Indian metal has never had more bands or fewer obvious places to send a record. The scene runs on gigs, word of mouth and a handful of writers who actually listen to heavy music. If your band has a single, EP or album out — thrash from Bengaluru, death metal from Shillong, djent from Mumbai, black metal recorded in a bedroom in Delhi — this guide covers how to get it in front of editors properly, and how to submit it to Discography for free.

Why metal pitches fail more than most

Editors who cover heavy music get the same three mistakes again and again:

  1. The mix is unlistenable on laptop speakers. Most first listens happen on headphones or a laptop. If the guitars are a wall of mud and the vocals sit nowhere, the track gets skipped before the chorus. Get a proper master, even a modest one.
  2. No subgenre, no context. "We are a metal band from Pune" tells a writer nothing. Say "progressive death metal in the vein of early Opeth" or "crust-influenced hardcore". Precision tells the editor which writer should hear it.
  3. Lyric sheets and concept are missing. Metal records are often conceptual — mythology, politics, local history. If your album is about something, say so in two lines. That's often the hook for the whole review.

What a metal submission should include

  • One release. Pick the single or EP you most want heard. Don't send your entire discography.
  • A streaming or private link that works without logins. Private SoundCloud or a Bandcamp pre-release link is fine.
  • Full credits: who played what, who recorded, mixed and mastered. Metal readers care about this, and so do we.
  • Press photo and artwork links. Heavy artwork matters; send it at full resolution.
  • 2–3 lines that say what the record is, not how "brutal" it is. Every band is brutal.
  • City and release date.

That's exactly what the Discography form asks for, so if you prepare it once you can reuse it for every outlet.

Timing your metal release

Send your pitch two to three weeks before release if you have a confirmed date, or immediately after if it's already out. Discography accepts both. Avoid pitching the same week as a major festival lineup announcement in India, when every inbox fills up — and never chase an editor across Instagram DMs. Our rules are explicit: no DM submissions.

Writing the 2–3 lines

Bad: "Crushing riffs and soul-shattering vocals that will destroy your speakers."

Better: "Six-song death metal EP from Guwahati, written about the 2022 Assam floods. Tracked live in one weekend; mixed by our bassist. For fans of Gojira and Bloodywood's heavier side."

The second one gives a writer an angle, a scene, a sound reference and a reason to press play.

Where else to pitch metal in India

Build a short list: Indian heavy-music blogs and zines, metal-focused YouTube reviewers, local promoters who run showcase nights, college radio, and international metal webzines that take global submissions. Track who replied. Be wary of any outlet that wants money for a "guaranteed review" — that's advertising, and readers can tell. Our take on that is in Free Music Submission: Why You Should Never Pay for a Review.

What Discography listens for in heavy music

We don't grade metal on how heavy it is. We listen for identity: does the band sound like itself, does the record have a reason to exist beyond its influences, does the production serve the songs? A raw demo with a real idea can be more interesting than a polished record copying a Swedish template. Browse our metal coverage to see the kind of writing we do.

Checklist before you hit submit

  • [ ] Mastered audio, working link
  • [ ] Subgenre and 1–2 honest reference bands
  • [ ] Full lineup and production credits
  • [ ] Artwork and band photo at full resolution
  • [ ] Release date confirmed
  • [ ] One release only

Discography submission rules (checked live on discography.in/submit, 31 Oct 2026)

  • Submitting is free. We never charge for coverage, and anyone asking you to pay for a Discography review is not from us.
  • We cover Indian independent artists (and labels sending those artists' releases), wherever they live.
  • One release per submission. Released, or with a confirmed release date.
  • No DMs. Use the form.
  • No guarantee of coverage. We can't review everything; if we cover your release, we email you the link.

Full walkthrough of the form: Submit Music for Review: How to Pitch Discography. Broader pitching playbook: How to get covered by an indie music magazine.

→ Submit your release to Discography (free)

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