Now this is literally an exotic jewel, as I'm tempted to believe. Rudra is a band from Singapore - though the Encyclopaedia Metallum (EM) lists 184 Singaporean bands, this is the first one that has come to my attention. The typical promotional twaddle nearly made me go off again, but Rudra's discography on the EM boasts some amazing review scores. Not always a good point of reference, but still: curiosity aroused, for sure.
The so-called "Vedic metal" deals lyrically with ancient Indian mythology. From my Western viewpoint, that's one serious step farther than Middle-Eastern inspired bands like Nile and Melechesh. Just as with those bands, the lyrical and ethnic influence shines through in the music as well. The album is spiced up with samples of folk chants and instruments, but that's not the reason to buy a metal release. Rudra's blackened death metal doesn't fail to amaze, though: it's a pure aural extravanganza. They've meticulously observed bands like Behemoth and Nile, and put their formula back to use with a twist. Rampaging drums are either matched with straightforward, rapturing chords, or contrasted with an atmospheric-rhythmic duality (Behemoth's Demigod might serve as a structural reference).
Brahmavidya: Transcendental contains over an hour of material, perhaps a recompense for four years of silence after the Primordial album. I hadn't expected anything less by now, but the Vedic metal stays strong and intense until the final track. One or two times I did wonder what Rudra were thinking though (the uninspired black metal riff near the end of Advaitamrta actually made me grimace - twice), but let's not go nitpicking.
The first part of the Brahmavidya trilogy is released back in 2005 - the good news being that for part three, you won't have to wait that long: recording is planned for mid 2010 or so. High quality oriental black/death metal that leaves little to be desired.
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AUTHOR: Goran
Goran has been an active reviewer for years (since the old Fishcomcollective, to the brand new Corazine - and also for Face Your Underground). He enjoys - besides metal - the creative side of life, be it through music, sports, programming or 3D. You can find him at www.myspace.com/fdemets.