Bloodywood, the Indian metal band that has taken the world by storm with their unique blend of heavy music and traditional Indian folk music, is featured in a new BBC report on the band's successful move from being a parody band to a highly respected band on the metal scene. Following is an excerpt from the story.
"Apart from Bloodywood, no other Indian metal band is still performing at a grand scale," says Deep Bhattacharya, a Delhi resident.
Growing up in the capital in the late 2000s, Mr Bhattacharya has fond memories of attending metal gigs at homegrown cafes. But he says the consumption of metal dropped considerably, forcing some of the favourite acts on the scene - such as Scribe and Demonic Resurrection - to stop making music. "The popularity for international artistes has grown, but Indian bands have reached a dead end. People just don't want to spend money to watch them."
Mr Bhattacharya adds that Bloodywood was able to overcome this problem only because they managed to tap into a vast international audience, having first toured Europe in 2019. The band agrees with the assessment.
"From the start, we knew we had to make it big globally before we would get a chance to do it in India. Metal here is a tight-knit passionate community, but there aren't a lot of us," vocalist Raoul Kerr says.
Sahil Makhija (from Demonic Ressurection) says the seeming vacuum has something to do with the genre itself. Over the years, metal has metastasized into many subgenres that are constantly finding new takers and earning genuine praise. But it is still not the biggest selling genre anywhere in the world.
"When you compare it to pop music, metal is still an underground subculture. The difference is even more stark in India where only a handful of urban listeners consume the genre," Makhija says.
But that also does not mean the scene is over.
"Metal is alive in India," Makhija says. "There are children doing what we did 20 years ago."
Read the complete story here.
Bloodywood recently announced their upcoming Rakshak USA Tour. The tour, which will feature support from Vended and Wargasm, will kick off on May 2nd in Seattle, WA and make its way across the US ending with an appearance at the Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus Ohio on May 25th.
“We are thrilled to be back playing for our fans in the United States,” says Jayant Bhadula, vocalist of Bloodywood. “This tour is going to be a celebration of heavy metal, Indian culture, and the power of music to bring people together.”
“We can’t wait to share the stage with Vended and Wargasm,” adds guitarist Karan Katiyar. “Both bands are incredibly talented and we know that they are going to bring a ton of energy to every show.”
The Rakshak USA Tour is the latest in a series of exciting developments for Bloodywood, who have been making headlines around the world for their unique sound and energetic live performances (as they did representing their country and genre on Lollapalooza, India). With their infectious melodies, heavy riffs, and powerful lyrics, Bloodywood is poised to become one of the most exciting new bands in metal throughout the world. Their passionately advocated social causes complement their bold sound.
Tour dates
May
2 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
3 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
5 - Virginia Street Brewhouse - Reno, NV
6 - Goldfield Trading - Sacramento, CA
7 - Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
8 - The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA
10 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
12 - The Metro - Chicago, IL
13 - Pop's - St. Louis, MO
15 - Vibes Event Center - San Antonio, TX
16 - The Studio At The Factory - Dallas, TX
18 - Welcome to Rockville Festival - Daytona Beach, FL
19 - The Georgia Theater - Athens, GA
20 - Hangar 1819 - Greensboro, NC
22 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY
23 - HMAC - Harrisburg, PA
24 - Roxian Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA
25 - Sonic Temple Festival - Columbus, OH
Tracklist:
"Gaddaar"
"Aaj"
"Zanjeero Se"
"Machi Bhasad" (Album Version)
"Dana-Dan"
"Jee Veerey" (Album Version)
"Endurant" (Album Version)
"Yaad" (Album Version)
"BSDK.exe"
"Chakh Le"
"Dana-Dan"
"Gaddaar"
