Interview with Kathi of RUDRA for SCREAM
magazine.
1. Please tell our readers a little bit about RUDRA´s history (previousreleases
like demo´s, etc., previous members,...)
Rudra has been around in the underground scene for about a decade.
Although we have been around that long, it was just 4 years ago that we
managed to get the attention of the world with our debut album. We did
release a demo in 1995 which didn't go very far and also resulted in all
the members of Rudra, which was known as Rudhra at that time, to take
their own paths. But we decided to be active again in 1997 after Shiva &
I decided that we should give one more shot at it. With Alvin and Bala
on the guitars we released our self-titled debut album in 1998 which
brought us a fair bit of attention outside this region. Soon after that
we had to replace our guitarists with Kannan and Selvam (who was a
member of Rudra during the Rudhra days), with whom 'The Aryan Crusade'
was released.
2. °Would you please describe the current members (profession, personal
musical influences, hobbys, favourite bands, sideprojects,...)
Our drummer Shiva, who just got married, is a Land Officer. He loves
listening to Old school Death/thrash metal and glam rock. He plays in
another band called Kaliyuga. His favourite bands are Slayer, Motley
Crue & Deicide.
Our guitarist Selvam, is working as a Logistics Officer, loves listening
metal on the melodic Gothenburg style. And his pastime is to date gals..
hahahahaha. He too plays in Kaliyuga.
The other guitarist Kannan, who also got married recently, is a
Electrical Engineer whose pastime is to sleep. A lazy fellow whose
favourites are Slayer & Death.
I work as a Technical Officer and love to read philosophy. My musical
influences are Slayer, Death, Bathory, old Sepultura and Indian
classical Music.
3. °What are the main influences of RUDRA´s music in general? For me
it´s hard to describe, I would call it "Extreme Dark-Metal", I think I
can hear some really grim and raw Black Metal (like Darkthrone or Burzum),
but also a lot of beautiful melodies (the doomy, downtuned guitar-riff
at the beginning and the end of "I" is fuckin´ killer...) and
Thrash/Death Metal (like some Scandinavian bands, for example Let Me
Dream or God Forsaken, a little bit Samael and also some greek bands,
for example Rotting Christ, Necromantia and On Thorns I Lay)!?
We would prefer to call our brand of metal "Vedic Metal". Although our
music is nothing but extreme metal with ethnic influences, the reason
why we prefer that name is because of the Vedic philosophy which flows
through our lyrics and also the Indian classical music influences in our
music. Calling our music Death Metal or Death/Thrash Metal or Extreme
Dark Metal will also suit the songs we write. But personally we prefer
Vedic Metal which best describes the path we are taking. Among the bands
you've mentioned, I listen to Burzum and Samael only.
4. °Whit which kind of music did you grew up, I´m already 34, so my
first bands were Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Meat Loaf, etc, those
were the times:-)))))
I am 29 and I grew up listening to Motley Crue, Slayer, Def Leppard &
Santana. And I still listen to them. In fact while answering this
interview I am listening Twister Sister's Come Out and Play. I relish
the memories when I first listened to bands like Motley Crue & Led
Zeppelin. Those were the good ol' days that can never be forgotten.
5. At the moment we have a lot of trends in Europe, bands like Dimmu
Borgir and Cradle Of Filth are really big nowadays, the "New Wave Of
Swedish Death Thrash" is rolling (for example
Darkane,Soilwork,Terror2000,The Haunted,...), In Flames, Dark
Tranquillity and Arch Enemy stand for the melodic "Gothenburg-Style",
Nightwish, Tristania and Lacuna Coil represent the Gothic Metal, etc...,
do you know all these bands as well in Singapore?
Yes, we know all the bands you have mentioned. All their CDs are
available here and all of them are big in Singapore too. I am not a big
fan of the Melodic Gothenburg sound. But At The Gates' Slaughter of the
Soul is an exception and truly a masterpiece. I also like Soilwork's
Steelbath Suicide
6. °Do you know some Austrian (Death Metal) Bands like Pungent Stench,
Disharmonic Orchestra or Disastrous Murmur?
