Latest news with #AmonAmarth
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Indian rock sensations Bloodywood: ‘What's more metal than standing up for people you love?'
'We're serving a really nice dish called metal tikka masala,' jokes Bloodywood guitarist Jayant Bhadula. 'It's metal but with so many spices that it'll overwhelm your senses. You will headbang and you will end up dancing with us.' This is the tongue-in-cheek mission statement of one of metal's most original bands. Formed in 2016, Bloodywood flavour the conventions of nu-metal with traditional Indian instruments, meaning their songs are as likely to feature crunching riffs as they are the flute or the dhol. The trio – bulked out to a six-piece on stage – became viral sensations covering pop songs and alternative hits on YouTube before writing original material. From there, their fortunes soared. Their first ever gig was at German metal festival Wacken Open Air in 2019. Four years later they drew a massive crowd to the UK's Download festival, despite the tricky task of opening the main stage early on a Sunday. More recently, their song Dana-Dan was used in a pivotal action sequence in Dev Patel's action thriller Monkey Man. But there's a political element to even their most playful material. Karan Katiyar – co-vocalist alongside Raoul Kerr, absent from our call due to a struggling internet connection – says that on social media, and more than ever in the last couple of years, he sees 'a lot of bullying, a lot of hate, and I see a lot of it unchecked. I also see a lot of it aimed at ethnicity, which is why it became more important for us to tell our story.' Bhadula discovered heavy metal through his older cousin, who showed him the music of Viking metallers Amon Amarth and then burned him a CD full of modern classics from Slipknot to System of a Down (influence from both bleeds into Bloodywood's music). Katiyar stumbled across it while attending a battle of the bands competition: 'Someone threw me into a mosh pit and I had the best time of my life.' Bhadula says musical education in their native Delhi tends to be good – 'there are a lot of places with guitar and drum classes' – and awareness of metal is widespread. 'In school, when there were people playing music, it was always the people performing metal that would blow everyone's mind,' says Katiyar. Yet this hasn't translated into a broader Indian metal scene. 'It's strange to get our heads around the fact that there isn't a bigger audience because we're a very big country.' For metal, says Bhadula, 'the infrastructure isn't just lacking in terms of shows, but also in terms of how the music is promoted. In India, working in music is basically working in Bollywood, and metal isn't paying the bills.' As such, Bloodywood are waving the Indian flag almost single-handedly in the world of metal. 'We love representing our country and our culture in our music,' Katiyar says. 'It's no pressure at all, but one thing that does nag us sometimes is that we can't represent our whole country. There are so many cultures and so many languages; I can't even count the number of instruments we have. We want to try to represent everyone as much as humanly possible.' While the band are playful with their culture, naming their 2019 documentary Raj Against the Machine and selling naan-coloured vinyl, their popular single Gaddaar punches back against politicians using hateful rhetoric to divide, and they've often used music to stand up against rape culture (a show of solidarity unlike almost anything shown from men in metal). 'It's a global issue and something we feel very strongly about,' says Katiyar. 'It's kind of strange that not as many [men] are speaking about it; I don't think there's many things that are more metal than standing up for the people you love.' Their new album Nu Delhi is conspicuously less political than their 2022 debut Rakshak. Katiyar points out that Rakshak was released the same week Russia invaded Ukraine and, since then, the world has spiralled into constant, poisonous animosity. 'People are very keen on choosing a side and fighting the other side,' Katiyar says, 'and I think people need to talk to each other in a more civilised manner.' So the band have chosen to counter the toxicity, stereotyping and bullying by celebrating stories of their homeland and history. 'We're trying to make the world an easier place to live in through music,' says Katiyar. 'We want to bring the positive side of music to as many people as we can.' Nu Delhi is released on 21 March via Fearless Records
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Slayer Announce 2025 UK Shows with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, and Mastodon
The post Slayer Announce 2025 UK Shows with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, and Mastodon appeared first on Consequence. Slayer have added a pair of high-profile UK headlining gigs with a stacked support bill featuring Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed, and Neckbreakker. The shows mark the legendary thrash band's first non-festival concerts since reuniting last year. The newly announced shows are set for July 3rd at Blackweir Fields in Cardiff, Wales; and July 6th in Finsbury Park, London. In addition, Slayer also recently announced that they will be performing at Festival d'été de Québec in Québec City on July 11th with direct support from Mastodon. Get tickets here. The UK shows surround Slayer's appearance at Black Sabbath's final concert on July 5th at Villa Park in Birmingham. In an interview with Spin, guitarist Kerry King revealed that the thrash pioneers will celebrate Ozzy and company by performing a Sabbath cover during their set — the gig marking only the third time Slayer have shared a bill with Black Sabbath following Ozzfest in 1998 and in 2004. 'I remember when we played with Black Sabbath at Ozzfest in 2004,' King said in a press release. 'It was when Rob Halford came back to Judas Priest and we were third on the bill. You couldn't give me a better bill, I'll never forget that. As it stands now, Slayer plays a handful of gigs a year. But that's how important this Sabbath date is, and it's great we will get to play a longer set for our fans in Cardiff and London on this visit too. Being on the Sabbath bill means the world to me, because these are my uber-heroes. And to know that their camp thinks enough of us to offer us a spot is flattering and humbling.' Slayer singer-bassist Tom Araya called the booking an 'honor.' 'I was hanging out with my brother and his friends during my junior year in high school, and we would play Sabbath all the time, so I am a big fan,' Araya said via the press release. 'Black Sabbath were the originators, people call them 'the godfathers of metal music.' I think it's going to be an amazing experience, from the beginning to the end. I'm really, really honored to be a part of this, it's going to be great.' Slayer reunited in 2024 for their first shows since ending their farewell tour in 2019. The band played sets at Riot Fest and Aftershock, but their appearance at Louder Than Life was canceled due to remnants of Hurricane Helene. They will play the 2025 Louder Than Life festival in September of this year to make up for the canceled gig. Check out the poster for the upcoming UK shows and Slayer's full list of concert dates below. Slayer's 2025 Tour Dates: 07/03 – Cardiff, UK @ Blackweir Fields * 07/05 – Birmingham, UK @ Villa Park (Black Sabbath's final show) 07/06 – London, UK @ Finsbury Park * 07/11 – Québec City, CA @ Festival d'été de Québec 09/18 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life * = w/ Amon Amarth , Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed, and Neckbreakker Slayer Announce 2025 UK Shows with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, and Mastodon Jon Hadusek Popular Posts Michelle Trachtenberg Dead at 39 Gene Hackman and Wife's Deaths Ruled "Suspicious" as Investigators Find No Signs of Gas Leak Pink Floyd to Release 4K Remaster of Live At Pompeii in Theaters and IMAX 10 Pop-Rock Bands You Forgot Used to Be Heavy Jon Stewart Calls Out Elon Musk for Flaking on The Daily Show Interview GG Allin's Blood-Signed Underwear and Kurt Cobain's Hair Up for Auction Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
