Indian Folk Metal band Bloodywood has returned to the metal scene with their sophomore album, Nu Delhi. Following their first album, Rakshak that was released in 2022, Nu Delhi continues to stick to Bloodywood ’s roots.
Hailing from New Delhi themselves, this album pays homage to the band’s homeland. Changing the spelling of ‘new’ in their album is a nod to their nu-metal influence. The sound Bloodywood creates is an intricate mix of several different genres, infusing nu metal, metalcore, hip-hop, melodic rock, and Indian folk music, Bloodywood is one of the most unique bands in the scene right now. It’s hard to pinpoint their exact sound, but what they do, they do well. It is working for them and they should absolutely stick to it.
Since I originally heard Bloodywood for the first time, I have been a fan. Their sound is so unique and I have loved the messages in their songs. These three men, Karan Katiyar, Jayant Bhadula, and Raoul Kerr, are not afraid to be themselves and stick up for the things that they believe in. I find that incredibly admirable and have been itching for new music from them for a while. Finally, three years later, we get that chance. But the wait was definitely worth it.
The album kicks off with the song “Halla Bol”. It opens up with a unique Indian folk sound, followed by chanting. As the chants go to a halt, the guitars kick in and you already know you are in for a fun start. This song, like many other Bloodywood favorites, fluctuates between English and Hindi. Usually the rap is in English and the singing is performed in Hindi, and this song follows that same formula. This song is about not letting anyone’s opinions get to you. Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t follow your dreams. I’m sure when Bloodywood started as a band, they had so many people telling them they can’t be successful, and now look at them. They are one of the biggest up and coming bands in the scene. This song as the opener of the album is a testament to their success. It’s a big F you to the people who told them they can’t do it.
“Halla Bol” is a great transition into the next two songs, “Hutt” and “Dhadak”. “Hutt” is a rap heavier song while “Dhadak” has more of the metal influences within it. Both songs drive home the message that is originally stated within “Halla Bol”, don’t doubt us. “Dhadak” has a great lyric that I find myself constantly coming back to, “I be aimin’ for the stars, forget the tower”. This is likely a nod to Qutb Minar, a tower found in one of New Delhi’s oldest cities. The history infused within the lyrics is incredibly fun. It makes me reach out and learn new things that I wouldn’t have known about previously.
The fourth track on the album is the second single that Bloodywood released, “Bekhauf” featuring BABYMETAL. This song was released back in December and it was also with this release that Bloodywood announced the album. The song kicks off with influences from both BABYMETAL and Bloodywood, with heavy guitar riffs and synths. While Bloodywood already utilizes two languages within their songs, the introduction of BABYMETAL now introduces Japanese. Both the Pre-chorus and the post-chorus are sung by the members of the Japanese metal band, in both Japanese and in Hindi. This song is a great mesh of Asian cultures and was a really fun single.
In addition to this collaboration between the two bands, Bloodywood will be supporting BABYMETAL on their upcoming U.S. tour. The first half will feature Black Veil Brides as support and the second half will feature Jinjer as support as well.
After “Bekhauf” you are led into “Kismat”, which they also released a visualizer for. You can watch it here. This song has strong Indian influences throughout. While most of their songs include their folk roots, you can certainly hear it more here, especially in the beginning with the instrumentals. That theme carries through to the breakdown, where right before you hear a sitar playing. Often found in Indian music, the sitar brings a nice contrast to the electric guitars. The sitar carries through even into the breakdown, which makes this a strong contender for my favorite track off the album.
Track six brings us to “Daggebaaz”. In this song, we see more of the rap and metal influences as per usual, but we get to see the guys bring out their nerdy side. In verse three, there is an anime reference to One Piece. Kerr states “Free man living like a straw hat pirate”. For non-anime fans, perhaps this goes right over their heads, but this is a fun reference to the main character of One Piece, Luffy.
The second to last song on the album is “Tadka”, which transports listeners into Indian culture through their constant mentions of food. Even though there is no mention of a specific type of food, when he mentions “cooking of a mother” all I can imagine is sitting down with a giant plate of curry and naan. The trumpets in the beginning of the song are also a nice touch. Unfortunately, the song’s constant mention of food is punctuated by a giant burp at the end of the song. Instead of a classic metalcore BLEGH, which we get at the end of “Bekhauf”, in “Tadka” we are dealt a burp. It certainly drives home the meaning of the song.
The album comes to a close with the first single of the album and the title track, “Nu Delhi”. Bloodywood paid homage to their home in this song, and they absolutely did it justice. “Nu Delhi” encapsulates everything Bloodywood stands for. It is the perfect closing track on an already great album.
While Bloodywood made fans wait three years for their next release, it was certainly worth the wait. This album combines several genres together, but in a way that is not overcrowded; they all work well together. Coming in at eight songs and 33 minutes, this is a great, fun album. If you are looking for a new, fresh voice in the metal genre, look no further.
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