Rudra are a Vedic Metal band from Singapore. In the 19 years of their existence they have released 6 albums including the Brahmavidya trilogy, of which third part “Immortal I” came out earlier this year. Andrew Doherty interviewed Kathir Aryaputra, founder member, bassist and vocalist.
Ave Noctum: Hello Kathir, and thank you for agreeing to this interview. I’d like to start by asking you for some insight into the basis of your band’s Vedic Metal music. I understand from my research that the ancient Vedic civilisation has strong associations with Hinduism and has profoundly influenced modern Indian culture. Your lyrics and accompanying notes are orientated towards spiritual teachings. Would it be correct to say that Rudra is far more than just a musical project?

Kathir: I would agree with you that Rudra is sort of a journey into the inner self as taught by the Vedic civilization. It is truly a spiritual cum philosophical journey where one sees oneself as not separate from the universe. These Vedic ideas gave birth to what eventually became modern Hinduism and Indian culture. These ideas have become the theme for Rudra since the first album. We have dived deep into the non-dualistic philosophy called Advaita of the Vedic civilization with all our 6 albums. I would say that Rudra is sort of a musical commentary on the Vedic philosophy.

Ave Noctum: Why have you chosen black and death metal as your principal musical vehicle?

Kathir: We are fans of extreme metal. So it became quite natural for us to do that. Moreover extreme metal allows the expression of radical ideas by virtue of its sonic dynamism. To us Vedic non dualism and extreme metal is a perfect marriage.

Ave Noctum: You’ve been together for a long time so it’s natural that your musical style will have evolved. Between “Kurukshetra” (2003) and “Brahmavidya: Immortal I” (2011), for instance, I sense a shift from a death metal instrumental style to a more sweeping blackened death style, but not so much of a change in the vocals. Looking back, how do you see the development of your musical vision over the years of your existence?

Kathir: Strangely we have not been overly conscious of the musical development while working on any album. However, on hindsight we do realise the differences that you have accurately pointed out. I would attribute it to the studio production and also the kind of mood we were in at the time we wrote the songs. The production quality has influenced our sound quite a bit over the years. The engineers/producers we worked with also contributed much to the sound, especially on the Brahmavidya trilogy.

Ave Noctum: Over the course of your albums, I also sense a progressive reduction in the use of overt traditional Eastern instruments and sounds. What made you decide to change the balance of your music in this way?

Kathir: I guess it’s just wanting change at times. It all depends on our collective mood. We set a direction for the album and we stick to it. For example we wanted to sacrifice the traditional instrumentation completely on the last album partly due to the lyrical theme of the album. We did not want the metal to be compromised as the lyrics too were uncompromising. So the idea to ditch the traditional parts fitted well into the theme of the album. That drives the balance found in all of our albums.

Ave Noctum: When I saw you play live, there seemed to be a clear distinction between the classical and eastern-orientated guitar playing styles. What is the difference between the ambiance you are looking to create when in the recording studio and when playing live?

Kathir: It has always been an uphill task to recreate the ambience found in our recordings in live shows. The effects, guitar layers and production are hard to replicate in a live setting. But we do try hard to give that experience to our audience. But we do bear in mind that we are a live band when recording an album. That keeps us from over doing anything in the studio.

Ave Noctum: As a band, do you all come from different directions musically? Do you have a “controlling mind” or are you largely as one over your choice of musical direction?

Kathir: Actually all of us come from different directions but we do not consciously infuse any of our influences into the musical direction. And also writing a Rudra album has always been an exercise to stick to the tradition set by the preceding albums. So all of us are required by our conscience to step out of our likes and dislikes to mould a logical ‘next step’ for the band. That way it is indeed a democratic process.

Ave Noctum: “Kurukshetra”, the title of your 2003 album, is, I believe, a holy place where in ancient times the dynastic war of the Mahabharata took place. Why did you focus on this period of history?

Kathir: Personally I don’t consider any book or place ‘holy’. We did not choose Kurukshetra because it was a holy place. No battlefield can be considered holy in my opinion. We chose the title because the Mahabharata records the many emotions, dilemmas and conquests experienced by the warriors during the war. And these are the same trials and tribulations everyone faces in their lives. To symbolize that we used Kurukshetra as a background. The symbolic idea is best described in this excerpt from the opening song of that album: “I am the battlefield. I am the slayer and the slain. And yet I am not any of it. This war is real yet unreal!”.

Ave Noctum: If I understand it correctly, “Brahmavidya”, the title of your trilogy, is a spiritual teaching involving meditation which accesses the subconscious mind and leads to knowledge of the Supreme Being. How does this reconcile with the almost impenetrable darkness of your music? Is there any light to go with this darkness?

