Rudra
Brahmavidya: Primordial I
9.5
Why can't we get more submissions from Singapore? Am I the only person that consistently notices how huge metal seems to be over around that part of the world? Coining the term "Vedic metal", Rudra have a firm grasp on a style that's always interesting and very much their own. Deriving a lot of influence from Hindu culture, not only in their name and titles, but in their music as well. I can't say whether this will catch on in other circles, but I'd like nothing more than for it to expand into something greater.
At the heart of it, Rudra play dirty, raw, blackened thrashy metal — pretty fucking well, at that. But there's also a very prevalent Middle Eastern, but predominantly Indian element. With a lot of bands, exotic leads and cultured singing are either bogged down by being too unconventional in metal or are just done tastelessly, however, Brahmavidya Primordial I is rife with as much catchiness as it has personality. Rudra succeed primarily in being able to combine the two, but remain under the pretense of metal. They're not struggling with trying to make something overly artful and pretentious. I'm not entirely sure why, but something about the album reminds me of the underrated band, Kvist. "Ananya Chaitanya" uses some clean acoustic guitar and chanted vocals, which provide a nice contrast and balance to the skillful guitar shredding heard moments previous to it. There's also the incorporation of some unusual percussive effects, as can be witnessed on "The Pathless Path To The Knowable Unknown", which ends with some spectacular hand-drum playing. It's honestly got everything you'd expect - nothing's half-assed. Trance inducing passages along with beautiful female singing, "There The Sun Never Shines" is one of the more engrossing tracks I've heard in quite some time. With their lush instrumentation, every track has something different to offer.
To reiterate what I said before, while there's so much culture within these songs, they're heavy. They're a metal band, and they don't let you forget it for a moment. Take "In The Fourth Quarter Turiya" for example. Despite there being a rather peaceable instrumental track before, this song rains down a storm of intensity, guaranteed to appease anyone with a critical ear for vicious sound.
Listening to Rudra right after The Firstborn makes me crave a resurgence of this style. It's amazing considering the amount of people who are unfamiliar with bands like the two I just mentioned, Melechesh, and Orphaned Land. It's exciting to witness death/black metal bands rise up from countries that don't get a lot of mention in regards to the genre. Rudra have produced something incredibly decent and worth listening to. It would be a definite shame if a year from now, this brilliant band was still unheard of. So take a hint and grab this at all costs.
Related
RudraBrahmavidya: Immortal I
3/3/2011