Welcome to A Light in the Darkness. This is the fanlisting for the band Bloodywood. A friend of mine sent me a link to one of their cover song videos as a joke, and I fell in love with their sound. I found their music in a difficult time in my life, when I needed it most. The messages in their songs speak to me. They've quickly become one of my favorite bands because their sound shakes me to my core, and the lyrics hit my heart in a very personal way.
Give 'em a listen ... you might be surprised.
A brief intro:
Bloodywood has been described as "a metal band from India known for pioneering a sound that seamlessly fuses Indian folk instruments with metal to devastating effect." You can expect to hear the percussive power of the mighty Dhol, the melancholic flute, the single stringed Tumbi and several other uncommon, yet distinctly characteristic sounds from their home land. A combination of thunderous Hindi/Punjabi choruses and meaningful yet unforgiving rap verses along with the ethnic instrumentation makes Bloodywood a truly unique experience.
A bit of history:
Prior to forming the band, Karan Katiyar would regularly upload parody metal covers of popular Bollywood songs on YouTube, but he had trouble finding a suitable vocalist. Katiyar met Jayant Bhadula, who worked as a talent manager at an entertainment company, at a local gig, and was impressed by his vocal range and versatility. In 2016, Katiyar quit his job as a corporate lawyer and together with Bhadula formed a two-piece band with the intention of "destroying pop songs".
In 2017, Bloodywood re-recorded Linkin Park's song "Heavy" in Linkin Park's early nu metal style, catching the attention of many music websites such as Loudwire and Metal Hammer, the latter of which declared it "what Linkin Park's Heavy should have sounded like." The band went on to make more covers over the course of the year and released the compilation cover album Anti-Pop Vol. 1. This was followed by a metal cover version of the popular Punjabi song "Tunak Tunak Tun" by Daler Mehndi, featuring guest vocals from Bonde do Metaleiro.
In May 2018, Bloodywood released "Ari Ari", a composition based on the Punjabi folk song "Baari Barsi". The track featured rapper Raoul Kerr, whom Katiyar had invited to take part after working on a lyric video for him. Kerr would be featured in further Bloodywood songs, until he eventually became an official member of the band. Fan reception to the song was much better than to their previous covers, which encouraged the band to write original material and take more inspiration from Indian folk music. Later, Bloodywood partnered with the online counseling site Hope Therapy and released the song "Jee Veerey", dedicated to fighting depression and mental illness. With the release of the video, the band also gave away pre-paid online counseling sessions. On January 15th 2019, "Endurant", a song dealing with the topic of bullying, was released.
On April 21st 2019, it was announced that Bloodywood would be performing at Wacken Open Air. Two days later, the band released the song "Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)", initially intended for the upcoming Ubisoft game Beyond Good and Evil 2, as well as announcing that Kerr is becoming a permanent member of the band and that Bloodywood is embarking on their "Raj Against the Machine Tour."
Along with the messages included in their songs, the band aims to support various social/charity causes. Upon returning to India after their European tour, Bloodywood asked fans on Patreon to help support The Posh Foundation, a local NGO that cares for homeless animals, and donated the profits from their tour earnings to purchase a new ambulance for them.