REVIEW: Bloodywood - Nu Delhi

Bloodywood’s sophomore album Nu Delhi sees the New Delhi quintet finding their stride after a stratospheric level rise to international fame since the pandemic. Across eight tracks, Bloodywood gives the feeling of hopping between roofs of buildings in the dead of night with a sense of urgency that only comes from a band ready to pack up and take over the world.

The album opens with ‘Halla Bol’ (Raise Your Voice), a track that is equal parts thrash and metalcore with gorgeous electric ambience, while introducing the ‘sit down and listen to us’ theme that is present throughout this project. The chopped chanting to introduce the listener creates a pit in the stomach akin to that of a soldier whose body has begun to anticipate the ambush, while the track itself is a dopamine producing machine that gets listeners ready to move. This blends into the self aggrandising 'Hutt' (Annoyed/Angry) - when Raoul Kerr tells us that critics were “looking down” on them but they’re “on the way up now” we 100% agree; the confidence that permeates from this track is by no means misplaced. The play on “we don’t give a- hutt…” did not go unappreciated either.

Third track ‘Dhadak’ is a favourite track contender - their signature sound permeating through the Dhol beat throughout, spliced with the broken vocals they are experimenting with on this project and matching with themes of persistence and making their music for the love of music. This is really Sarthak Pahwa’s time to shine as he elevates this track beyond its energetic metalcore grooves, and is a major player in its replayability.

Hitting its stride as an album from here there is second single and only feature ‘Bekhauf’ (Fearless), with said feature being metal heavyweights BABYMETAL; you know you’ve made it when! While the infusion of Indian folk sounds and instruments is what makes the Bloodywood sound, the inclusion of a more cookie-cutter metalcore song is yet more proof that they have the quality that the space they have carved themselves requires; from exemplary screams and belches that accompany the BABYMETAL signature songbird vocals, to the double bass workout Vishesh Singh completes on the drum kit behind. This single is the perfect demonstration of the grip Bloodywood have on their place in the scene, and fits wonderfully within its tracklist (not to mention, the beautifully animated music video that accompanied its release is more than worth anyone's time!).

Act 2 of this album is the better half if there is one, with the beginning of ‘Kismat’ (Destiny) serving as a mental-itch scratcher in its whisper rap then breakdown conjuring feelings of screaming atop the highest point of your hometown. As the name suggests, there’s themes of the realisation of dreams present within this song, with a sense of parasocial pride emerging as it’s proclaimed “I became all the heroes I believe in”. The breakdown in this track may also be the best on the project. The traversal energy is still strong in this track and this act, with 'Daggebaaz' offering the angst present more on debut Rakshak, but after this there is the strongest single ‘Tadka’ (Tempering).

Playing on a foodie theme, this song promotes togetherness and their supremacy as a band in equal parts. Starting with a trumpet and military style beat, Bloodywood compare their rise to fame and what they will do with it to traditional Indian hospitality, shouting out mum and grandma while they compare cooking in the kitchen to the cooking in the studio they have done on this project while they boast about the addictive quality of their sound. The vibe is optimistic metalcore, with the whole track working to build towards a finale from the gods - the fire inside the belly is definitely fanned, as are windows broken by the time the final burp rings out. The album closer is lead single and title track ‘Nu Delhi’, which needs no explanation: its tongue-in-cheek play on nu-metal and hometown New Delhi in its title exemplifies perfectly the blend of sounds that Bloodywood produces to create their signature sound, which captivates from start to finish.

Much of this album has been described as [adjective] metalcore, because it is simply what good metalcore should sound like - if you’ve been looking for the album to convince your friends of the quality of the subgenre, then this is it. As Kerr mentions in ‘Nu-Delhi’, diversity is a gift, and Bloodywood as a project, let alone this album, is a jewel in that crown: a no skips, full-energy offering that takes all of the wheat from their debut and cuts the chaff with skill. The confidence and resolve that is woven through each track is deserved for a band who have enjoyed an explosive first five years, so all that’s left to ask of them is to pick up their favourite bands from the Indian metal and hardcore scene and take them to worldwide audiences - they’ll be doing the heavy scene a generational favour.

Score: 7/10

Nu Delhi will be released on March 21st via Fearless Records.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Bloodywood