BLOODYWOOD – Nu Delhi (Album Review)

Bloodywood‘s shift from viral screamo band to folk/djent/rap/prog/however the hell you describe Rakshak was as sudden as it was stunning. Rakshak is one of those rare debut albums that threatens to redefine an entire genre, and it comes from a band that was seemingly content to be a novelty act metalizing pop and Bollywood songs in the streets of their native New Delhi left unsuspecting audiences both whiplashed and hungry for more. The strength of that album and the power of their live performance – and seriously, these guys smoke the stage – made it clear to all who paid attention that Bloodywood had arrived. The question then became, would they be able to live up to the absurd expectations they’d set for themselves?

Briefly, the answer is yes. But it might take repeated listens to make that realization. On the first few spins, Nu Delhi sounded more of the same: cyclonic, earsplitting, and unapologetically forward-thinking fury. But it felt as if Bloodywood were just repeating themselves. The pounding rhythms, rapid-fire rapping, roaring savagery, and the inexorable homage to their heritage were all present with undeniable sincerity. It just sounded kind of samey at first.

It took a little under a week for it to dawn on me that Bloodywood doesn’t owe it to us the reinvent the wheel. They’ve done that already. Bloodywood is, after all, a band who have taken metal, rap, and Indian folk, broken them down, and reconstructed them entirely because merely blending them together wasn’t exciting or challenging enough. Ridding myself of the unreasonable expectation that they needed to do all that again was all I needed to appreciate Nu Dehli for what it is: a worthy successor to a monstrous introduction.

“Halla Bol” opens with eerie backmasked chanting that soon gives way to guitarist Karan Katiyar’s positively sinsiter bansuri. Seconds in, we’re in full groove territory, Katiyar‘s djentle crunch leading Vishesh Singh‘s frenetic drumming, Roshash Roy‘s thunderous bass, and Sarthak Pahwa‘s demonic abuse of the traditional dhol drum. By the time Raoul Kerr starts spitting his rabid rhetoric in tandem with Jayant Bhadula‘s bestial roar demanding that the masses raise their voices, we realize this can only be one band, as the Bloodywood sound is singular to the point that literally no other band out there sounds even remotely like them.

Thus we’re prepped for “Hutt,” a lethal inspirational that not only demands that Bloodywood’s audience do and be better but reassures them that however arduous the journey to self-actualization may be, it’s a shot worth risking even in the face of hatred. “Hutt” immediately stands apart for multiple reasons: this mid-paced motivational opens with Bhadula barking out two verses with Kerr providing the refrains. The band goes completely silent for the interlude, allowing a faint piano arpeggio to support a brief but beautiful violin melody that recalls Evergrey‘s “Words Mean Nothing,” over which Kerr’s righteous and relentless rage reminds us that we can take our curses and turn them into gifts. Perhaps I too hastily convinced myself these guys didn’t have any genre-bending left in them. Good thing I kept listening.

We can’t discuss Bloodywood without referencing Raoul‘s rapping. I claim exactly zero expertise in rap. But as a writer and occasional orator,  I absolutely envy the astute artistry and aptitude rappers like Busta Rhymes and Eminem harbor when they perform. Say what you will about the genre and the subject matters, but it is simply not possible to paint such vivid pictures using only words if you don’t have an astronomical level of skill, and being able to deliver those words with the amount of passion and precision these men have is a feat unto itself. The reason that the old Celebrity Death Match sketch featuring a bout between “the two greatest poets of all time: William Shakespeare and Busta Rhymes” was so hilarious is that it recognized that Rhymes’ output is no less indomitable than The Bard‘s simply because it’s street.

So does Raoul Kerr compare to these men? I’m not the one to answer that. But the fury of his delivery and the precision of his verbiage is powerful enough to convince me that it’s a point worth investigating. Raoul doesn’t just spit rhymes. He batters your mind and your eardrums with the wrath of a warlord, the passion of a preacher, and the prose of a civil rights icon, all while peppering his poetry with a sentiment towards his heritage that can only be described as “honor.”

Raoul Kerr‘s unashamed reverence for his roots and his decidedly modern approach to embracing them demand attention and admiration, and his elocution is such that it’ll rile an audience up for a full-on revolution even as he describes his mother’s biryani (see “Tadka”). This dude is good.

As if mixing Indian and Western musical approaches weren’t enough, “Bekhauf (Fearlessly)” takes things several thousand miles further, with Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi, and Momoko Okazaki (collectively known as Babymetal) contributing bridges and supplementing Bhadula on the refrains. Besides being a collaboration between the two most divisive groups in contemporary metal, “Bekauf” deserves recognition for being a true culture jam, seamlessly uniting an already eclectic sound with the kawaii craze of Babymetal‘s native Japan in a move that will surely piss off metal purists worldwide.

Those weenies would do well to get over themselves and take a few hard listens to this cut, as it will reward them with an invigorating anthem that urges them to defeat their own inner demons. Complete with an anime-inspired video, “Bekhauf” is a blatant attempt to rope in the growing legions of otaku and self-described weebs who like their music a bit on the heavy side. And you know what? I dig it and IDGAF what you have to say about that. And c’mon, three languages in one metal song? That’s some Orphaned Land shit right there. What’s not to love?

Nu Delhi also sees Bloodywood adding more electronics to their sound, mostly in the form of Eurodance-inspired keyboards, without sacrificing a micron of their metal cred. It all culminates to create a record that expands boundaries by obliterating them entirely, and only strengthens my conviction that metal is one of those genres that can go literally anywhere. Its optimism deters not at all from its furor, nor does its whimsy detract from its fortitude. A furious “fuck you” to chuds who mistakenly believe that SJW types are a bunch of wusses, the essence of Nu Delhi is best reduced to just two words: violently uplifting.

I can’t tell what’s harder to believe: that so much can happen in a barely half-hour record, or that a work of such merciless bloodthirst failed to grab me at first listen. Maybe I really do need therapy.

Release Date: March 21st, 2025
Record Label: Fearless Records
Genre: Heavy / Nu / Folk / Modern Metal

Musicians:

• Karan Katiyar / Guitars, flute, bansuri
• Jayant Bhadula / Vocals, growls
• Raoul Kerr / Rap vocals
• Vishesh Singh / Drums
• Roshash Roy / Bass
• Sarthak Pahwa / Dhol

Nu Delhi Track-list:

1. Halla Bol
2. Hutt
3. Dhadak
4. Bekhauf (Featuring Babymetal)
5. Kismat
6. Daggebaaz
7. Tadka
8. Nu Delhi

Order Nu Delhi here