Combining nu-metal, rap-metal and regional folk music, Indian heavy-metal outfit Bloodywood originally started out as a parody project in 2016 but quickly evolved into the real deal. Today, they are a beloved hard-rock act that is heavily involved in social work and charitable causes around mental-health awareness and animal welfare.
Formed in New Delhi by co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Karan Katiyar, Bloodywood also features vocalist Jayant Bhadula and rapper Raoul Kerr. It started out with Katiyar (a former corporate lawyer) and Bhadula (a talent manager) as a two-piece band with the intention of "destroying pop songs."
Bloodywood's first cover came in 2017 when the band re-recorded an immensely popular version of Linkin Park's "Heavy," which they followed with the 2017 compilation covers album Anti-Pop Vol. 1 featuring updated renditions of songs by Backstreet Boys, 50 Cent, Ariana Grande, and Nirvana, and was released on Bandcamp. The band also shared a metal cover version of the Bhangra/Indi-pop song "Tunak Tunak Tun" by Daler Mehndi, featuring guest vocals from Bonde do Metaleiro.
In 2018, Bloodywood released a cover of "Ari Ari" by the Bombay Rockers, which adapts an earlier version of the Indian folk song "Bars Barsi." The first song featuring vocals from Kerr, "Ari Ari'' became a streaming sensation, thanks in part to Bollywood actress Ileana D'Cruz sharing the track on social media.
The overall success of "Ari Ari" inspired Bloodywood to start writing original material, which they did in 2018 starting with the song "Jee Veerey." Bloodywood wrote "Jee Veerey" -- a song about fighting depression -- in partnership with the online counseling site HopeTherapy. The following January, the two released "Endurant," a song that dealt with the subject of bullying.
In spring 2019, Bloodywood embarked on their Raj Against the Machine Tour and performed at German hard-rock festival Wacken Open Air. Kerr was also invited to be a full-time member of Bloodywood in 2019. Two years later, Metal Hammer named Bloodywood as one of the "12 New Metal Bands To Watch In 2022."
In February 2022, Bloodywood released their debut studio album, Rakshak, which charted on Billboard (making Bloodywood the first Indian metal band to achieve this) and featured lyrics sung in English, Hindi and Punjabi. The lead single "Gaddaar" came out in November 2021 and featured political musings around the separation of church and state. The single "Aaj" dropped in January 2022 with a video shot in Munnar, Kerala.
Translating to "protector," Rakshak is about "a joint effort to protect people and the planet as a whole from all the challenges we're facing," according to Kerr in an interview with Metalutopia. "We hope to do this by eliminating the challenges altogether, because the best defense is a great offense. You'll hear messages about divisive politics, corruption, toxic news, sexual assault and bullying, as well as personal ones about battling depression and pushing your limits."
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