Yes of course. In fact I love Pungent Stench's Been Caught Buttering and
the song "Extra Uterine Pregnancy Part 2" in Disastrous Murmur's
Phapsodies in Red. I used to spin this song again and again in my Record
player way back in 1993. One of my all time favourite songs. The Lyrics
really freaked me out the first time I read them.
7. °You´re using very aggressive vocals most of the time, but the clean
voice in "My Soul Is Marching On" is very good too, what will the future
bring concerning to the vocals, would you like to use an female voice
somedays?
My Soul is Marching On was a theme song. So I tried to recreate the last
moments of a person's life and you can hear the last breaths toward the
end of the song. We will be introducing female vocals in the next album.
But not in the conventional sense, but to use it more for having the
Indian classical vocal nuances. This will further enhance the mystical
feel in our music. My vocals won't change much in the future as I prefer
the vocals to be aggressive in extreme metal.
8. °Please tell as about the Metal-Scene in Singapore, are there other
bands playing extreme Metal, what about the clubs and possibilitys for
Live-Gigs?
There used to be a big Metal scene for a small island about 10 years
ago. Over the years the scene shrunk to what it is today. But we do see
a healthy sign in the youths that have started coming for gigs. Dark
Funeral played here about 3 weeks ago and we opened for them. About 300
metalheads turned up for the gig. Over the years even the extreme metal
bands have disappeared. We used to have over 50 bands here playing
Extreme Metal. Most of the bands that were around when we started out
are non-existent now. Bands worthy of mention who are still rocking are
Impiety & Doxomedon. Even the clubs are turning down gig offers due to
low attendance and lack of support. So metal gigs are indeed a rarity
here.
9. °Your label is based in Singapore as well, are you satisfied with
their work or would you like to have an contract with an bigger
(European) label like Century Media, Nuclear Blast or Napalm Records? I
guess, you´re music is perfect for European Metalheads! Are you the
first Singapore band with worldwide distribution?
Our label has been very good to us but to have a contract with a bigger
label is better for us in terms of recording budget, better publicity
and good promotion. I got to know from our label that they are finding
it very difficult to break into the European & American market. So
having a bigger label will definitely help us in every way. Apart from
us, Impiety is the only other band which has world distribution. They
just got signed by Osmose Productions and their 3rd album which is their
1st with Osmose was released on the 4th of November.
10. °Do you already have an huge fanbase in Singapore or in other
countries like Thailand, Malaysia, etc...?
We don't have a huge fanbase in Singapore. In Singapore we are just
another local metal band. Elsewhere in India, Indonesia and Malaysia we
do have a big fanbase. Apart from these countries, we do have fan mails
coming from all over the world.
11. °Please tell us about the lyrical message of RUDRA, I guess there´s
a lot of history and tradition in the lyrics? How important is history
for your music in general?
You are absolutely right in saying that there is a tradition behind the
lyrical message. We are heavily influenced by an ancient tradition of
knowledge called Advaita Vedanta. This philosophical tradition is a
metaphysical science that equates the Individual to the Absolute
Reality. Therefore, it is not entirely incorrect to say that our lyrical
message is historical but rather something that dwells on an ancient
secret. And that secret is you, I & everyone else are indeed Gods. The
mission of Rudra through our lyrics is also to destroy all foolish
religious beliefs that enslave humanity. We oppose dogmatism, fanaticism
and bigotry. We are for the freedom of the human soul. In fact, we are
already free and Rudra is here to point this fact! This is not something
invented by us. This is the ancient secret revealed in most pagan and
ancient civilizations all over the world but just that we do it the way
it is expressed in our own tradition.
12. °Please tell us, what RUDRA means (is this the ancient four-armed
Hindu-God of storm, wind and death?) and about the meaning of "The Aryan
Crusade", as I told you, I´m from Austria and when we read something
about "Aryans" we are very careful (don´t understand me wrong, I´m SURE
you´re not racists!!!, but in this case we´re a little bit sensitive...)
