BLOODYWOOD Announces RAKSHAK USA Tour Featuring VENDED and WARGASM!

BLOODYWOOD, the Indian metal band that has taken the world by storm with their unique blend of heavy music and traditional Indian folk music, is pleased to announce their upcoming RAKSHAK USA Tour. The tour, which will feature support from VENDED and WARGASM, will kick off on May 2nd in Seattle, WA and make its way across the US ending with an appearance at the Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus Ohio May 25

“We are thrilled to be back playing for our fans in the United States,” says Jayant Bhadula vocalist of BLOODYWOOD. “This tour is going to be a celebration of heavy metal, Indian culture, and the power of music to bring people together.”

The RAKSHAK USA Tour will feature songs from their 2022 critically acclaimed debut RAKSHAK album. Direct support VENDED, the Des Moines-based hard rock band featuring vocalist Griffin Taylor and drummer Simon Crahan, has been making waves with a powerful debut release and is featured on the tour. WARGASM, the London-based duo featuring Milkie Way and Sam Matlockwho have been garnering acclaim from their mix of punk and metal genres rounds out the bill.

“We can’t wait to share the stage with VENDED AND WARGASM,” adds Karan Katiyar, the guitarist. “Both bands are incredibly talented and we know that they are going to bring a ton of energy to every show.”

The RAKSHAK USA Tour is the latest in a series of exciting developments for BLOODYWOOD, who have been making headlines around the world for their unique sound and energetic live performances (as they did representing their country and genre on Lollapalooza, India). With their infectious melodies, heavy riffs, and powerful lyrics, BLOODYWOOD is poised to become one of the most exciting new bands in metal throughout the world. Their passionately advocated social causes complement their bold sound.

TOUR DATES
05/02 @ El Corazon - Seattle, WA
05/03 @ Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
05/05 @ Virginia Street Brewhouse - Reno, NV
05/06 @ Goldfield Trading - Sacramento, CA
05/07 @ Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
05/08 @ The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA
05/10 @ Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
05/12 @ The Metro - Chicago, IL
05/13 @ Pop's - St. Louis, MO
05/15 @ Vibes Event Center - San Antonio, TX
05/16 @ The Studio At The Factory - Dallas, TX
05/18 @ Welcome to Rockville Festival - Daytona Beach, FL
05/19 @ The Georgia Theater - Athens, GA
05/20 @ Hangar 1819 - Greensboro, NC
05/22 @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY
05/23 @ HMAC - Harrisburg, PA
05/24 @ Roxian Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA
05/25 @ Sonic Temple Festival - Columbus, OH

Presale Tickets and VIP Experiences for the RAKSHAK USA Tour begin on Wednesday March 1, with General on-sales Friday March 3!

Click for Presale Tickets and VIP Experience!

Stream 'Rakshak' on Spotify

About Bloodywood

BLOODYWOOD is known for pioneering a sound that seamlessly fuses Indian Folk instruments with Metal to devastating effect. Expect to hear the percussive power of the mighty Dhol, the melancholic Flute, the single stringed Tumbi and several other uncommon yet distinctively characteristic sounds from India. A combination of thunderous Hindi/Punjabi and meaningful yet unforgiving Rap verses along with the ethnic instrumentation, makes BLOODYWOOD a truly unique experience.

VOICE OF BACEPROT - Hijabs & Heavy Music!

“Beyond blowing away local audiences with their banging music, the three girls are also challenging entrenched stereotypes about gender and religious norms in the world’s most-populous Muslim-majority nation.” – NY Times

 Firda Marsya Kurnia (vocals, guitar), Widi Rahmawati (bass), and Euis Siti Aisyah (drums)  - the members of Voice of Baceprot - have suffered quite a bit of intolerance - even within their own community in West Java, Indonesia.  Wave after wave of backlash and stigmatization came at them from all directions and nearly exhausted them out of the music scene in 2016.

