THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bloodywood are the torchbearers and barrier-breakers of metal from India, their hard-hitting folk, yet modern metal sound making the world sit up, take notice and show up to sing along.
Bloodywood first caught the attention of the internet with their YouTube channel, when multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Karan Katiyar and vocalist Jayant Bhadula were about to get deadly serious about their craft. Bolstered by the support they were getting, Bloodywood dropped Ari Ari in 2018. A Punjabi folk song made famous in the early 2000s remix boom in India by hip-hop act Bombay Rockers, Bloodywood pushed it further with help from the gritty conscious hip-hop artist rapper Raoul Kerr.
With the additional accessibility from Kerr’s English verses, Katiyar’s inimitable flute melody and Bhadula’s powerful vocals, the band’s first original Jee Veerey (2018 – a song about mental health) brought a flood of praise from around the world. With the release of Jee Veerey, the band discovered their own sound and message. Songs like Endurant (anti-bullying anthem) and Machi Bhasad (Expect A Riot) in 2019 saw Bloodywood level up, adding Kerr as a full-time member. “We’re trying to push the limits of the impact that music can have on the world,” he Kerr. “Whether it’s the battles within or the fight for a better world, our sound is meant to bring everyone together and win.
Joined on tour by drummer Vishesh Singh (a fixture since their early days), bassist Roshan Roy (a seasoned figure in New Delhi’s indie music scene) and dhol player Sarthak Pahwa, Bloodywood took their music out of the studio and to concerts across Europe, U.K. and Russia for their first tour. The sold-out Raj Against The Machine tour in 2019 was proof that an Indian metal band’s global online following would convert into packed venues.
Even a pandemic couldn’t stop the juggernaut that was Bloodywood — Yaad in early 2020 deepened their storytelling. The band followed it up in 2021 with Gaddaar, taking aim at how politicians use religion to gain votes. Songs like Aaj and Dana Dan (the latter rallying against rape culture) built up to the release of their debut album Rakshak in 2022. It was important to them to keep fighting the good fight, whether it was against one’s closely held inner demons or the decaying standards of global governance. It earned them a nomination for Best International Breakthrough Artist at the Heavy Music Awards in 2022. Bloodywood went on to perform to packed crowds, selling out storied venues from New York City and London to Tokyo, while playing in front thousands at festivals across the world.
“We couldn’t believe how much the band means to the fans. They bring flags to the show, get our lyrics tattooed, give us personalized gifts and most importantly share the hell out of our music,” says Jayant. “We are blessed to have such great supporters that not only do they connect with the music, but they also become one with it. They may not understand all the languages we sing in, but we feel their passion as they sing those words along with us.”
The introduced their latest album Nu Delhi by sharing the video for Tadka, another gritty and groove metal anthem with traditional instrumentation. The song packs a nu-metal punch, pairing monster truck-sized riffs and hellbound screaming with classic sounds that reflect their culture. Bloodywood walk the line between genres fearlessly and without a net, and the result is a hard rock banger unlike which you’ve heard before. It’s quite a tasty track — literally. “Tadka is a metal tribute to Indian food,” the band declare. “The word Tadka is a cooking process in Indian cuisine where spices are heated in hot oil or ghee to create a more aromatic flavor… It’s about going the extra mile in the pursuit of a greater flavor.”
The band continues, “The song highlights the multi-faceted chaos of Indian kitchens that are tasked with perfectly executing centuries-old recipes on a daily basis as well as the immense joy they brings to most people. This is a never-ending love story that connects an entire nation. From the fanciest fine dining restaurants to the simplest road side stall, everyone brings something magical to the table, but the undisputed champion of the cuisine is the Indian household kitchen. When you fuse these recipes and techniques with the love of an Indian family home, the result is unbeatable.” It’s the kind of joy that Bloodywood just had to share — so they did.”
