 has truly found its collective voice (despite being a band without one), it’s Mercury, the opening song of their soon-to-release debut album. “It sets the tone for everything,” Aditya says. “It’s heavy, but it breathes. It’s us.”
What's On the Horizon?
C6 isn’t in a rush to drop singles just for streaming stats. They believe in long-form content: full-length videos, immersive gigs, start-to-finish listening experiences. The debut album, releasing in stages through 2025, will be their biggest push yet. “We’re staggering the releases to build momentum,” Chirag says. “But the goal is to have the full album out by the end of the year.” And beyond that? More shows, of course, and sets at music festivals.
Sometimes we love music not just because of what it is, but because of who we are when we’re around it. That’s what makes bands like C6 so rare and necessary. They’re not chasing clout or trend cycles. They’re building something that feels lived-in, patient, deliberate. They’re the kind of band that would rather make a single song that grows on you slowly than an EP that burns out fast, that laughs off power failures on stage, that despite being entirely instrumental somehow manages to say everything.
If you want to see what five years of tight, lyric-free storytelling sounds like, C6’s upcoming set is your chance. On Saturday, May 17, they’re bringing their instrumental storm to EXT in Film Nagar, as part of the Indie Nights gig (also featuring Lights Off At Night) curated by the Tree Huggers Club. Whether you’re a longtime metalhead or just someone who wants to feel music move without needing words, this is the gig to catch. Don’t say we didn’t warn you when Mercury melts your face off, in the best possible way!
(This feature is part of our new section: HYDERABAD ROCKS that documents the movers and shakers in the city's music scene. Watch this space every Thursday for more)
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