 “The more we tried to avoid the criticism, distance ourselves from it, it became even more vile. It provoked us to fight back even more bluntly. It kept going to the point where we became so tired,” Marsya recalls. They made efforts to find support from those they thought would better understand their situation. However, there was always a catch: they would ask the band to be more of what they found acceptable / ask them to align with ‘their side.’

 “It isn't just the band's loud music that's attracting attention: Voice of Baceprot has also entered the spotlight for breaking the mold of a typical metal band.” - NPR

When they told their manager and former teacher, Abah Erza Satia, about their dilemma, he responded with pearls of wisdom. “According to Abah, if we still believe in God while feeling that certain people are not allowing us to play music while others lend us their bogus support by forcing us to side with them, then why not write a song that confides directly in God? We could cut loose any allegiances with our fellow human beings,” explains Marsya.  Together with Abah, the trio then began to write lyrics that were very confessional yet brimming with their dislike towards allegiances. They would eventually become the building blocks to “God, Allow Me (Please) to Play Music”.  

 The framework of the song was built gradually. It started from jamming sessions at Abah’s studio back in their hometown. Further refinements were made across a series of workshops in Jakarta after each band member had been prepared musically by several senior local musicians who served as their mentors, including Stevi Item (Andra & The Backbone, Deadsquad), Alan Musyfia, and Andyan Gorust (Hellcrust), as well as Gusti Hendy (GIGI). The band also received a lot of input on the song’s arrangement by their producer Stephan Santoso, who also helmed the production of their debut single “School Revolution” back in 2018.  The video for “School Revolution” is coming up on 900k plays on YouTube at present.

 The end result after the gruelling process was a full-blown single, heavy yet melodic and catchy at the same time, showcasing each member’s musical development and hard work.  Musically, “God, Allow Me (Please) to Play Music” is the embodiment of the results from explorations that Marsya, Siti, and Widi embarked on in uncharted musical territories.

 “We want people who listen to this song to become more tolerant towards others. God does not belong to just one person or one group of people. God belongs to anyone who believes in Him. So, everyone has a right to be creative, create, and take responsibility for their creations given by the God that he or she believes in,” Marsya concludes.

 The new single follows the band’s “Other Side of Metalism” campaign this month (July 2021) that will feature the weekly release of covers of some of the band’s favorite songs - System of a Down’s “IEAIAIO,”  Rage Against The Machine’s “Testify,” Slipknot’s “Before I Forget” and One Minute Silence’s “I Wear My Skin” (out today .

 The group is honored to have been invited to play Wacken Open Air 2022.  They will play alongside headliners Slipknot, Judas Priest, Rammstein’s Till Lindemann and more, at the event, scheduled to run from August 4 - August 8, 2022.

 “God, Allow Me (Please) to Play Music” will be available on all digital streaming platforms starting from August 17, 2021. 

 Official website www.voiceofbaceprot.com

Instagram www.instagram.com/voiceofbacepro t 

Twitter www.twitter.com/baceprotvoices  

Facebook www.facebook.com/voiceofbaceprot  

YouTube www.youtube.com/voiceofbaceprot

General inquiries voiceofbaceprot@12wired.com

KK’S PRIEST ANNOUNCES

NEW SINGLE, TITLE TRACK

“SERMONS OF THE SINNER”

 NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER VIA EX1 RECORDS

https://found.ee/KKsPriest

KK’s PRIEST, the band comprised of renowned former Judas Priest guitarist, KK Downing and former vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens, is ready to unleash the title track of the upcoming release, “Sermons of the Sinner.”  

The hard-charging second single from SERMONS OF THE SINNER, is available today and features a stunning new music video athttps://found.ee/SermonsOfTheSinnerVideo . In the video for the title track, K.K is seen regaining his position of strength by re-taking the book of sermons that allows him to fend off the demon that threatens to extinguish our musical legacy.  Both storyline and performance can be seen in the clip.  