Rudra is indeed a Vedic God of Storm, Wind & Destruction. So what does
the word Aryan got to do with us? This is an interesting question. Our
latest album has got us into a lot of trouble. So much that a few distro/labels
supposedly refused to carry our CD thinking that we are Nazis. What a
joke? You see the funny thing is that many have abused the meaning of
the word Aryan to such an extent that the ancient definition or rather
the actual definition of the word Aryan actually got lost. The word
'Aryan' is a Sanskrit word. And the definition of the word '"Aryan" is
"someone who is Noble, wise or intelligent". According to the Vedic
tradition, Aryans are people who have understood the natural order of
the universe or those who have known themselves to be Immortals or Gods.
So the original interpretation of the word 'Aryan' refers to the level
of intelligence one possessed or even an auspicious individual quality.
But later it has been misinterpreted due to the now demolished Aryan
Invasion Theory, which viewed the "Aryans" as a race. The Vedic
tradition used the word "Aryan" differently from the people who have
borrowed and abused it. That's why I consider the Aryan supremists as
people who lack scholarship on this subject. We can't blame them too.
History and research have become so biased and too many assumptions have
been made by Indologists who lacked the cultural exposure when
deciphering the ancient Indian texts. In my opinion there is no superior
race in the world. There is only a single race and I consider that to be
the Human race. The Aryan Crusade is a war against all forms of
ignorance including this. This Crusade is to establish the supremacy of
knowledge & wisdom. It has no racial connotation whatsoever.
13. °Is it hard to be a Metalhead in Singapore, on the booklet-picture I
see, that you´re all short-haired, are there long-haired guys too (an
friend of mine is married to an girl from Indonesia and she told me,
that there only criminals wear long hair...)?! I heard that the
population of Singapore is 77% Chinese, but I guess you belong to the
(11%?) Indian Minority, don´t you? Are there problems between the
cultures/religions, what do you call yourself, maybe Paganists? Are your
parents/sisters/bothers proud of you to play in a Metal-Band?
Not really….most metalheads here have long hair except us. Because most
of us in Rudra hold positions in our workplace which do not allow us to
have long hair as it is discouraged in our working culture. And long
haired people are not considered criminals here. That was a piece of
misinformation. We Indians are indeed a minority here. Actually we only
form about 7% of the total population. Chinese form 77% and the Malays
about 13%. But we are not considered minorities here in this island. We
are full citizens and we have the same rights as other races. We don't
have any racial/religious problems because the people here respect each
other's culture. And this make living very peaceful. …thanks to our
government for that. Indians who follow the Vedic tradition here call
themselves Hindus although as a living ancient tradition we can call
ourselves the oldest living pagan tradition. Our parents and friends are
supportive of our musical interests except that they doubt if we could
ever become rich out playing such non-commercial music.
14. °I also heard, that Singapore is the "cleanest town on earth", is it
really so dangerous (and expensive) to throw away a piece of paper or
eating chewing-gum? And that the girls are not allowed to wear
mini-skirts??? (unbelievable....)
Yes…this is a super clean place. You can be fined for littering. Eating
chewing is okay in Singapore provided you are able to find them in the
shops here. Hahahaha Chewing gum is banned in Singapore. And it is
untrue that ladies can't wear mini-skirts here. In fact ladies here
dress just the way the Americans do. The MTV culture is very strong
here.
15. °Tell us about your songwriting, do you have the melody-line first
or the lyrics, what are influences for your songwriting, maybe books or
movies?
It normally starts with a melody line and at the same time we intuit the
feeling we get from the melody to choose the theme for the lyrics. But
most of the time, the lyrical themes are set way before the music is
done. But the actual lines to the lyrical theme are written only after
the music is almost done. Being the principal lyricist, anything can
trigger me to write. Reading newspapers about current affairs and books
on philosophy influence me most.
16. °Did you have problems during the recordings and are you satisfied
with the whole album or would you like to change something afterwards?
Is there an special producer you would like to work with in the future?
What´s your favourite song on the album (I prefer "I" and "Malevolent
Creed")?
We face a lot of problems during recording, but most of the time they
are financial & technical constraints. We recorded and mixed The Aryan
Crusade in approximately 40 Hrs on 24 tracks ADAT. It was hell with such
a tight budget & time. And to make things worse the studios here aren't
equipped with the right equipment or the right engineer to produce metal
recordings. We have to make do with the worst situations. Anyway we hope
we'll be able to avoid these problems in the next album. And that
heavily depends on the next album deal. Therefore, presently we have no
particular producer in our mind mainly due to this uncertainty.