Kathir: Ha Ha. I love your question. In the vision of Brahmavidya, the one who sees a difference between darkness and light is deluded. We don’t see any difference between the two as such a distinction is subjective. But there is a certain value in seeing things objectively. This objectivity in reason is as penetrating as extreme metal. Both Brahmavidya and metal have this common trait which is to question realities and take a jab at time honoured religious beliefs that can betray reason and ethics.

Ave Noctum: Can you explain what links the three parts of “Brahmavidya” in terms of thematic and musical progression?

Kathir: Thematically the first chapter (Brahmavidya: Primordial I) deals with the source texts of Brahmavidya. The second chapter (Brahmavidya: Transcendental I) talks about the literature created over the years since 700 CE expanding on the wisdom contained in the source texts. The third chapter (Brahmavidya: Immortal I) is based on a text that logically refutes dualistic teachings of other schools and hence we decided to use that as a basis to refute popular religious and secular ideologies prevalent in our times.

Musically I don’t see a conscious progression except for the deliberate attempt to completely ditch the traditional instrumentation in the final chapter.

Ave Noctum: You play in front of multi-cultural audiences in Singapore and elsewhere. How do you convey to live audiences the significance of the teachings and those philosophical and spiritual references which are within your lyrics?

Kathir: Normally I don’t make a conscious attempt to share the lyrical topics to the audience. I let that be a spontaneous element in all our shows. I do it when I feel inspired by the song we are about to play and the vibes that I get from the audience. I detest all forms of proselytism and I stay away from even remotely portraying that image.

Ave Noctum: Outside of the philosophical and spiritual ideals that you bring into your work, what other musical, artistic or other day-to-day influences within your life have there been which have helped to shape your creative output?

Kathir: The countless bands and artistes that we have listened to in our teens have definitely influenced us. My late father had been a very great influence on me as he too was in the music industry. I grew up listening to all kinds of English and Indian music. I had a daily dose of music growing up as a kid. Apart from this I don’t see anything else really influencing us apart reading about the violence that religions have been perpetuating for the last 2000 years or so. The topic of religious violence had a great influence on the Kurukshetra album

Ave Noctum: Since I have known about your band, you have played at an event involving a dance group at the Singapore College of the Arts and taken part in the Saving Gaia charity event. How do you see your role as a band and as individuals within your local community?

Kathir: We have somewhat become an extreme metal band that has pushed the boundaries of metal. This started in 2006 when we got invited by Singapore’s most prestigious arts company to stage a metal show in a conservative/traditional Indian arts festival. That took us by surprise. We were asked to do 7 shows over 3 nights. And that got the ball rolling when people from traditional (also puritan) circles started to pay attention to us. People started feeling that we are more than an average metal band. We felt that such a perception is good for us because we always wanted to explore that side of us and possibly exploit it without crossing the limits of acceptable norms.

Ave Noctum: I have read that you have links with the Maya Dance Theatre, in which the dance is synthesised with your music. How did this collaboration come about?

Kathir: Shiva & I always wanted to stage a metal dance opera having the Mahabharata as the backdrop. This idea came to us back in 2003 when we played a show in Bangalore, India. But we did not work on the idea due to not having the right people within our social circle. However, in 2009 when we shot the ‘Hymns of the Blazing Chariot’ music video, we had to engage dancers and we got them from Maya Dance Theatre. That’s when I met the celebrated choreographer Kavitha Krishnan from Maya Dance Theatre. So we talked about a mini stage show and finally got a slot again in the Indian Arts Festival 2010 and we staged the performance which won praise from both metalheads and the traditional audience.

Ave Noctum: Do you have any projects or plans to extend the scope of your work still further?
Kathir: Yes, we do have such plans to stage a full length stage dance metal performance in the near future.

Ave Noctum: What immediate plans do you have, now that you have released the Brahmavidya trilogy?

Kathir: We are planning to do more shows around the world and start writing the next album. We hope to release it next year which will be our 20th anniversary.

Ave Noctum: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement as a band so far?

Kathir: Having survived this long as a band in a geographically disadvantaged region where we get absolutely no support from either the media or the government. Passion rules this game! Ha ha.

Ave Noctum: You are with the Sonic Blast Media record label. What do you expect to get out of this relationship?

Kathir: More exposure and better control of Rudra’s recordings.

Ave Noctum: What would you like to happen in the future to take Rudra further forward?

Kathir: We have come to a point of time where we don’t have a wish list. We know for sure that we can’t do this full time. We just hope that we can do what we are doing with passion for another 20 years or more. Lemmy is a great inspiration that you can rock past 60.

Ave Noctum: To finish, is there anything you would like to say to AN readers?

Kathir: Thanks for all the support. You know that you mean a lot to us if you have come this far reading this interview.

Ave Noctum: I’d just like to say thank you again, and wish you, your manager and your fellow band members all the best and every success in your interesting and exciting project. I hope we’ll get the chance to see you in Europe soon, otherwise we’ll just have to come to Singapore to see you play!

For more on the band check out http://www.rudraonline.org