‘Machi Bhasad’ in Mumbai

Bloodywood at Craufurd arms, UK

It is not often that you see an Indian band enter multiple Billboard charts for their debut album. Bloodywood, a New Delhi-based folk-metal band, marked history by being one of the first Indian metal bands to be counted 13 Billboard charts for Rakhshak, released in February this year. According to a post shared by the band about a month ago, they ranked second on the Current Hard Music Albums, third on the New Artist Albums chart, ninth on the Current Rock Albums chart, 35th on Album Sales, fifth on the Record Label Independent Current Albums chart and 11 on Internet Albums, among many more.

Formed in 2016 by Karan Katiyar (guitarist and producer) and vocalist Jayant Bhardula, Bloodywood began as a parody band that uploaded metal covers of pop songs and Bollywood songs on YouTube. They released their original, Machi Bhasad (Expect a riot) only in 2019, and officially introduced rapper Raoul Kerr as part of their band.

Roshan Roy, Sarthak Pahwa and Vishesh Singh on bass, dhol and drums respectively, join Jayant Bhadula, Karan Katiyar and Raoul Kerr performances

They use Indian instruments such as dhol, tumbi, nagada and the flute, making them the signature part of their sound. Their unique talent is the perfect balance they create between the desi instruments and the traditional heavy metal ones, such as distorted guitars, drums and bass. Rakshak is a combination of previously released singles along with some new tracks. "We were in lockdown and were fortunate to not suffer from COVID, so we turned that time to work on our debut album," says Kerr. Before even performing a live show with their originals, the band went on a Europe tour in 2019.

The 10-track album revolves around the theme of protector. "It means protector not only in the individual sense, where it is looking out for you as a listener, but also in the sense of a global community," explains Kerr. "A protector that brings together everyone and who is willing to fight for a better world." In the individual sense, the band hopes that their music will help the listener tap into their own self, and help them battle their demons and depression. The trio has been successful in this with their debut original, Jee Veerey. In their documentary, Raj Against the Machine, which was released in 2019, there are clips of foreign fans attesting how the song helped them in dark times; many of them also had its lyrics tattooed on their body.

The reason for their growing international audience is that "India's metal scene is still growing," says Kerr. "It was not part of our culture for the longest time, so not too many people are familiar with it. It is more popular abroad because it has a longer history than here." However, this, he believes is changing slowly, and metal is still big at college festivals.

The band's upcoming tour - Nine Inch Naans - is a play on the renowned American rock band, Nine Inch Nails. "We love puns, so we thought it would be funny," chuckles Kerr. Their documentary, Raj Against The Machine, is also a similar play on the band Rage Against The Machine. "All of us are very intense on stage but when you meet us in real life, we love to have a laugh, and are always joking and smiling," he adds.

The India leg of their tour will start in Mumbai, followed by Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Delhi. In August, they will tour Europe, and head to the US tour in September. "We have heard so many great things about Mumbai and the [metal] community here. People should expect a riot," Kerr concludes.

WHAT: Bloodywood's Nine Inch Naans Tour
WHEN: July 14
WHERE: antiSOCIAL, Mumbai
For: Rs 943 onwards
TO BUY: insider.in