When Kolkata-based guitarist Rishav Bhattacharya found himself sitting next to a Bangladeshi gentleman on his bus ride to a music festival in Dhaka earlier this year, he knew a conversation about their shared cultural and artistic heritage was on the cards. And so, they talked about heavy metal music.

“Bangladesh has a thriving metal scene; they are serious about their indie bands,” Bhattacharya tells us. The guitarist’s only complaint — the never-ending traffic jams in the neighbouring country. As Bhattacharya heads westward this weekend with his band Dreadhammer to perform in Mumbai, he might be in for a nostalgic trip of sorts.