#10: Rudra
Rudra is said to have pioneered Vedic metal — death and black metal combined with Vedic and Sanskrit literature.
Background Info (Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives)
Country of origin: Singapore
Location: Singapore
Status: Active
Formed in: 1992
Genre: Thrash/Death Metal (early); Death/Black Metal with Folk influences (later)
Lyrical themes: Vedic, Hindu philosophy, Mythology
Current label: Awakening Records
Years active:1992–1996 (as Rudhra), 1996-present
Rudra’s black metal musical base is a little bit extreme for me, particularly when talking about each of their albums as a whole. Two albums, however, have caught my attention — Brahmavidya: Primordial I (2005) and Brahmavidya: Transcendental I (2009).
I think these two albums have the most tracks that feature Hindu mantras, tanpuras, and traditional drums that, when fused with powerful blast-beats and heavy riffs, could shock your consciousness all the way to spiritual release. The band also maintains a degree of musical variety as seen in the handful of meditative tracks (ex. Shivoham, Bhagavatpada Namaskara, Meditations at Dawn, Adiguru Namastubhyam).
Favorite Albums:
- Brahmavidya: Primordial I (2005)
- Brahmavidya: Transcendental I (2009)
Favorite Songs:
- The Pathless Path to the Knowable Unknown (Brahmavidya: Primordial I)
- Not the Seen but the Seer (Brahmavidya: Transcendental I)
- Ancient Fourth (Enemy of Duality, 2016) — They used an Australian yidaki AKA didgeridoo here. Sick!
