Goa prog metal band Within Ceres. Photo: Darius Fernandes
Goan prog metal band Within Ceres are in esteemed company like Gojira, Metallica and Pantera, with three of their songs now added to the video game Rocksmith+.
The play-along game by Ubisoft, which allows users to plug in their guitars and keyboards to hone their chops on their favorite tracks, will feature Within Ceres songs “Untether,” “Dissonance” and “Skyless” starting Mar. 28, 2025.
Within Ceres are likely the second Indian metal band to have their songs on Rocksmith+, the game previously including songs by Pune thrash metallers Kill The King.
The band’s guitarist and composer-producer Odin De Sa, who also works at Ubisoft India as music content lead, says, “It’s been a dream come true working with Rocksmith+ and having the opportunity to feature my music with them. This time around, it was part of Rocksmith‘s initiative for finding upcoming rising talents. It also helped that our music and playing style fit well with the game.”
Within Ceres did have an added advantage with De Sa being part of Ubisoft India, but it wasn’t necessarily straightforward in terms of the songs being accepted.
Ubisoft Inc’s music content director Anthony Martinez says, “Because of Odin’s connection with Rocksmith+, we took extra steps in our music screening process to ensure fairness […] Everyone agreed that Within Ceres would be a great addition to the app. Their music is not only fun and challenging to play but also has a unique sound that we hope players will enjoy as much as we do.”
The criteria for songs to be added to Rocksmith+ is multifold, as Martinez tells Rolling Stone India. Popularity is key, but not always a priority. “While we prioritize popular songs, we also aim to include tracks from underrepresented artists, genres, languages, and countries to ensure that Rocksmith+ can offer something to everyone,” he says.
Other pre-requisites include playability, being eligible for release on the game (which means all songs are legally cleared for use) and regional availability.
This new catalog inclusion of Within Ceres also serves as Rocksmith+’s intent to incorporate more folk, rock and metal from all over the world in their game.
Within Ceres, for their part, are releasing two more singles this year and will be taking the stage in Bengaluru on Mar. 23, 2025 as part of gig series Modern Machines featuring Mumbai metallers Zygnema, among others. In April, Within Ceres are also heading to Pune to support Hyderabad thrash/death metaller Godless on the latter’s EP launch tour.
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