1. Where have you
been hiding for the last couple of years?
Rudra was formed back in 1992 as Rudhra (with an 'h'). Since then, we've been
part of several underground compilation albums, which never reached many
countries outside this region. A demo was released in early 1995 and we did many
gigs that year. All within this country. In early 1996, we broke up due to
irreconcilable differences. During the later part of the same year the band was
resurrected after I invited Shiva, the drummer, to the new Rudra I had in mind.
Another reason why it seemed that we were hiding could be attributed to the lack
of attention paid to the metal scene in this part of the world. Moreover, the
lack of metal record labels in this country made the situation worse.
2. What is the latest on the rumors that you may be
releasing your next album soon?
We will be definitely releasing our next album by the end of this year if
all turns out well. There is a possibility that Candlelight Productions (soon to
be Sonic Wave International), the label we are signed to, might release another
CD which will contain all our past works as a limited edition somewhere in April
this year.
3. Who's in your band, what instrument(s) do they play,
and what is your contact address for merchandise orders or "fan mail"?
Shiva plays the drums, Bala & Alvin - the guitars, & myself - the
bass/Vocals. Our contact address, Home page & e-mail add is:
Rudra
24, Marsiling Drive,
#08-185,
Singapore 730024,
Singapore
Homepage: http://www.singnet.com.sg/~rudra
E-mail: rudra@singnet.com.sg
All merchandise orders and fan mails can be directed to either the snail mail
address or the e-mail address.
4. Has it been easier or more difficult to keep the band
together of late? Any membership changes you would like to let readers know of?
Is it refreshing to work with new blood?
It is really not a problem to keep the band together because we only come
together prior to any gig or recording. Most of the time we lead separate lives
except for a few occasional phone calls. So far we have not changed any member
since the last line-up in the debut album.
5. What lyrical approach can we expect on the next
release?
It will be the same as the debut. Touching again on the Vedanta Philosophy (an
ancient Indian Philosophy) and its variations when viewed from different angles.
But don't expect the same old ideas in the new album. It will definitely be
refreshing when different facets of the philosophy are presented.
6. Who does most of your writing (both lyrics & music)?
I do all the lyrics. Shiva and I do the music.
7. What is your favorite part about
being in the band: studio recording, playing live, composition, or other
activities?
I love the mixing part after recording as it will be the first time I would get
to listen the full impact of all the songs after being processed by various
gadgets. It is really a moment when your confidence in the success of the album
is high, at least personally.
8. What kind of stuff have you guys been listening to
lately?
We've been listening to lots of Black Metal stuff lately. Apart from these, we
do listen to some new age stuff too. Lately, I got into Loreena Mckennit and I
must say that I'm impressed with the instrumentation in her latest album. I just
love stuff that's mixed with mysticism. That's why I love listening to Celtic
and Indian classical music.
9. Tell us a bit about two of your favorite compositions that appear on your
latest release.
My favorites are Bliss Divine and Ananda. Bliss Divine musically has this
emotional melody in it, which I still can't get enough of. Lyrically it is my
favorite too. It is a song of the Ultimate Reality when seen through the Vedanta
Philosophy. Ananda means 'Bliss' in Sanskrit. The music in it is both intense
and mystical. I guess that's why I love it too.
10. How has the response been from previous releases?
Other than the demo and a few compilation albums, we've never had any official
releases prior to our present release.
11. Where do you guys call home? What is
the metal scene like there?
Singapore - the land of the Lion. The Singaporeann metal scene has been around
for more than a decade. There were lots of metal bands in the late 80's but
gradually declined when the support from the music industry was bad. Now we have
a new wave of metal bands here. Hardcore metal, Death Metal, Grind core, Black
Metal, Doom metal etc. I can safely say that there are only about 20-30 metal
bands in this island. But since the advent of several labels such as Candlelight
Productions (the label we're signed to), there are more opportunities for metal
bands to have their offerings published worldwide.
12. Any touring plans or various shows we should know
about?
We will be doing a couple of shows in neighboring Malaysia soon. There are
chances that we might play a few shows in Chicago after the release of our
second album.
13. What do you think needs to happen before death/black
metal music will be a more accepted form of music? (not "commercial" in this
sense)!!!
The thing that makes Death/Black metal what it is, is its originality. It
is in a league of its own always shocking, unconventional and constantly taking
a step further in its intrinsic non-conformist ways. So to make it more
acceptable will be a formidable task if its extremity is to be also retained. It
will only happen when the bands really start appealing to the general taste of
an average person. When this happens, then it is difficult to maintain
Death/Black Metal's distinction or originality. It will not be extreme anymore
as something that's extreme normally cannot be accepted by many. It will be
almost like selling out. To me acceptability and extremity are inversely
proportional to each other in technical terms. This is my opinion.
14. Do you think the internet will be a helpful tool in
reviving the International Underground?
Yes, definitely. The Internet closes the distance between communication in the
fragmented International underground scene. Now you find so many metal sites
like yours and in this way the whole underground scene gets connected. People
get to know of the metal scene in any remote part of the world at the touch of a
button. Isn't this great? Definitely, I am for the Internet in bringing the
International underground circuit stronger.
15. How is your label treating you? What have you been
able to do with their aid, that you could not do on your own? Is there a
negative side to this?
Our label Candlelight Productions (soon to be Sonic Wave International) treats
us very well. So much so that we're afraid to even switch labels after listening
to the kind of stories from bands that got victimized by their labels. The
things that we can't do without the label are like publicity, financial support
for recordings and the overseas band management. And there isn't anything
negative so far. Mainly because we don't have much expectations. Coming from
Singapore, a land practically unknown for metal, we should be glad if we ever
get signed.
16. Any band funny/horror stories you care to relate?
Nothing that's of interest.
17. Give us your
theory on what is destroying extreme metal... and what is keeping it alive.
My opinion is that there are too many bands playing the same stuff. You walk
into a store 3 years back and you pick 3 different Death Metal bands and they
all sound alike. You can't tell them from each other. When it all started, it
was great because there were only a few who did this. Soon every Tom, Dick and
Harry started ripping off each other. This is when the scene got saturated with
too many Death Metal bands and it all became too boring. This killed Death
Metal. Now Black metal is experiencing the same situation and I expect it to
decline too in the same manner. The bands are hungry for contracts and the
labels are hungry for money. They both feed off each other and the goal gets
lost in the way. Then comes the destruction of a great genre like extreme metal.
But on the other hand Metal has stayed alive mainly because of a few bands that
refused to conform or follow someone else's footsteps. They defined what they
played and set the pace. Such bands are Slayer, Death, Emperor, Mayhem,
Obituary, Bathory etc….
18. What kind of musical direction can we expect from you
guys in the future, now that extreme metal is trying to make a comeback?
I don't know what we are going to produce eventually. But looking at the riffs
I've done so far, I believe it is definitely going to be hell of a lot heavier
than our debut with more Indian classical elements incorporated.
19. What do you think about censorship
of music?
I don't believe that there is only one solution for any problem. The problem
changes over time and so must the solutions. Censorship is really outdated and
its futility is still not realized in that sense. I'm neither for it nor against
it.
20. Any last words of blasphemy,
hatred and disgust?
I would like to thank Necrosis and cold coffin magazine for giving us this
chance to be interviewed. We truly appreciate it. Thanks.