May 10

May 10 Show Review, Photos: Bloodywood Bring Powerful Sold-Out Performance to Roseville

Bloodywood
w/ Vended, Wargasm
Goldfield Roseville
Roseville, CA
May 6th, 2023

Review and Photos by Jared Stossel

I love heavy metal, but sometimes, it can get exhausting listening to and watching the same old thing. There’s nothing wrong with experiencing the same thing over and over if you love it, but it’s nice to get something different every once in a while. My prayers were answered on Saturday night in Roseville when I got the chance to see Bloodywood, one of the most exciting new acts in metal. Hailing from New Delhi, the six-piece act melds Indian folk music with rap, hard rock, and nu-metal. It’s a damn shame that this band only played nine songs; I could have gone at least another hour watching them.

In addition to an outstanding headlining performance, Saturday night’s bill contained two of rock’s most promising new acts. The show was kicked off by Wargasm, an electro-rock duo comprised of musicians Sam Matlock and Milkie Way. Their songs merge at the intersection of metal, hip-hop, pop, and electronica while incorporating a punk attitude, and they did an excellent job of kicking off the night. I had seen them for only a few minutes at Riot Fest last year in Chicago, so I was glad I got the chance to check out a full set from this emerging act. With only one EP to their name – last year’s Explicit: The Mixxxtape – you’d think that they’d have been playing for over a decade; their showmanship is outstanding, with Way and Matlock brilliantly playing off of one another throughout their half-hour opening set.

The heaviest set of the night came from Vended, an aggressive new act out of Des Moines, Iowa. If you’re a Slipknot fan, the band’s name may already be somewhat familiar to you, as Vended features drummer Simon Crahan (son of percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan) and vocalist Griffin Taylor (son of vocalist Corey Taylor). Look, it’s hard to write a review about Vended’s performance without noting some similarities between themselves and the all-powerful Iowa nine-piece band. They don stage makeup; they play with the same ferocity as them. It’s crazy to watch Taylor perform; he looks and sounds nearly identical to his father. But it’s also impossible to say that Vended is just Slipknot 2.0; they’re not. They’re carving out their own space in the genre with their own fiery brand of punishingly aggressive heavy metal. Watching their set was incredibly fun, and it showcased an element of fun that I think has been missing in the genre for quite some time. Their ascension into the ranks of metal stardom is just beginning.

Just a short time after Vended wrapped things up, Bloodywood took the stage for one of the year’s most anticipated performances, and oh did they deliver. Sarthak Pawka took the stage under red lights wielding a dhol – a double-headed drum that’s prominently used throughout Indian music. The show begins with more of an Indian folk music influence before incorporating those elements into a full-on heavy metal assault. Influences range from Linkin Park, System of a Down, Rage Against The Machine, the latter comparison occurring due to their mixture of heavy rock with social justice advocacy and lyricism. Yet despite these comparisons, Bloodywood manages to stand out on its own. Their performance was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and it ranks among the best shows of the year. Except for “Ari Ari” and a revamped version of the song “Gaddaar”, the band’s nine-song set was comprised entirely of songs from their 2022 album Rakshak.

One of the most impressive aspects of Bloodywood’s performance was that even though a language barrier existed during song moments (their lyrics are written in English, Punjabi, and Hindi), it didn’t matter; the crowd (and myself) loved every minute of it. Performances like theirs are a reminder of the power of music, and how it can transcend boundaries unlike any other artistic medium. Saturday’s show was a reminder that it is an exciting time in the world of rock and heavy metal and acts like Bloodywood are poised to lead the charge. Expect a riot.

Bloodywood’s tour continues tonight in Denver, CO. For more tickets and information, click here.

Bloodywood Set List
Gaddaar
BSDK.exe
Aaj
Dana Dan
Jee Veerey
Zanjeero Se
Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)
Ari Ari
Gaddaar (v2)