Album Review: Bloodywood - Nu Delhi
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I remember once upon a time, many years ago, being enthralled by a sport that was being broadcast on British TV for the first time. That sport was Kabaddi, and I bloody loved it, the chanting, the tactics, the theatrics, it was like watching controlled chaos. Fast forward many years, and it was this exact same feeling when I first heard Indian metallers Bloodywood.
Their use of ancient Indian instruments entwined with nu-metal musings covering Punjabi folk songs, was something different and fresh, and they’ve never looked back. “Nu Delhi” sees the band showcase an unmatched view into a modern Indian perspective with eight new songs that are influenced by their culture and will win them many more fans in the process.
It begins with “Halla Bol” which tackles incidents of historical importance, and the pace is relentless from the start, with guitarist Karan Katiyar in full flow demonstrating his skills with killer riffs, assisted superbly by Vishesh Singh on drums, Roshan Roy on drums and Sarthak Pahwa on the dhol. As Katiyar says, “there’s an element of danger to the sound of the album, as we’ve changed as individuals” and they tackle the ideas of self-validation and standing up to negative noise, with the powerful “Hutt”.
I love the dual vocals from Raoul Kerr and Jayant Bhadula, as they are constantly locked in warfare, whilst complimenting each other seamlessly. The music speaks for itself, with that traditional folk sound pulsating all over the album, being merged with superb composition to create inspiring songs. “Dhadak” sees more melody, but that bass still rips hard, before there’s a collaboration with Babymetal on the superb “Bekhauf”. Jayant sings in Hindu, “No Force can restrain me; Every stride is firm and sure. I conquer every battle, Fearlessly.” and this will become anthemic as time goes one, it is that good a song.
There’s a traditional and intriguing opening to “Kismat” as their melting pot of western and eastern sounds clashes with a rap metal vocal. The riff gets faster and harder to create a high-octane song that it going to be fuel for many festival pits over the years. There’s no let up with “Daggebaaaz” coming straight at you like an exocet missile. This demonstrates what the band are all about, and the execution is exemplary.
“Tadka” sees the band singing about one of their many passions…food!!! As Raoul raps “because our food was made to win hearts like a wager…vicious and delicious” it adds that little bit of extra spice to the music. It has a section at the start that reminds me of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” but don’t let that detract you from the genius of the song. The album is ended with the title track, “Nu Delhi” which is an obvious play on their music genre and their hometown’s post-colonial name. I loved the opening line, “welcome to the land of the wild, wild east” as they embrace their heritage and culture once again and should be applauded for an album that is going to shake the metal scene to its core.
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