In Bloodywood, India Has Its Great Metal Crossover Act Once Again

Among the common sights when you’re spotting band t-shirts at music festivals is brutal death metal band Gutslit’s ‘The Chainsaw Massacre’, a white t-shirt with artwork by the band’s drummer and visual artist Aaron Pinto aka Kidsquidy. On it, a grinning yet cartoon unicorn (with a chainsaw for a horn) is sat amongst guts and eyeballs.

It’s telling of the impact that Gutslit made when they played Bacardi NH7 Weekender in 2019, being among the heaviest bands on the bill of a multi-genre gathering that’s still hailed as “the happiest festival.”

Even out at Lollapalooza India this past week in Mumbai, plenty of Gutslit’s unicorn t-shirts were seen and perhaps fans were just as eager to see the next big crossover taking place on a whole different level – that of New Delhi folk-metal band Bloodywood performing on day one. The early evening set by the quintet comprising guitarist-producer Karan Katiyar, vocalists Jayant Bhadula and Raoul Kerr, drummer Vishesh Singh, bassist Roshan Roy and dhol player Sarthak Pahwa was one for the books, arguably making them the one metal act that’s blowing up not just around the world, but also in India.

While their lyrics are in Hindi, English and Punjabi, the dhol makes all the difference over the modern metal grandiosity. Bloodywood have got heart, but are also about the beatdowns and the groovier rap-friendly production. Songs like “Aaj,” “Jee Veerey,” “Dana Dan” and “BSDK.exe” are bookended by stage talk from Bhadula and Kerr about fighting battles personal and societal, pushing back against prevailing narratives. They talk about politics and religion on “Gaddaar” but also bring the party with their earliest hits like “Ari Ari.”

At Lollapalooza India, the crowd was won over (or at least certainly drawn in with intrigue and bemusement) by the themes and sonic blend that was unfolding like an aural assault in front of them, especially at a festival that had no other heavy music representatives. This has been the case at pretty much every festival Bloodywood has been booked to play in India over the last few months, since the release of their album Rakshak in 2022. The only real exception is Mahindra Independence Rock, where they were on the bill with several other rock and heavier acts.

With more appearances coming up at Oddball Festival 2023 in February in New Delhi and Bengaluru, Bloodywood have arguably become the metal act that every festival wants to book, from Goa to Meghalaya to Kochi. Overseas, they’re about to add the likes of Hellfest, Graspop Metal Meeting and Download Festival in Europe, plus Sonic Temple and Welcome to Rockville in the U.S. alongside legendary rock and metal bands.

After post-hardcore band Scribe’s fun-metal who were a fixture at several Indian music festivals across the board, Bloodywood have proven that heavy music can have a place on any lineup, because they’re big draws now. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that festivals may take a chance on more metal bands in general. Would this special spot only be reserved for Bloodywood’s more accessible style of metal?

Even as festivals grow and get added (and subtracted, thanks to the pandemic) on our calendars, it’s fair to say India’s independent music festival-supporting circuit is only so big. Would Bloodywood get booked over and over and risk being overexposed with the same material in their Rakshak album cycle?

Some annual festivals like Vh1 Supersonic could have them next edition, which means that for now, Bloodywood are sitting (deservedly) high on the wishlist for fans and festival promoters like. If new material is on its way soon, then they’ll likely get in the groove of being festival darlings in the long run.