Vedic metal

The Indian Singaporean band, Rudra (initially got their worldwide push from major metal label Sonic Wave International), with its style of 'Vedic metal', based around Hindu themes, has gained some fame in South East Asia, and is perhaps the most successful Indian band to fuse metal and traditional music in the vein of Brazil's Sepultura.

Many international critics from America, Germany and other countries, have given the band's latest album rave reviews, as HellrideMusic's Chris Barnes said, in this review: To my ears, Brahmayidya may be the most successful blend of native traditional music with Heaviness since Sepultura’s Roots. It not only works, it is essential. Rudra don’t so much pepper traditional East Indian rhythms, chants and percussive instruments into their music as much as make them the focal point.

Since the genre was pioneered by Rudra in the late 1990s, it has grown in popularity. Bands like Aryadeva (Ukraine), Symmetry (Indonesia), Warriors Of Peace (India), Asura (India), Advaita (New Zealand), The Aryan March (India), Narasimha (Singapore), Kaliyuga (Malaysia), Azrael (Australia) and Blue River (Sri Lanka) have done pioneering work in the genre. Often, along with the Vedic lyrics, the music has shades of Indian Classical music. The definitive album of this genre is the Rudra album The Aryan Crusade released in 2001.