Of “Sermons of the Sinner”, Downing says “The song and title track “Sermons of the Sinner” epitomizes the whole album in one just song. It is all-encompassing with its tribute to the history of our beloved genre of music, while updating the details for today’s audience.  In the song and video we not only extend our humble gratitude to loyal fans of classic rock and metal but also present a subtle warning about the future of the genre. We are very hopeful that the song and album “Sermons of the Sinner” will inspire young and older musicians alike to pick up their instruments and keep alive the rock music that so many of us have become a part of, and that has become such a part of us. “ 

“Sermons of the Sinner” follows up the successful debut track “Hellfire Thunderbolt” – a track that has fans and critics alike excitedly recalling Downing’s classic riffs. YouTube reaction-video favorite, The Adventures of TNT, exclaimed “I am thoroughly impressed…this is probably the best Metal song of 2021!”

The release of SERMONS OF THE SINNER via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records will come on August 20.  Fans are able to pre-order the debut album in various configurations including an exclusive limited edition autographed Metal Vinyl (Silver Disc) with bonus CD Album, via the band’s online store here: https://found.ee/KKsPriest.  The album can be pre-saved via all global digital streaming partners as well.

With Downing on guitar, KK’s PRIEST also features ex-Judas Priest member Tim “Ripper” Owens on vocals, who fronted the band for eight years and recorded two studio albums, Jugulator, featuring the GRAMMY® nominated track “Bullet Train,” and Demolition, plus two live albums. They are joined by Tony Newton (Voodoo Six) on bass, A.J. Mills (Hostile) on guitar and Sean Elg 

(DeathRiders/Cage) on drums. Original drummer, Les Binks, unfortunately sustained a wrist injury, but will make special guest live appearances when the band tours. 

SERMONS OF THE SINNER is an incredible collection of future metal classics, sure to be one of the stand-out metal releases of 2021. K.K Downing’s genre-defining guitar style helped establish Judas Priest‘s iconic sound and helped propelled them to one of the top Heavy Metal bands of all-time, earning numerous  accolades including a GRAMMY® in 2010 for “Best Metal Performance,” a total of five GRAMMY® nominations and multi-platinum and gold releases. 

KK’S PRIEST is set to tour worldwide as soon as current restrictions are lifted. Details of touring to be announced.

Connect with KK’S PRIEST via…

Website - www.kkspriest.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/KKsPriest

Twitter - https://twitter.com/KKsPriest

Instagram - www.instagram.com/kkspriest

ABOUT KK’S PRIEST:

After years of quietly enjoying life away from the rigors of the road and intense studio recording, KK Downing emerged again on stage in August 2019. His former bandmates had been given the Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame award at the Wacken Open Air festival that summer, and HMHOF board member Steve Goldby wanted to give the guitarist his award at Bloodstock. From there, the conversation led to Downing performing a few songs with Ross The Boss. The performance electrified the crowd and reinvigorated Downing.  In November of that year, he put on a show in Wolverhampton, UK with former Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, former drummer Les Binks, Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, and Hostile guitarist A.J. Mills. Downing had produced two albums for the latter band. Spanning Judas Priest’s catalog, this superb and successful show sent shockwaves throughout the metal world: K.K. was back and the fans were clearly hungry for more.  Rather than simply rely on his past successes and go on the road performing classic Judas Priest songs, the renowned guitarist did what he has always done – make new music.

 ABOUT EXPLORER1 MUSIC GROUP: 

Explorer1 Music Group (“EX1”) is one of the most innovative companies to emerge in the ever changing landscape of the music industry.  Founded by Paul Woolnough, EX1 launched in 2019 with a world-class team of music and entertainment industry entrepreneurs and executives and unrivalled global infrastructure. EX1 uses its never-seen-before artist friendly business model to partner with prominent and emerging artists to assist in the development of, and participate in every part of their careers. Seasoned industry executive Andy Gould (Linkin Park, Rob Zombie) handles day-to-day management of KK’s Priest on behalf of Explorer1 Music Group. More Information: www.Explorer1music.com