Bloodywood is a metal band from New Delhi, formed in 2016. They mix nu metal and metalcore with folk melodies, dhol, flute and rap verses, and they were the first Indian metal act to reach the Billboard charts. Our Bloodywood members and albums feature covers who is in the band and where they are touring. This guide is about the songs, in release order, with a note on why each one matters.
Titles, dates and tracklists come from Apple Music India, checked on 28 October 2026. History comes from our artist page, which draws on Wikipedia and the band's label. We don't quote stream counts.
The records at a glance
- Covers era (2016–2017) — a string of one-track singles on Apple, from "Closer" and "Heavy" to "Despacito" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
- First originals (2017–2020) — "Punjabi Metal", "Rang Basanti", "Ari Ari", "Jee Veerey", "Endurant", "Machi Bhasad", "Yaad"
- Rakshak — debut album, 10 tracks, 18 February 2022, self-released
- Nu Delhi — second album, 8 tracks, 21 March 2025, Fearless Records
How a parody project became a band
Bloodywood began as a joke with serious playing behind it. Karan Katiyar was posting metal parodies of Bollywood songs to YouTube while working as a corporate lawyer. He met vocalist Jayant Bhadula at a local gig, and in 2016 he quit his job to form a two-piece with him, with the stated aim of "destroying pop songs".
Apple still carries that era as singles. Between December 2016 and September 2017 the band put out metal versions of "Closer", "Friday", "Heavy", "Everybody", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Shape of You", "In Da Club", "Bad", "Despacito", "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Look What You Made Me Do". Those covers were collected on Bandcamp as Anti-Pop Vol. 1.
12 essential Bloodywood songs
1. Heavy (2017)
Their re-recording of Linkin Park's "Heavy" in early-Linkin-Park nu metal style was the first time the wider metal press noticed them. Loudwire and Metal Hammer both picked it up; Metal Hammer called it "what Linkin Park's Heavy should have sounded like". Start here to hear where the band's sound came from.
2. Punjabi Metal (2017)
The title says what the band was moving toward: Punjabi melody and rhythm inside metal arrangements, rather than metal versions of Western pop.
3. Rang Basanti (2018)
Released in March 2018, a few weeks before "Ari Ari", as the band's singles moved away from covering Western pop.
4. Ari Ari (2018)
The turning point. "Ari Ari" is a version of the Bombay Rockers song, which is itself based on the folk song "Baari Barsi". Rapper Raoul Kerr guested on it. The response pushed the band to write originals rooted in Indian folk music, and Kerr later became the third permanent member.
5. Jee Veerey (2018)
Made with the counselling service HopeTherapy, "Jee Veerey" is about depression and mental illness. It's the first song where the band's lyrics carried as much weight as the riffs, and it set the tone for everything that followed. It was later included on Rakshak.
6. Endurant (2019)
A song about bullying, released in January 2019. Like "Jee Veerey", it was re-released on the debut album.
7. Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot) (2019)
The festival anthem. Released in April 2019, the year Bloodywood were announced for Wacken Open Air in Germany and Kerr joined full time. If you have seen them live, you know the call-and-response.
8. Yaad (2020)
The last pre-album single, from March 2020. At 5:40 on the album, it's the longest song on Rakshak, and the most melodic.
9. Gaddaar (2022)
The opening track of Rakshak. It shows how far the band had come from YouTube covers: original writing, a full production, and Hindi lyrics that sound like they mean it.
10. Nu Delhi (2024)
The first release after signing to Fearless Records in October 2024, and the title track of the second album. Katiyar directed the official video, according to its published credits.
11. Bekhauf (feat. BABYMETAL) (2024)
Released in December 2024. A collaboration with the Japanese band BABYMETAL that put Bloodywood in front of a huge new audience. It's track four on Nu Delhi.
12. Halla Bol (2025)
The opener of Nu Delhi. Rolling Stone India said Bhadula "goes ham" on this Slipknot-inspired track. It's the heaviest thing in the catalogue.
Rakshak (2022)
The debut album came out on 18 February 2022, self-released. It debuted at No. 93 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart, which made Bloodywood the first Indian metal act on a Billboard chart. Ten tracks:
- Gaddaar
- Aaj
- Zanjeero Se
- Machi Bhasad
- Dana-Dan
- Jee Veerey
- Endurant
- Yaad
- BSDK.exe
- Chakh Le
Four of the ten had already come out as singles, so the album works partly as a collection of the band's best early originals and partly as a statement of where they were going next.
Nu Delhi (2025)
The second album came out on 21 March 2025, under exclusive licence to Fearless Records. Eight tracks:
- Halla Bol
- Hutt
- Dhadak
- Bekhauf (feat. BABYMETAL)
- Kismat
- Daggebaaz
- Tadka
- Nu Delhi
It's shorter and tighter than Rakshak, and the label deal shows in the production. If Rakshak introduced the idea, Nu Delhi is the band doing it at full scale.
Other credits
Apple also lists "All For One None For All" (November 2024), a Red Method single featuring Bloodywood.
Where to start
- First listen: "Machi Bhasad" → "Bekhauf" → "Jee Veerey".
- Album listener: Rakshak, then Nu Delhi.
- The origin story: "Heavy", then "Ari Ari".
FAQ
What is Bloodywood's most famous song? "Machi Bhasad" and "Jee Veerey" are the songs most tied to their rise; "Bekhauf" with BABYMETAL reached the widest new audience.
How many albums does Bloodywood have? Two: Rakshak (2022) and Nu Delhi (2025).
Did Bloodywood start as a cover band? Yes. They began in 2016 with metal parodies of pop songs, later collected as Anti-Pop Vol. 1, before switching to originals around 2018.
What language does Bloodywood sing in? Mainly Hindi and Punjabi, with English rap verses from Raoul Kerr.
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