Rising Indian folk metal stars BLOODYWOOD have announced their signing to Fearless Records with the release of Nu Delhi, their first piece of recorded music since 2022’s Rakshak album. Alongside the announcement, they’ve revealed plans for their biggest European and UK tour to date, dubbed ‘Return of the Singh’.
Nu Delhi pays homage to their home city, expanding on the band’s unique signature sound, blending Punjabi and English lyrics and utilising native instruments like the flute and the dhol, against a powerful, stomping metal backdrop.
On the new single, the band comments: “Nu Delhi is our love letter to New Delhi, the city that raised us, where we grew up dreaming of doing exactly what we are now. It’s a city of vibrant chaos, filled with love yet quick to set you straight if you overstep. It’s not just a city, it’s a game of chess.”
Expanding on the signing to FEARLESS, they declare: “We’ve always been DIY to the core, figuring things out ourselves rather than relying on others. The success we achieved with Rakshak, all on our own showed us what we’re capable of. But now, we’re ready for the next chapter. Now we wanted to see what a label could bring to the table. We wanted a partner who’s as passionate and committed to our music as we are. We found that partner in Fearless Records, and we’re excited to kick off this collaboration with the release of our first single from the new album.”
The mammoth 26-date RETURN OF THE SINGH European and UK tour will see BLOODYWOOD cross the continent from Italy to Scandinavia, Poland to the UK.
On returning to the EU and UK, BLOODYWOOD couldn’t be more excited: “Our very first tour back in 2019 kicked off in Europe, and we’ve always felt an incredible amount of support from both Europe and the UK. It’s like a second home to us. We’re thrilled to be back, bringing intense riffs, hard-hitting beats, and a ton of new material, along with the classic Bloodywood energy you know and love.”
NU DELHI – OUT NOW
https://found.ee/nu_delhi
BLOODYWOOD IS:
Raoul Kerr – Vocals
Jayant Bhadula – Vocals
Karan Katiyar – Guitars
Vishesh Singh – Drums
Roshan Roy – Bass
Sarthak Pahwa – Dhol
ABOUT BLOODYWOOD:
BLOODYWOOD are the torchbearers and barrier-breakers of metal from India, their hard-hitting folk yet modern metal sound making the world sit up, take notice and show up to sing along. BLOODYWOOD first caught the attention of the internet with their YouTube channel, when multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Karan Katiyar and vocalist Jayant Bhadula were about to get deadly serious about their craft. Bolstered by the support they were getting, BLOODYWOOD dropped ‘Ari Ari’ in 2018. A Punjabi folksong made famous in the early 2000s remix boom in India by hip-hop act Bombay Rockers, BLOODYWOOD pushed it further with help from the gritty New Delhi-based conscious hip-hop artist rapper RaoulKerr.
With the additional accessibility from Kerr’s English rap verses, Katiyar’s inimitable flute melody and Bhadula’s powerful vocals, the band expanded into original songs Jee Veerey, Endurant, Machi Bhasad (Expect A Riot), Yaad, Gaddaar, Aaj, and Dana Dan.
Joined on tour by drummer VisheshSingh, bassist RoshanRoy and dhol player SarthakPahwa, BLOODYWOOD took their music out of the studio and to concerts across Europe, UK and Russia for their first ever sold-out Raj Against the Machine tour.
Their debut album Rakshak earned them a nomination for Best International Breakthrough Artist at the Heavy Music Awards in 2022, and charted on the Billboard US and UK’s Official Charts, garnering such accolades as ”Indian metal sensation Bloodywood mix nu, folk and rap metal on their thrilling debut Rakshak” (Loudersound/Metal Hammer UK), and “Rakshak is a thrilling ride through western and eastern sounds…It’s undeniably fun but also well thought out with emotional and anthemic moments” (Wall of Sound.AU).
BLOODYWOOD went on to perform to packed crowds, selling out such storied venues as Gramercy Theatre in New York City, The Electric Ballroom in London, O-East in Tokyo to playing in front of tens of thousands at festivals across the world. From Lollapalooza India, Download Festival, Bloodstock (UK), Hellfest (France), Summer Breeze (Germany) to Brutal Assault (Czechia), to Fuji Rock (Japan) and American mainstays like Louder Than Life and Aftershock, BLOODYWOOD won global acclaim.
In 2024, Dana Dan even made it to a pivotal sequence in the Jordan Peele-produced action movie Monkey Man, directed by and starring Dev Patel.