We Want to Bring Metal to the Mainstream

A few weeks after releasing their latest album, Nu Delhi, Bloodywood‘s Raoul Kerr joined Loudwire Nights to dive into their music, look back on their career and open up about what the goal is moving forward.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

“I’ve only recently been able to fully phrase it in a way which is understandable,” Kerr told host Chuck Armstrong about what he hopes for Bloodywood’s future.

“We want to bring metal back to the mainstream.”

For Bloodywood, that’s not a new goal. Their second full-length album, 2022’s Rakshak, charted on Billboard, making it the first Indian metal record to accomplish that feat. On top of that, when it first came out, it was one of the best-selling new releases on Bandcamp.

“The idea of fusing metal and hip hop was so natural to me because I grew up listening to Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine,” Kerr said.

“Linkin Park, in particular, was the band for us. They were our first inspiration, our common inspiration, because we all have individual tastes but we have a good overlap as well in terms of the kind of music we like and Linkin Park is the center of it all.”

When Bloodywood’s Karan Katiyar and Kerr started talking about the original music they wanted to create, their vision kept pointing back to Linkin Park.

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“It would be cool to bring that sound back, because it hadn’t been there for a long time,” Kerr shared.

“But also, [we want] to put a message out there that needs to be there … Even for the people who aren’t maybe actively thinking about it, [we] can bring a lot of people together and actually make a difference … There is the possibility of unity and diversity.”

What Else Did Bloodywood’s Raoul Kerr Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What it’s like being from India and performing metal in front of crowds all over the world: “It is the dream. It’s the thing we always wanted to do, we always wanted to make a global impact with our music.”
• Why it’s important to Kerr to stay true to their roots in India: “It is who we are. It is what made us who we are and it’s how we [are going to] put this message out there and put the sound out there, because the sound and message are completely intertwined.”
• How Bloodywood and Babymetal got connected: “Someone sent us a quick little video of our track playing on the playlist for Babymetal before they started their show … That was cool to know because all of us were supporters of their music and had enjoyed listening to them at different phases of life and the fact that they knew who we were and had played our song was a cool moment.”

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Raoul Kerr joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, May 2; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.