MUMBAI: In the past 15 years, Navi Mumbai has gradually stepped up in several sectors to provide an alternative to Mumbai's festering issues. Be it real estate, infrastructure, educational facilities, scenic landmarks or the live music scene, Navi Mumbai appears to have understood the elements required to make a city bloom, and has worked on it.

On Sunday - 10 April - Belapur's Cult Lounge will host a DIY (Do It Yourself) metal gig called 'Black Blood.' Organised by Orcus' vocalist Adit Khanzode and MH43's frontman Keyoor Karadkhedkar, the lounge will open the gates for a six-hour long of pure unadulterated raw metal music. The beauty of DIY goes beyond the success of putting a show together, and staying true to the DIY scene, the participating bands of 'Black Blood', Orcus, Seth, Clay Crown, Emergency Trigger and Five of Castles, did not charge a single penny for the event.

"Lately, Keyoor and I observed that the way Navi Mumbai started with the promotion of all kinds of music, it hasn't stayed that way for the past couple of years. The scene is worse in colleges. Metal never receives the respect or acknowledgment from the officials, and the shows never happen. We want Navi Mumbai to return to the days when every weekend would offer a metal gig," said Khanzode, an engineer graduate from Navi Mumbai's RAIT college. Khanzode, although not the only metalhead to do so, focused on working as a musician as soon as he graduated and the latest effort to promote the genre surely deserves some attention, if not immediate applause.

Khanzode points out that the '1 pm to 7 pm' gig on a Sunday provides an ideal weekend escape to the metalheads. "Everyone's free on Sundays. In this case, the show ends at 7 pm. Metalheads attending the show can go home and recover from sore necks, f**ked up throats and hangovers before they head to work or colleges the next morning," explains Khanzode.

With alcohol served at MRP rates and free entry, Cult Lounge has won half of the battle essential for the promotion of the event. To put things in perspective, one could listen to the band performing while enjoying 30ml of Old Monk bought for Rs. 17. However, unlike Party La La La, 'Black Blood' did not carry extensive promotions like busking or unplugged gigs before the event.

Black Blood does not promise to transform the metal scene, nor tackle the mysterious disappearance of weekly metal gigs in Navi Mumbai, however Black Blood (and Party La La La) assures the lack of interest could be overcome and metal will survive if you - Do It Yourself.