ALBUM REVIEW: Nu Delhi – Bloodywood

March 19, 2025 Tim Bolitho-Jones

The rise of BLOODYWOOD to superstardom has been an absolute joy to behold. After starting life as a cover band, they became a viral sensation with the Ari Ari video and could easily have become a flash-in-the-pan novelty act. However, the decision to take their time and not rush out a full length to capitalise on the publicity paid off; their debut Rakshak received a glowing reception from critics and fans alike. Released no less than four whole years after they became a YouTube sensation, it was an incendiary album, bursting with confidence and macho swagger and firmly established that these lads were no one-hit-wonders.

Fast forward a few years and the follow-up has arrived. Nu Delhi is their first album for Fearless Records and has a lot to live up to; are these rabble-rousing upstarts going to keep the pits raging and continue their upward momentum, or have an ALIEN WEAPONRY-style second album fumble? Well, it’s too early to tell what the commercial reception will be, but in terms of quality, Nu Delhi is pretty good but not quite in the same league as Rakshak. It’s a decent listen but they set the bar monstrously high with its predecessor and don’t quite manage to reach it. Maybe it’s because the adrenaline rush has worn off since 2022, but Nu Delhi doesn’t hit as hard.

That being said, if you haven’t heard Rakshak and decided to listen to this one first, it’ll feel like a game changer. The combination of traditional Indian folk music with bruising, high-octane nu-metal is still loads of fun and it’s so manly, it could raise your testosterone more than swallowing an entire packet of dark web pills in one go. BLOODYWOOD are loud, aggressive, and confident as ever and Nu Delhi has an energy that is difficult to match. Even the quieter bits are as intense as taking an elephant tusk to the jaw while a frenzied Bengal tiger slashes your back open.

The catch is that it can’t help but sound like an extended epilogue to Rakshak. With the exception of a BABYMETAL cameo, everything on Nu Delhi could have been recorded in 2022 and slotted comfortably onto the previous record’s track list. If you enjoyed that one, chances are you’ll like this too, but the shorter running time is frustrating and while the songs are strong enough, they don’t reach the incredible highs of Gadaar, Machi Bhasad or Chakh Le.

That being said, Nu Delhi is categorically not a bad album. The closing title track is a veritable call-to-arms and love letter to their home that will make anyone who doesn’t live in Mumbai happy, and the likes of Tadka, Halla Bol and Dhadak don’t put a foot wrong. It’s just that there isn’t a single surprise here and it doesn’t have the same “lightning in a bottle” rush anymore. The raging fire at the heart of BLOODYWOOD has yet to be put out and while the intensity hasn’t grown, it hasn’t diminished either.

Rating: 7/10