Reviewed - 06/05/05

Brahmavidya: Primordial 1
[DemonZend Records]

So, this new album "Brahmavidya: Primordial 1" by Rudra, the Vedic Metal band from Singapore, is my first foray into this much hyped band's world. Though I had heard quite a bit about them over the last few years, I've never bothered picking any of their albums up for some reason. Such a pity because if their older albums are as great as this new one is, I've been missing out on some excellent Metal all these years.

"Vedic Metal" is a term I've never heard of before, and I believe it is a term only used by Rudra, so please excuse my ignorance on the subject. "Veda" is Sanskrit for "knowledge", so maybe this is "Knowledge Metal"? All I know is that Veda is some sort of philosophy/religion that came from India. That seems right because though Rudra hails from Singapore, Rudra's music is full of Indian/Hindu traditional music and instruments in honor of the fact that they are fascinated with Indian music and subject matters. I have also heard that a member or two has Indian blood. Rudra plays a superb style of Black/Death Metal that has this odd timing to it. It sounds like it's a wall of noise at times with the guitars and bass playing together and the drummer seemingly not able to get in time with the rest of the band. But... but... this offbeat drumming is done on purpose and it all comes together in the end to create an atmosphere that while odd, is damn cool and refreshing to listen to. Back to the traditional music - this album sees the use of quite a lot of the dolki and tabla, two traditional Indian drums that sound excellent used within Rudra's music.

Okay, the lyrics are going to be hard to explain. I had to read up on the terms a bit, but I think I got the gist of it. They are written and sung in mostly English, but vocalist Kathir also sings in ancient Sanskrit from time to time! That's unique in and of itself right there! This album seems to be a concept album based around the Upanishads, mystical texts of the Vedic tradition. These (from what I gather) seem to be texts written to teach people how one should live their life. The lyrics are written out in a way that resembles how monks would talk to their followers as long as they hadn't taken any vows of silence. They are very hard to follow and understand if you have no clue about the Vedic tradition, but if you listen and try and understand, maybe you will learn something from them. Reading the lyrics was like taking a short history class about a subject I knew nothing about, and that is always good as this means the lyrics are never dull, monotonous or cliché at all. Kathir sings in a Blackened style that sounds great, but the vocals that stand out on this album are the backing vocals. There's everything from traditional Indian songs sung by female vocalists, to chants, and even some excellent narration as well. It is these vocal styles that lend an aire of mysticism to the music, and it is these vocals that I find myself liking the most.

The production on the album is great. As I said, I haven't heard any of their other albums, so I can't compare the sound on those to this one. But I can say few bands can get the great production Rudra achieved here. It's hard as hell to mix traditional instruments with Metal and find a producer that knows how to do this, but they pulled it off with ease here.

I can't comment too much on the packaging and layout of the album, but the cover art is rather eye-catching! This promo also came with a folded lyric sheet which I assume is the lyric sheet that comes with the actual C.D.. It is extremely well done because not only are all of the lyrics printed within, but the band has included both a synopsis of each song plus an entry from the Upanishads that coincides with each song. There's also a brief overview of what the Upanishads are and what they mean to the Vedic people.

I loved "Brahmavidya: Primordial 1" the first time I listened to it, but I think it's going to take me a few more months of listening to it before I fully appreciate everything that's going on within the album, both musically and lyrically. This album just isn't for putting on and relaxing while you listen to it, it demands your attention and asks all of your senses to be open to whatever it throws at you. In other words, it's not an album for lazy people. But if you like Metal that offers you a chance to try and delve into the music and lyrics and dissect it and decipher it so you can enjoy it on a larger level, then this is the album you should "look" into!