Lest the entire heavy metal universe fall into redundancy with endless streams of semi-talented clones polluting the musical landscape, intelligent bands like Rudra arrive to thrill metalheads long jaded by same-old, same-old. Adding a fresh spin to the extreme stuff they love, the Singaporean quartet have made a career of incorporating their cultural roots in India into a discography that now runs six albums deep. This year's 'Brahmavidya: Transcendental I' is barely a departure from its predecessor, 2005's 'Brahmavidya: Primordial I', and is in fact its sequel. But in terms of sheer length and breadth this is Rudra's most epic release to date.

Of course, the words "epic" and "death metal" don't usually mix well. But Rudra aren't your average death metal band. Their unique take on the genre - touched with thrash, melodic, relentless, complex, abrasive, evil - makes easy comparisons almost impossible. Some would say Nile, but that's too obvious, and Rudra are far more imaginative. Take their theme, for example: The Vedas, ancient Hindu texts whose immense scope has found the perfect vehicle in Rudra's music. The band chose one aspect of the Vedas, non-dualism, and elaborate on its ideas for each album. This explains why the breaking tracks 'Venerable Opposires', 'Advaitamrta', and 'Majestic Ashtavakara', are packed with as much meaning as a self-help book. Not to mention enough music to last five or six minutes. Rudra just love their rumbling bass lines, crackling drums, walls of riffs, frontman Kathir's tormented vocals (hear him scream "Who Am I? What Am I?" on the nightmarish 'Not the Seen but the Seer'); it's a sonic typhoon unprecedented in Asia.

Another virtue of Rudra is they have the brain matter to balance their harshness, and with brain matter comes subtlety. Take the album's four interludes, beginning with the priestly incantations for 'Bhagavadpada Namaskara', ethnic sound effects on the soothing 'Meditations at Dawn' and 'Adiguru Namastubhyam', even a drum solo plus spoken word vocals at 'Immortlaity Roars'. Despite these stylish touches, Rudra still want to kick the listener in the nuts with hard-hitting songs. Enter the galloping 'Advaitamrta', its storming follow up 'Natural Born Ignorance', the electrifying energy of 'Amrtasyaputra', then the whirlwind of an album closer that's 'Majestic Ashtavakra'.

Truly, 'Brahmavidya: Transcendental I' is every inch an album that could get too loud to handle, which is why it comes highly recommended. Prepare for musical enlightenment.

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Miguel Miranda
06/30/2009 14:08