History & Biography With an album name like The Aryan Crusade, one would expect a racist band with repressed sexuality issues somewhere in fascistic European circles or Mississippi, but this gang hails from Singapore. Still, it is all about the dogma and particular philosophy with the deathrash/folk metal band. The members have Tamil Indian heritage and work it into their act. Rudra is the name of a Hindu god of storm, winds and disease. The band has further doubled down in its particular beliefs and origins and called itself "Vedic Metal." The Vedic texts from 4,000 years ago were spread from present day Iran into other parts of Asia and form the basis for Hindu and Buddhist religions. Main man Kathir is a practitioner of Advaita Vedanta, a Hindu philosophy.
The group was founded as a trio of Kathi, Bala and Shiva in mid-1992. Kathi and Shiva were school-mates. The band's name was spelt 'Rudhra' between 1992 and 1996. The demo The Past (1994) was issued under this name before the act switched spellings and released a self-titled demo in 1997. The singer/bassist and drummer were involved in a transnational heavy metal band called Shatriya. Rudhra was set aside for the year and, upon return, picked up more Vedic elements lyrically and folk melodies musically. A local imprint, called Candlelight Productions, placed the band on the Metal Legion compilation and issued the Rudra album in 1998. This actually contained the group's demo material. The band was singer and bassist Kathir, guitarists Alvin and Balasubramaniam/Bala and drummer Shiva himself. The next album was the aforementioned The Aryan Crusade. Selvam and Kannan were on guitar.
The group dedicated itself to concept albums henceforth. The line-up remained stable for Kurukshetra. This record was named after a mythical Indian battlefield. The band even appeared in India, as it had in 2001. The album was to be recorded in neighbouring Malaysia at first, but with the spread of the SARS disease travels were cancelled and the recording was moved to within Singapore. Nonetheless, an appearance at the Milwaukee Metalfest was cancelled. Three members spent time in a new age band called Ananta.
The band switched to Trinity Music Hong Kong and Demonzend next. The band parted ways with Demonzed by the end of 2006. Brahmavidya: Primordial I was the beginning of a vedic trilogy. The band announced a short tour of the USA to begin 2007. Kannan left in 2007 announcing he is relocating to Australia. Guitarist Selvam left in June 2009. The band announced it would still play at the Tomahawk festival. The second part even received a European release through Vic Records. Trinity Music Hong Kong had the record under contract until the band abruptly terminated the relationship with a terse statement. Trinity had signed the band for six albums in 2007. The Kurukshetra was to be rerecorded and rereleased by the label. Regardless, Transcendental was supported through a video for the song Hymns From The Blazing Chariot. Vinod, who had joined in July 2009, was the second guitarist. Devan arrived for Immortal I. Rudra played at a major local show called Baybeats in 2010. They'd return in 2012 and 2019 as well. Guitarist Subash replaced Vinod in 2012 and stayed for two years. Then Simon arrived for Ṛta! This one came with a set of bonus live tracks called Brahmavidya Tour 2011 MP3s for early orders. The Brahmavidya Indian tour 2011, planned for the end of that year, was cancelled however. Kathir and Devan were in a short-lived project called Abyssal Vortex.
The band was on Transcending Obscurity next. The album was called Enemy Of Duality and issued in 2016. Past Life Regression was a compilation of old material. The Blackisle Sessions was again older material and reworked songs. Invoking The Gods of 2019 was a covers' disc and tagged on a couple of rare band tracks. Devan had left in 2011, but rejoined in 2021 replacing Simon who had left after eight years in the act due to his work commitments. Conjuration Of Vibrations In Duality was a DVD in 2022 and came through Trishul Records. The audio version was released by the band a year later. The deathrash/folk band was getting its first 3 albums re-released with new artwork by China’s Awakening Records in May 2022. The band had signed with the label in 2021. Rudra had another album. Eight Mahavidyas was issued through Awakening Records on 22.12.2022. It was a concept album. The album explored eight female characters from ancient times until the 18th century who broke stereotypes and became teachers of wisdom. Each song presented the wisdom of a woman. The group announced the Antithesis album for 2025. It would be the band's first new studio release in nine years.
Reviews RUDRA - BRAHMAVIDYA: TRANSCENDENTAL I - TRINITY 
With the new Behemoth album upon humanity, it might be too easy to overlook this gem of Asian death metal, which is every bit as arcane and philosophical as anything released in Europe. Rudra have been around for a while now, having made a name for themselves in their hometown, Singapore. For this year’s Brahmavidya: Transcendental I through Trinity Records of Hong Kong the band pull no stops at realizing their peculiar musical vision. Having peddled a strange mix of death metal and Hindu Vedic philosophy since the mid '90s, Rudra stand apart not only in South East Asia but the greater metal world.
Wanting to mix mood and atmosphere with their high-intensity decibels, the intro Bhagavadpada Namaskara is a hypnotic segue combining monastic incantations and airs of pseudo religious ritual. The brutal stuff doesn’t arrive until the buzzing Ravens Of Paradise, which introduces the band’s complex and muscular sound. A bevy of harder tracks follow, each swirling with grating riffs, precision drumming, and vocals somewhere between Nile and Morbid Angel. An interlude titled Meditations At Dawn paces the album’s all-encompassing theme by tapping into the listener’s spirituality using ethnic instruments and soothing utterances.
Rudra’s twisted interpretation of extreme metal - the blastbeats, galloping bass lines, and epic guitar solos - returns with full force on tracks like Advaitamrta, Natural Born Ignorance, and Reversing The Currents, before the band take a break on the barebones percussion driven instrumental Immortality Roars. It’s a strange few minutes of music, where only the drums, bass, and frontman Kathir’s chants produce the melody. A deluge of blackened death metal arrives in its wake beginning with Avidya Nivertti, Not The Seen But The Seer and Venerable Opposites. The curtains fall on Transcendental I once the Oriental vibe of the overture Adiguru Namastubhyam gives way to the controlled chaos that’s Majestic Ashtavakra.
Blessed with faultless musicianship, boundless ambition, and an original concept, Rudra have created a bewildering masterpiece. It’s an impressive body of work that’s a hair’s breadth from being timeless. If only its yawn-inducing qualities were ironed out, Rudra would have seriously kicked the world in the nuts. - Michael Thrash
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