In Bloodywood, India Has Its Great Metal Crossover Act Once Again

The New Delhi folk-metallers have spent their 'Nine Inch Naans' India tour picking up a whole new fanbase, becoming festival favorites and they proved just that at Lollapalooza India 2023

- ANURAG TAGAT

AMONG THE COMMON SIGHTS when you're spotting band t-shirts at music festivals is A brutal death metal band Gutslit's 'The Chainsaw Massacre', a white t-shirt with artwork by the band's drummer and visual artist Aaron Pinto aka Kidsquidy. On it, a grinning yet cartoon unicorn (with a chainsaw for a horn) is sat amongst guts and eyeballs.

It's telling of the impact that Gutslit made when they played Bacardi NH7 Weekender in 2019, being among the heaviest bands on the bill of a multi-genre gathering that's still hailed as "the happiest festival."

Even out at Lollapalooza India this past week in Mumbai, plenty of Gutslit's unicorn t-shirts were seen and perhaps fans were just as eager to see the next big crossover taking place on a whole different level that of New Delhi folk-metal band Bloodywood performing on day one. The early evening set by the quintet comprising guitarist-producer Karan Katiyar, vocalists Jayant Bhadula and Raoul Kerr, drummer Vishesh Singh, bassist Roshan Roy and dhol player Sarthak Pahwa was one for the books, arguably making them the one metal act that’s blowing up not just around the world, but also in India.