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Rating:
Until recently, I thought that a genre like black metal, due to its historical and ideological characteristics, couldn't be "exported" to any other nation than Norway. However, by deepening my knowledge, I not only discovered an entire scene, parallel to the Norwegian one, located in Greece, but also that Euronymous himself, in the beginning, produced the Japanese band Sigh.
Therefore, I wasn't surprised when I came across Rudra, hailing from the distant island of Singapore. The band is labeled "Vedic Metal", probably self-assigned; translated into more usual terms, the genre played by these guys is nothing but fairly technical black/death (a bit like Dissection, with obvious differences). What makes them unique is undoubtedly the massive dose of Indian ethnic music (especially dolki and tabla) that blends with violent guitars and fierce drums. Another interesting aspect is represented by the lyrics: in addition to being partially sung in ancient Sanskrit, the lyrics are entirely centered on Vedic philosophy/religion, which makes them very difficult to interpret (for example, in "Aham Brahmasmi" it reads: "The world resolves into my senses/ The senses resolve in the mind/ The mind resolves in the 'I'/ And the 'I' resolves in the Self / What is left to be known?/ Once the Self is known/ What is left to be seen?/ When there is nothing left to see"). All this reminds me of that phenomenal band, Cynic, who were also inspired by Indian philosophy.
The 10 songs on the album are very homogeneous, making a track-by-track unnecessary. The excellent production will allow you to appreciate every instrument, the oriental riffs will envelop you, the tabla will make you dance to the belly dance, and right after, the drums and violent screams will lead you to headbanging. The only track that stands out is "Shivoham", a delicate "ballad" with a slow and enveloping rhythm, sung by a woman.
An album, therefore, that is very original and enjoyable, a breath of fresh air in today's metal scene.
RATING = 8
Tracklist
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