THE internet is a weird and wonderful place, allowing bands from anywhere in the globe to have a crack at global stardom. No longer dependent on being at the epicentre of any scene, bands can suddenly capture the imagination of netizens worldwide due to serendipity, unique proposition or both.
In the case of Bloodywood, it most certainly the case of having both align at the same time. Formed in 2016, Bloodywood started as a parody metal band with founding member Karan Kartiyar uploaded songs fusing popular Bollywood tunes with metal elements. Later joining forces with Jayant Bhandula, they recorded an absolute killer version of Linkin Park’s Heavy, which set the internet alight.
Giving the band confidence to start writing original material which reflects their Subcontinent origin, Bloodywood set about with the blueprint of merging the disparate sounds and influences to create someting new and refreshings.
Ditching his corporate lawyer gig, Karan was able to concentrate on Bloodywood full time, resulting in the band’s debut Rashak in 2022. Bloodywood became the first band from India to crack the Billboard charts.
The latest LP Nu Dehli was released on March 21 to much fanfare, with title track already ammassing over 5 million streams on Spotify. Not far behind is the band’s collaboration with Japanese genre benders Baby Metal – Bekhauf crossing the four million mark.
The shadows of Linkin Park and Korn loom large here as tunes such as Hutt and Dhadak could very well have come off the latest of the former. The Fieldy-worship can be heard on the bass heavy Daggebaaz which is no bad thing, given how well that particular sound melds with Bloodywood’s Indian elements.
The fusion never feels forced, instead it just works with the pounding rhythms, whether it is Bhangra or a popular flute motif adding plenty of colour and no small amount of panache to the proceedings. Even when the band sings in its native language, it just sounds right. Never once does it cross into the territory of cheesiness or cliche.
The album’s just over 30-minute running time is just the perfect length as not to overstay its welcome, diluting its impact into a novelty. The tunes are hard. heavy and well-crafted, with the fusion of Indian elements adding just the right dash of freshness to the genre of nu-metal.
Nu-metal was never afforded the kudos it deserved. Perhaps, Bloodymetal’s Nu Dehli will change that.
