BLOODYWOOD

Now that BLOODYWOOD have the world's attention, there really should be no stopping them. From winning the internet with their esoteric metal covers, to delivering a debut album (2022's "Rakshak") that easily backed up the hype, the New Delhi pit-starters have already defied the odds. Bands from what BLOODYWOOD refer to as "the wild, wild East" are always at a logistical disadvantage, but music this infectious, this vibrant, demands an audience, and it is almost impossible to imagine "Nu Delhi" failing to make the band even more popular. It certainly helps that metal media's current obsession with Nu Metal nostalgia has rehabilitated a lot of the musical ideas and well-worn tropes that made the genre so commercially potent 25 years ago, while wisely ignoring all the cringeworthy and regrettable aspects that, thankfully, were resoundingly rejected when metal got its act together again in the early noughties. In many ways, BLOODYWOOD are the antithesis of Nu Metal's worst excesses. Politically astute, fervently compassionate, and genuinely heavy in a way that most Nu Metal assuredly is not, they fly the flag for massive grooves, gritty sentiments and fearless cross-pollination of genres and cultures. Their sound is irresistible and the message it sends is crystal clear: metal is a global language, and these guys speak it eloquently.

If there was one problem with "Rakshak", it was that BLOODYWOOD occasionally exposed too obvious a debt to the Nu Metal bands of the past. Detours into mawkish, LINKIN PARK-like pop-metal detracted from the ecstatic rush of the band's heavier material and distracted from the scintillating Indian folk elements that make what they do so addictive. "Rakshak" was a solid start, but BLOODYWOOD were clearly capable of more. On "Nu Delhi", they deliver it.

This is a heavier, harder and more focused record than its predecessor. The opening "Halla Bol" sums up this creative step forward: bullish and bouncy, it repurposes the giant grooves of SOULFLY and ILL NIÑO, throws fistfuls of Indian folk embellishments into the mix, and then crushes everything in its path. Refreshingly uncompromising and strategically designed to cause absolute carnage at live shows, it trounces anything the first album had to offer. Similarly, "Hutt" is alt-metal at its most thunderous, takes its rhythmic cues from hip-hop and drum 'n' bass, and weaves electronics and oddball samples into its sledgehammer stomp, as vocalist Jayant Bhadula gruffly leads the charge over an avalanche of double-kicks. Elsewhere, "Dhadak" begins with a disgustingly heavy riff and only eases off the accelerator for a strange, mid-song breakdown, before letting rip once again.

Of course, it had to happen. BLOODYWOOD have recruited BABYMETAL for "Behkauf", and the resultant sound-clash is as sharp and sweet as expected, with flashes of stuttering electro-pop, hissing rave synths and Su-Metal's pristine vocals all adding to the futuristic fun.

Even better, "Kismat" is a wild and wayward exercise in hammering home the band's essence. The samples are high in the mix and deliriously intriguing, and the song itself switches seamlessly from triumphant arena rock to punishing tech-metal, replete with bone-shattering breakdowns, some rapid-fire rapping from Bhadula, and big, shiny metalcore chorus.

After the bruising, East / West mash-up of "Daggebaaz" and the rogue trumpets and tribal pulse of "Tadka", BLOODYWOOD lay down their ultimate blueprint on the album's title track. "Nu Delhi" is a glorious encapsulation of the band's music, with an utterly irresistible groove, all the Indian trimmings, and enough energy to keep this or any other party going long into the night. Festival crowds are going to lose their minds to this song, and BLOODYWOOD's future prospects look truly great as a result. Nailing their colors to the Nu Metal flag might not seem like the wisest move, but by upgrading the genre for a new era, they have stripped away most of its knuckleheaded flaws and somehow made it great again. Get ready to bounce.