My HeadBangers please welcome from New Delhi, India the metal band:
BLOODYWOOD
“Aaj”
“Gaddaar”
The band says “Gaddaar” is a song that’s aimed at a complete separation of religion and politics across the world. Everyone deserves equal rights and equal treatment at the hands of their governments no matter who and how they worship. We’ve seen the use of religious and divisive politics globally in recent years and it needs to be spoken about.
Let’s look at some bio on this band taken from their website, they are kicking ass guys….
Bloodywood is a Folk Metal band from India known for pioneering a sound that seamlessly fuses Indian Folk instruments with Metal to devastating effect. Expect to hear the percussive power of the mighty Dhol, the melancholic Flute, the single stringed Tumbi and several other uncommon yet distinctively characteristic sounds from India. A combination of thunderous Hindi/Punjabi Choruses and meaningful yet unforgiving Rap verses along with the ethnic instrumentation, makes Bloodywood a truly unique experience.
Prior to forming the band, Karan Katiyar, who was a corporate lawyer, would regularly upload parody metal covers of popular Bollywood songs on YouTube, but he had trouble finding a suitable vocalist. At a local gig, Katiyar met Jayant Bhadula, who worked as a talent manager at an entertainment company, and was impressed by his vocal range and versatility. In 2016, Katiyar quit his job and together with Bhadula formed a two-piece band. with the intention of “destroying pop songs”.
In 2017, Bloodywood re-recorded Linkin Park’s song “Heavy” in Linkin Park’s early nu metal style, catching the attention of many music websites such as Loudwire and Metal Hammer, the latter of which declared it “what Linkin Park’s Heavy should have sounded like.” The band made more covers in 2017 and released the Compilation cover album Anti-Pop Vol. 1 on their Bandcamp page. This was followed by a metal cover version of the popular Bhangra/Indi-pop song “Tunak Tunak Tun” by Daler Mehndi, featuring guest vocals from Bonde do Metaleiro.
In 2018, Bloodywood released “Ari Ari”, a cover of the Bhangra song “Ari Ari” by the duo Bombay Rockers, which itself was a version of the Indian folk song “Baari Barsi”. The track featured rapper Raoul Kerr, whom Katiyar had invited to take part after working on a lyric video for him. The song’s initial exposure was provided by Bollywood actress Ileana D’Crux, who shared the video of “Ari Ari” on her social media. The positive reception from fans encouraged the band to write original material and draw more inspiration from Indian Folk Music.
In July of the same year, Bloodywood partnered with online counselling site HopeTherapy and released the song “Jee Veerey”, dedicated to fighting depression and mental illness. On 15 January 2019, the band released “Endurant”, a song dealing with the topic of bullying.
On April 21, 2019, it was announced that Bloodywood would be performing at WACKEN OPEN AIR!!!!! Two days later, the band released the song “Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)”, initially intended for the upcoming Ubisoft game Beyond Good and Evil 2, as well as announcing that Kerr is becoming a permanent member of the band and that Bloodywood is embarking on their “Raj Against the Machine Tour”.
In 2021, Bloodywood was named one of the “12 new metal bands to watch in 2022” by the heavy metal and rock music magazine Metal Hammer. They were also nominated for the Breakthrough Asian Band title at the 2021 Global Metal Apocalypse awards, finishing second.
Bloodywood’s debut studio album of original material is titled Rakshak and was released on February 18, 2022.
Along with the messages included in their songs, the band aims to support various social/charity causes. With the release of the video for their song “Jee Veerey”, they gave away pre-paid online counselling sessions.
Upon returning to India from their 2019 European tour, Bloodywood donated the earnings to Posh Foundation, a local NGO that cares for homeless animals, for the purchase of a new ambulance.
Ok I’m totally in love with these guys.
Let’s meet the band:
Karan Katiyar – guitars, flute, production and composition
Jayant Bhadula – vocals, growls
Raoul Kerr – rap vocals
Touring members:
Sarthak Pahwa – Dhol
Roshan Roy – Bass
Vishesh Singh – Drums
My thoughts:
My HeadBangers know I am not a lover of rap, but I will say this one is different to me. I love how they have incorporated rap, growl vocals, and just the energy in their music got me the first time I heard them. Not to mention helping out the animals, can they do no wrong? I was really intrigued by them, you have to check them out YouTube, Facebook, they’re everywhere. Did I say I love their energy, well let me say it again HeadBangers. Oh and you guys know I love my MetalHeads in jeans and a t-shirt, however that black outfit with all those chains is pure swag. My eyes went right to it. Then performing at WACKEN, perkele!!!! Check them they are going to be around for a long time.
Well that’s it for this week. Join me next week for another band and another song. In the meantime don’t stand to close to the fire if you can’t handle the burn…
Please feel free to leave me a comment or question, I appreciate it HeadBangers: