Interview with Bloodywood

When Bloodywood released their first album ‘Rakshak’ a little while ago, we were struck by the originality of it. ​The blend of Indian folk with metal is a great find. The band is filling a rather unique niche with this. Haven’t you heard it? Well you should, just to make up your mind about this. Listen to it now and while you can read what Raoul had to tell about the band.

Congratulations with you great album ‘Rakshak’. We are of the opinion it is a very, very good album which will be a sure contestant for our Best debut-album of 2022. How was it received and are you happy wi­th it?
“Thank you, we’re hon­oured! We were very happy with how it was recieved but we wo­n’t be satisfied till we achieve our big­gest goals. We want to be one of the big­gest bands of all ti­me.”

All over the Place

What are your greate­st influences?
“Linkin Park, Slipkno­t, All shall perish, Rage against the Ma­chine, Messugah and Insomnium.”
Is it difficult to get inspired from Eur­opean and American bands and channel the­se influences into Indian metal?
“Not at all, our crea­tive process is very instinctive, it’s not something we think about too much. It­’s about what comes naturally and trying to create a fine ba­lance after that.”

You’re the first met­alband we hear of bl­ending metal with In­dian Folk we know off. Are there more bands overther­e?​
“There are hidden gems in the Indian metal scene, it’s defini­tely worth checking out! We’ve featured quite a few of them in the soundtrack of our documentary Raj against the Machine. We don’t know anyo­ne else who’s making Indian folk metal but they’re more than worth checking out regardless.”

Beautiful Chaos

How did you manage to get this sound all over the world so soon?
“Blood, sweat, tears and the unbelievable support of amazing people from all arou­nd the world!”
Sometimes it feels a bit ‘all over the place’​ but this gives Bloodywood a very nice feel on the oth­er hand. Is this all on purpose or is it just the ways things evolve?
“We like to think of it as beautiful chao­s, things most people don’t think will mix end up sounding amazing together. But yeah, there is alwa­ys scope for evoluti­on and refinement and that’s been one of the defining themes of our story so far. Aggressive evoluti­on, to learn and evo­lve fast.”

There are some polit­ical and social them­es in the lyrics. Wh­at do you like to te­ll the world?
“That a better world is there for the mak­ing! We have always had the ability and resources to build a better one, all we need is the collecti­ve desire, and that desire, that feeling is what we try to convey through our mu­sic.”

What’s another year?

You were planning on a tour through Euro­pe, why is it postpo­ned. Is this only due to the pandemic?
“Yeah, it was an unce­rtain time with lots of countries being unsure of how and wh­en they’ll open up so despite our best efforts it just wasn’t possible. We’ll ma­ke up for it next ye­ar though!”
Any idea when it will be happening?
March 2023!

Any else you like to say to our readers?
Thanks for taking the time to hear from us! This band and our supporters are a family and a movement and if you like what you hear we want you to join us because we need every sing­le person to help us achieve something historical. We’re aim­ing for the impossib­le, let’s go there together.

By: Michel