Friday, May 21, 2010

Rudra - Rudra

Rudra - Rudra
1998, Candlelight Productions/Abyss Records/Soundscape Entertainment

I was a little dismayed when I first heard of this band, as they are on a path to connect two subjects or sources of inspiration that are very dear to me: Indian mythology and early-90s death metal. I was discouraged, mainly, because I had hopes for writing material in a similar vein and I, in my comparative isolation, thought that I would be original in doing so. Oh well. Yet another idea dashed to the ground! However, I am not sure of this band's progress at this point...but I do know that whatever Rudra's preoccupations may be, they have certainly left a lot of room for other bands to follow them into the strange labyrinth of the Hindu/Vedic mythos, and such a rich hoard of potential inspiration has only been hinted at by their work so far...I would love to see other groups following in their footsteps. Now that the East-West discourse has been broached, let's see a full examination of the possibilities within a mixture of cultures. It's about time...

This CD features eleven tracks, two of which are demo takes of either later or earlier material (it's difficult to tell which), the songs 'No War' and 'Anandra', and has a total running time of 52 minutes. For the most part, this is solid, well-played, midpaced early-90s European death metal, in the tempo style of Unleashed or bands of that sort, even though this band probably never got nearer to Sweden than Northern Singapore...this is interesting to me because I don't receive that much material from Asia to listen to or review, and I am very curious not only about the origins of this band but their influences as well - and how they came to have those certain influences. How far into Asia does European metal penetrate? Anyway, the original part of all of this is that Rudra strive to mix Indian music/influences (both Indian scales on the guitars in certain parts, and then layered samples/Asiatic-influenced soundscapes on others) into their material to reflect the mythology-based lyrics...so it's a full package. In this, in their state of absolute alienation from the rest of the scene, they have progressed far in this new territory, although, as I said above, there is so much left to do...

For they follow a logical series of steps: one, have the death metal evolve to the point where it's ready to accept novel influences, and can bear the weight of innovation - also, have one's 'death' instincts honed to an edge that allows one to compose extemporaneously when confronted with the other inspiration arising from native music; two, gradually work these influences into one's sound, changing the entire picture of the capabilities one's band has and the possible range of material; and three, present this new style and direction to the public, and continue to progress, building on what has come before...

Much like Voivod, a band like this - in their exploration of new realms - can both open up a new 'genre' and, pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, lay down an impressive foundation that will either discourage anyone else from trying to follow their path, as it will seem redundant, or (and this is much more likely) write their names down in the history of metal as innovators, and influences for later musicians.

When I say, above, that they sound like Unleashed...I don't really mean that to be taken literally. It's just the first comparison for their sound that I could come up without too much untoward effort. In actuality, Rudra don't really sound like any other band: although their song structures are often almost traditional, both the melodies they use and the guitar tones emphasized on this material are completely original. It's difficult to explain, but both these guitarists (Alvin and Bala) have a unique take on blending riffs and an interesting way of presenting the music and allowing it to evolve in a relaxed manner. Much like the work of the Eastern European band Avenger, this is basic death metal that has been filtered down through original sensibilities and worked upon until it is watertight. A close listen will allow you to grasp all of their idiosyncrasies...but all the while it is tremendously heavy, and does not openly reference other groups unless it is seen to be necessary. It is almost impossible for me to guess what groups these men have listened to in the past, or consider as influences on their own sound. A good example of their original approach would be the very first song, 'Obeisance', which combines lofty pleas for the inspiration of the Gods (opening with a ritual chant) with a battering, concussive instrumental assault. In other words: the body must be pulverized and twisted out of form in order to allow the spirit to soar. Excellent. Another (even better) example would be the fourth song, 'Mahamaya', which blends together all of the elements of this band's style very well, and which has a form that takes advantage both of the guitarists' penchant for dissonance as well as their constant concentration on trying to create a mysterious mood through the contrasts between death metal's percussive harshness and the 'transcendental' bliss of ethereal Indian melodies.

All the while, and this can not be reiterated too often, these guitarists - either through their isolation from the European scene, or from their own basic (and now, convinced and stubborn) originality - do not follow traditional methods of writing in their melodies and rhythms...just when you think you have a song structure of theirs 'figured out' and you think you know what's coming next in the music itself, based on that structure, they'll surprise you...like most of the really innovative metal music coming out at this time, they play upon one's preconceptions of structure in order to set up revealing ironies...

Of all these songs, I think that the last, the demo track 'Anandra', is actually my favorite. While the material that comes before it is sometimes awkward and unpolished, as if the band wasn't quite sure how to go about mixing native sounds/sources with traditional death, this song is relentless, opening with a chiming acoustic motif backed by pounding drums (the drumming on the demo selections is very different from the album proper: much faster, harder, and in the recording, just louder) and then flying rabidly into a high speed terrorizing attack - still, as before, concentrating on strange melodies, but done in such a practiced manner that it makes the album proper seem, ironically, like the demo material. Everything here - the guitars, the vocals, the song structure, the arrangment, the music itself - has been improved upon greatly...and if this is the direction Rudra will be following in the future, I doubtlessly will want to hear what they put out.

Overall, this is a great, solid, innovative record from a band that should definitely be supported. This is highly recommended, for those of you who like to explore the world through your music, and for those who long to hear something new within the stylistic confines of death metal.