Bloodywood, a Delhi-based folk metal band, has slowly but steadily taken the music world by storm with their headcrushing metal music and socially relevant lyrics. The band, which was formed by guitarist-producer Karan Katiyar and vocalists Jayant Bhadula and Raoul Kerr, is set to perform at some of the world’s biggest metal fests, including Download Festival and Sonic Temple.
Calling it “too good to be true”, Kerr tells us, “At the same time, it’s also quite believable. We’ve fantasized about these kinds of stages and moments since we first started playing music. Luck has played a role, but we’ve also put in a lot of effort, so we believe we deserve it. We are confident that we belong on the world’s biggest stages.”
Bloodywood, which was founded in 2014, has made waves in the Indian and international music scenes with their blend of Western metal music and Indian instruments such as the tabla and dhol. Rang De Basanti, the band’s debut album, was released in 2016 and received widespread critical acclaim and praise from peers.
“It’s a fantastic feeling. We are deeply moved by the outpouring of gratitude. It’s a special time in an artist’s career when they’re proud of their work and it’s appreciated by both the audience and the industry. On that note, we do have higher aspirations and objectives for ourselves. We’re having a good time. However, we are also preparing for the next step,” Kerr adds.
The musical group has consistently composed tracks that address social issues, from ‘Machi Bhasad’ (Expect a Riot) to ‘Gaddaar’ (both 2022). “We want to use our music to make a positive impact on the world, so the message and lyrics are very important to us,” he says.
“We have always been the ones to put the most pressure on ourselves and have always used that pressure in a good way to achieve our goals. However, we’ve learned the value of rest; it’s about working smarter as well as harder,” he concludes.
