Rudra and the vision of the Vedic philosophy
Rudra is one of the leaders in the Asian Metal scene. The band was formed in 1992 in Singapore. Since then the band has never looked back or stopped its activity in the Metal scene. The band evolved from being a humble Death Metal band to the 'founders' of a new metal genre called Vedic Metal. To date Rudra has released 5 full-length albums which have won critical acclaim all over the world. The fifth album was released in April 2009.
Rudra is the name of an ancient Indian God of Destruction. The band is specifically named after this God to symbolize the aggressive character of its music and its cultural affinity.
Rudra's music can be characterized as a bridge between the east and the west. Their unique way of incorporating Indian traditional music into Death/Black Metal has made them the pioneers in experimenting Indian classical music melodies in Extreme Metal. This aspect has won them much attention from the rest of the world. Rudra also brings in a third element to their music by including Sanskrit chants and mantras to evoke a mystical feel to their music. This unique musical creation is what is known to the world as Vedic Metal. The Vedic Philosophies inspires the lyrical outpourings of Rudra. To know more about Rudra here is a conversation with Kathir, bassist and vocalist.
Hi guys! First of all I want to thank you for a great album like “Brahmavidya: Trascendental I”: I think it's one of the best extreme surprises for this 2009. But before talking in the details about your last opera maybe it's better to start with a short overview of your history. Sexteen years of career and five albums are not a joke...
Thanks for the kind words. Our career started in 1992 and not many realize that we have been around that long. I guess people don’t notice us because we don't tour much due to us being located in South East Asia and also our albums were not available widely until now that we have signed to Vic Records. Even our geographical location has become a disadvantage. We hope things will turn around now that we are signed to Vic Records.
Let's go with “Brahmavidya...”: as we have already said this is your fifth album and I'm sure that we can explain it as the most mature one. Now I would like to know more about the evolution of your sound during these years and about the biggest differences between this and the previous works.
The current album which is entitled "brahmavidya: Transcendental I" is actually a 2nd installment of the Brahmavidya trilogy which we hope to complete by 2010. In fact the first installment was entitled "Brahmavidya: Primordial I". The current album continues where Primordial I left off. This album is matured in the sense that it is a longer album with more tracks and a fuller production. I would definitely say that this is our best in terms of production and songwriting diversity. However, one would also realise after listening to our older albums that our emphasis on production quality has always been there since our first album. Being groomed by Death Metal bands we are more particular about how our song sounds.
Without any doubt one of the winning points of your music is the wonderful combination of the extreme metal and Indian traditional music and melodies: the final result is awesome but explain us the secret of this union and the reasons behind this kind of choice.
All of us are of Indian descent although we are Singaporeans by nationality. Our grandparents migrated to Singapore many years ago from India and that was how all of us ended up in Singapore. And Singapore is a country which is culturally diverse. In spite of that, most of us have not lost our culture and practices. The Indians have lived here for almost two centuries. In the early years of the band we played songs from our favourite bands like Slayer, Bathory, Death etc. After some time we realized that we were not going to be any different if we were going to sound like just like any other band that is out there. So it got us thinking. Even in the early years we spent most of our time writing our own songs. By the time we recorded our first demo we had already 15 songs written. During that phase we felt this desperate need to sound original and not like the other bands we listened to. That became the impetus to incorporate Indian traditional music into metal. Moreover, it was a culture that we grew up in. We knew the sounds so well that it wasn’t like resurrecting a dead culture or something alien to us. It was very natural and authentic.
Other really important elements of your sound are the Sanskrit chants and mantras: let's talk about this side of your proposal, maybe the most mystical one. I don't think that these elements represent something of connected with the only music: this is something of really close to the soul, am I right?
Yes indeed. I have been a student of Vedic philosophy and Sanskrit texts for a very long time. The vision of the Vedic philosophy is something that I see and experience daily. It has become part of me. In that sense, all the Sanskrit chants and lyrics are basically outpourings from our souls. We aren’t talking about a dead civilization or culture. This culture today is still alive and what is interesting is that it comes alive in our vision and experience. Therefore, Rudra's lyrics and chants are very sincere and honest rather than mythic.
It's not possible to talk about Rudra without talking about philosophy. The Vedic Philosophy is the base of your lyrics but we don't know too much about it: in my opinion this side of your project should have to your eyes the same importance of the music...
The Vedic Philosophy has been the driving force behind our albums since the debut. As you have rightfully pointed out, it is as important as the music is. The Vedic philosophy is a very unique offering when compared with the many different types of philosophies that we know of although it is older than 4000 years. While many early civilizations conceived a God to be worshipped and adored, on the other hand the Vedic peoples conceived a God within oneself. The philosophy is a radical one especially for those who are unable to get out of their belief systems. The Vedic philosophy declares that “You are god”. And that there is no other Supreme Being outside your Consciousness. All our albums are an excursion to dwell on these teachings. That has always been the focus of Rudra. From this standpoint, we are can be considered anti-religious in a sense that we are generally against any idea that enslaves you in the form of an organized religion. We are very consistent in our ideology with the only exception that the idea is presented in different forms through the various albums that we have produced.
Till now we have analysed your last album. Now let's talk about your present status: Rudra was formed in 1992 and today you're one of the leaders in the Asian metal scene. I suppose it's not been so easy to survive. How do you feel? Are you awere of the influence that you've probably had on the development of the whole Asian metal music?
It was definitely not easy having so many challenges over the years. But somehow we have not given up due to our passion and drive. There is a great satisfaction knowing that we have come this far and today we are one of the very few Asian bands with five albums in our belt.
Always about your situation: am I wrong if I say that this new European deal with Vic Records is something of really important for you guys? Your previous work were released by Trinity Records for the Asian territory (and I think they have done a great work) but now we finally have something available here. What do you expect from this relationship? Do you think it will possible to re-release your old albums in Europe or maybe to plan a tour to support “Brahmavidya...”?
Getting signed to Vic Records is something very important to us. It is one of the greatest milestones of our career. Therefore, it means a lot to us now that we are signed to Vic Records. We definitely hope to see our earlier albums released in Europe via Vic Records. I must say that Roel of Vic Records has been brilliant with the support and promotion. We can't ask for anything more. We hope that we can do a Brahmavidya Trilogy tour in Europe after the release of our third installment.
We are at the end guys. It's been a pleasure for me and BRUTALISM.com to support you and your last release. You can close this interview in the way you prefer: good luck guys!
Thanks for the support and those reading this interview. Cheers and a happy new Year.