Indian metallers Bloodywood's epic Aaj video will give you travel envy

Bloodywood
(Image credit: Bloodywood)

Indian metal troupe Bloodywood have unveiled an epic new video to accompany their new single Aaj. Taken from the band's forthcoming debut album Rakshak, the video was filmed in Kerala, spanning the mountains and tea plantations of Munnar, and showcases India's gorgeous countryside. 

"The video may have turned out beautifully but shooting it was an uphill battle every step of the way," says vocalist/rapper Raoul Kerr. "From being denied permission to shoot, to poor weather conditions and drone accidents, everything that could go wrong was going wrong. By the end we just started to laugh at every piece of bad news because it was genuinely funny how bad our luck was. The moment that encapsulated the feeling of the trip was when we all sat down to relax after taking the final shot of the trip." 

"The spot was a small pool formed by a waterfall in the middle of the forest that had been recommended to us by the owner of the hotel we were staying at. The water was ice cold, but the sun was out as we sat there sipping beers. Roshan (bassist)  was the first to step out to get his next drink when he noticed his foot had a leech on it. All of us rushed out to help get it off him and check ourselves, and surely enough a few had latched on, ready to drink us dry on the flight back to Delhi. As we burnt them off with the help of a lighter we couldn't help but laugh some more, this place wouldn't even let us relax in peace, but hey, at least we came home with a great music video!"

Watch the video below. 


Bloodywood first earned attention with the release of Ari Ari in 2018, the video racking up over 5 million views to date. Mixing elements of groove, nu metal and folk (drawing heavily on traditional bhangra melodies), the band champion India's diverse metal scene while drawing attention to the country's rich traditional music. 

The band's newest single introduces electro elements into the Bloodywood sound for the first time, contrasting more traditional folk metal tones (and hefty flute usage) with the kind of synth you'd normally associate with Enter Shikari and rap passages right from the book of Linkin Park

Aaj is the fourth single to be released from Rakshak, which is due for release on February 18. Bloodywood tour the UK in March, their latest update suggesting shows in Brighton, Milton Keynes and Glasgow are close to selling out. 

Bloodywood UK 2022 tour dates:

Mar 24: Brighton Prince Albert
Mar 25: Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms
Mar 26: Glasgow Cathouse
Mar 28: Manchester Club Academy
Mar 29: Briston The Fleece
Mar 30: Birmingham Institute 2
Mar 31: London Islington Academy

Rich Hobson

Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.