Interviews: Maneating Orchid

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Mathcore/Progressive Metal band Maneating Orchid from India. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it, or did it come out just like that?

We were previously named “Orchid.” There were a couple of other bands with that name, and they were signed to some big record labels. We had been thinking of changing our name or adding something to it to make it unique. It just so happened that our email ID and social media handles had “maneatingorchid” in them, so we just adopted it since it felt like the most obvious extension of our previous name.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

It wasn’t something that we deliberately planned on doing. It was a gradual progression from when we formed in 2011 to now, since our influences as individuals and as a band were always a little unorthodox. We just leaned into it more over the years.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yes, we’ve known each other since we were teenagers. Three of us went to the same college (guitarist Vinay, bass player Rahil, vocalist Kaushal). Our previous drummer, Mayur, was schoolmates with our bass player. We had met our current drummer, Vishnu, more than a decade ago, having played some gigs together on the same bill when he was in another band. Vishnu joined us in 2022 and turned out to be the perfect fit for us.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

All of us feel it’s extremely hard to pick a single favourite band, but if we had to pick one:

Kaushal (vocals) - Atheist

Vinay (guitars) - Gorguts

Rahil (bass) - Intronaut

Vishnu (drums) - The Dillinger Escape Plan

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

It’s a way to express ourselves, especially where words fail. Some of the best moments we have while playing live or writing music are impossible to explain. The excitement and satisfaction are unparalleled. The need to release our frustrations with daily life, things we see around us, and listening to a LOT of music itself are some of the reasons we write music.

6. Where was your last gig?

We did a mini-tour of the Northeastern part of India in August 2025, specifically Shillong, Sikkim, and Kolkata, with Kolkata being the last. That was one of our best shows in the recent past.

7. Where would you like to act?

If this means where we’d like to perform: We’d love to take this album outside India and play in places where audiences are really open to more extreme, weird, and experimental music. Europe and Japan are definitely high on that list.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

It would be great if we got features alongside some of our favourites: Gorguts, Voivod, Converge, Dysrhythmia, Demilich, and Atheist.

9. Whom not?

We’d avoid anything that feels forced or purely commercial.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Every artist experiences some degree of nerves regardless of how long they’ve been playing. But all it takes is a couple of songs at a show to get into it. Tips would be to rehearse your parts till it's muscle memory and to remember that the most important thing is to have a good time.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Some of the bands that inspired and influenced our sound include Voivod, Atheist, Gorguts, Watchtower, Dysrhythmia, Spastik Ink, Converge, Cardiacs, Blotted Science, Botch, Mico, Discordance Axis, Faxed Head, Dreadnot, and Behold... The Arctopus. At the same time, we draw from a much wider spectrum beyond just heavy music. From Pat Metheny to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, there’s very little that feels off limits when it comes to inspiration.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Someone once asked our drummer to slap him so that he could feel his strength. 

13. What do you think of your fans?

We’re just grateful that there’s a section of people who dig what we’re doing, especially since it’s not the easiest kind of music to get into. The fact that people show up and keep coming back means a lot to us.

14. What do you think of our site?

It’s great to see platforms like Breathing the Core that support underground and independent music. Spaces like this are important for bands like us to reach people who are actually looking for something different. A lot of this kind of music exists outside the mainstream, so having dedicated platforms that actively cover and promote it really helps keep the scene alive and accessible. It also gives listeners a place to discover bands they probably wouldn’t come across otherwise, which is just as important as supporting the artists themselves.

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