Personally I am dissatisfied with the recording of both our albums. The
drum tones weren't good and the guitars lack the crunch. Hopefully this
will improve in the next album. My favourite songs on the last album are
Aryaputra, Malevolent Creed & I. Surprisingly you are the first person I
know who likes "I".
17. °How are the reactions of the press and the fans on the new album, I
guess they like it too?
We received many positive reviews of the new album from the press all
over the world. The fans loved the progression we have made from the
last album. And overall it was a much heavier album than the last one.
18. °What about a tour, would you like to play an big (European)
festival like Wacken (Criminal from Chile already played there)? Which
band would you like to support on tour? Is there a chance to see you
here somedays?
Yes we would love to play in a big festival like Wacken and our label is
working hard to get us to play in Europe and US in the near future. So
far no dates have been confirmed. If there is a band that we would like
to support, it would be Melechesh. They play Mesopotamian Metal and we
play Vedic Metal. It will be a deadly combination.
19. °How important is the use of traditional instruments for you, I
really love the Tabla-Sound (is this instrument similar to an Sitar?),
it makes you very special!
We like to use our traditional instruments to add a touch of ethnicity
and mysticism to our music. The Tabla is actually an Indian Percussion
instrument and the Sitar is a string instrument. We have yet to use a
sitar in our music but we hope to do it very soon. But we normally use
the drones in an acoustic guitar to recreate the sounds of the sitar and
the veena (another ancient string instrument). So these instruments help
us reinforce the cultural aspect in our music.
20. °Tell us about the song "I", is the meaning that everybody should be
his own god?
I am so glad that you've got that right. "I" is indeed a song that
reveals what the real "I" is. To refine it further I would say that
everybody should REALIZE that he/she is God. All the sanskrit verses you
may find in the song are verses which are commonly used in Vedanta
teachings. Those verses are actually equations, which reveal the
identity between the Individual and the Totality.
21. °Tell us about your plans for the nearer future!
We have started composing the songs for our 3rd album and we are on the
lookout for labels as well for the new album. Apart from that we are
keen to play a couple of festivals in Europe and US if possible.
22. °Are there plans to join an Cover/Tribute-Album somedays, which band
would you like to cover?
We just contributed the track Forgotten Past for a Death tribute album.
Apart from that we would love to do Slayer, Kreator, Bathory & Iron
Maiden tribute albums.
23. °Are there plans to release "Aryan..." as an Vinyl-version, what do
you prefer, CD or LP?
No plans for LP. Our label has only released the album on CD and Tape
formats. Personally, I love the natural sound reproduction in Vinyls.
CDs have a flat sound while Vinyls have a natural low mid which kind of
enhances the sound. But in Singapore Vinyls are rarities so LP sales
have died here. Beelieve it or not there is only a single record store
here.
24. °Do you still have some unreleased tracks, maybe for an single or
special edition?
In fact, I was talking to Trishul Records recently if they would be
interested to release many obscure recordings we made between 1991 and
1997. They were interested in it but they have yet to confirm anything.
We have about 10 tracks, which are demos and live takes. This will be a
good treat for our fans to trace how we have evolved through the years.
25. °How does an real Metalhead from Singapore make party? With lots of
alcohol and music as well as we do:- )
Yeah…I guess it's the same everywhere.
26. °What do you think, how important is it for an "exotic" band like
you to be present in the www? What do you think about this mp3-thing, do
you download songs?
I do download songs to sample bands. Especially from Mp3.com. If I like
them, I'll buy the CD. As for Rudra, we have a page in Mp3.com promoting
our music. It is a good opportunity for people to sample our music.
27. °Please tell us your 5 current favourite albums and your 5 all-timefavourite
albums!
Current favourites:
Melechesh - Djinn
Dark Funeral - Diabolis Interium
Coroner - Grin
Vader - Revelations
Napalm Death - Enemy of the Music Business
All time Favourites:
Death - Leprosy
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Deicide - Once Upon The Cross
Kreator - Extreme Aggression
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |