Musical shots fired

Ahead of their debut album, a metal band’s new single takes aim at divisive governments

Indian metal giants Bloodywood have played a prank on listeners with their new single Gaddaar, the first from their upcoming album Rakshak, slated for next month. The video for it starts off with a disclaimer that says that the band “remains politically neutral” despite the lyrics containing “heavy political commentary”. But throughout, you get a sense that the song is a direct attack on the perceived injustices of the current dispensation at the Centre given how thinly veiled the words are, and you are tempted to accuse the band of hypocrisy when, right at the end, they come out with the truth with the lines, “In the face of fascism and communalism, we cannot remain politically neutral.”

In fact, the song reveals its actual nature right from the get-go, when the band samples a famous Nana Patekar dialogue from the movie Krantiveer, which calls for Hindu-Muslim unity. And throughout, it harps on the need for social harmony at a time when cases like the Bulli Bai issue have exposed fault lines in the country. This is heavy-duty metal music calling for peace, asking the listener to heed the words and take action accordingly.  

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