New Delhi, India · nu metal · folk metal · metal

Bloodywood

3 festivals played ↓

Indian nu-metal with dhol and flute in the front of the mix — anti-hate lyrics over some of the heaviest grooves going.

Bloodywood grew out of Karan Katiyar's habit of posting parody metal covers of Bollywood songs on YouTube, after he struggled to find a singer for the project. At a gig he met Jayant Bhadula, a talent manager with a wide vocal range, and the two formed the band in 2016. Katiyar quit his job as a corporate lawyer to pursue it full-time.

The band's sound sits in nu metal but folds in folk metal and metalcore, with dhol, flute and other Indian folk instrumentation running alongside distorted guitars. Vocals move between rap-influenced verses and singing, delivered in Hindi and English.

A 2017 cover of Linkin Park's 'Heavy', re-recorded in Linkin Park's own early nu metal style, drew attention from Metal Hammer and Loudwire, followed by covers of 'Tunak Tunak Tun' and 'Ari Ari'. The latter featured rapper Raoul Kerr, whose contribution led him to join the band permanently as the group turned toward original songs.

Original material followed the same directness: 'Jee Veerey', released with the counselling service HopeTherapy, addressed depression, and 'Endurant' dealt with bullying. The band's debut album, Rakshak, released in 2022, took on social and political subjects including sexual assault on the track 'Dana-Dan'.

Bloodywood signed to Fearless Records in 2024 and became the first Indian metal act to chart on Billboard. Recent singles include 'Nu Delhi' and 'Bekhauf', the latter featuring the Japanese band Babymetal.

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