Rudra was formed in mid-1992 as a trio, then made up of Kathir (bass, vocals), Shiva (drums) and Bala (guitar). It was then known as Rudhra. A fourth member, Selvam, was recruited to supplement Bala on guitar. With this line-up they released a 4-track demo, The Past, in 1994. Prior to this release, Rudhra was also featured in a few underground death metal compilation albums with Singaporean underground metal bands.
In early 1996, the band had a hiatus and the members were involved in separate bands. Towards the end of 1996, Kathir decided to resurrect Rudhra with a slight alteration to its name; thus Rudra (the most common English transliteration for the Sanskrit word) was born. Kathir teamed up with Shiva and started work in the studio, soon to be joined by Bala and Alvin Chua to complete the line up before recording the self-titled debut album in late 1997, which was released in June 1998. The band played a couple of gigs and also starting work on new material. The band replaced its two guitarists with Selvam (ex-member) and Kannan in January 2000.
With that line-up Rudra released its second album, The Aryan Crusade, in September 2001. In January 2002, Big O magazine[1] named this album as one of the top 40 albums of the year. In July 2003, Rudra released a third album, named after the battlefield featured in the Indian epic the Mahabharata, Kurukshetra.
After touring in Singapore, India, Indonesia and Thailand, Rudra released Brahmavidya: Primordial I, in April 2005. Brahmavidya: Primordial I represents a slight shift in the band's sound as it exhibits more black metal influences than the previous albums and presents a denser recording that showcases the band's progressive move into more dynamic leads, complex bass-lines, and tighter, faster drumming with a bigger emphasis on blast beats. With this release, Rudra toured the USA in January 2007.
In 2008, Kannan was replaced by Devan. In 2009, Rudra released Brahmavidya: Transcendental I as the second chapter in the Brahmavidya trilogy. They have collaborated with Singapore director Jacen Tan on the music video for Hymns from the Blazing Chariot. In 2009, the band went through another line up change with Vinod replacing longtime member Selvam.
In August 2010, Rudra headlined the first day of Baybeats, an annual 3-day alternative music festival, held in Singapore. This was probably one of the rarest moments in history where an Extreme Metal band headlines a non-metal music festival. The band has also invited the interest of musicologists and research papers have been published about both Vedic Metal and the band.
In November 2011, Rudra announced that they will be closing the 2011 Brahmavidya Tour by headlining the Strawberry Fields Rock Fest @ Bangalore, India. It has been more than 7 years since the band last played Bangalore.
In July 2011, Devan left the band to focus on his personal life. Subash joined the band officially in January 2012 to replace Devan.
Amen
Rudra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your talk is cheap but many deceived
None needs your holy bread of life
What I need is to see through your lies!
Amen!!!.
Fools of God
Blinded Dogs
Passion defeats compassion
You feed God to the starving mouths
Ulterior motive in every action
Calculated moves to ensure conversion
Fools of God
Blinded Dogs
Pride of the insane
Vulgar display of divinity
[solo - selvam]
The lyrics of Rudra's song Amen offer a critical commentary on the manipulative nature of organized religion, particularly in terms of evangelism. The first stanza directly references the hypocrisy often found in religious rhetoric, with the singer calling out the duplicity of those who "preach" but do not live up to their own standards. The line "none needs your holy bread of life" also suggests a rejection of the notion that salvation is a commodity to be sold or bargained for, rather than a deeply personal and meaningful experience. The singer asserts their desire to "see through your lies," implying that they refuse to be swayed by false promises and empty words.
The second stanza expands on this theme, with a scathing critique of missionary work. The phrase "passion defeats compassion" suggests that the zealousness of evangelism can sometimes obscure the real needs and desires of the people being targeted. The singer accuses the evangelist of having an "ulterior motive in every action," indicating a belief that conversion is more about manipulation than genuine concern for others. The use of harsh terms such as "fools of God" and "blinded dogs" heightens the sense of anger and frustration in the lyrics. Overall, Amen is a powerful indictment of the darker aspects of religion and the ways in which it can be used as a tool of oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
I see the devil in your preaching creed
I notice that your teachings are evil and insincere.
Your talk is cheap but many deceived
Although your words are of little value, many are fooled by them.
None needs your holy bread of life
No one requires the bread of life that you claim to offer.
What I need is to see through your lies!
What I require is the perspective to see beyond your falsehoods!
Amen!!!.
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment!
Fools of God
People who are foolish in their worship of God.
Blinded Dogs
Those who are blind to the truth and blindly follow their masters.
Passion defeats compassion
Emotions like passion can override or obscure more caring emotions like compassion.
You feed God to the starving mouths
You force your beliefs upon those who are desperately in need, using their circumstances to your advantage.
Ulterior motive in every action
There is always a hidden agenda behind your every action.
Calculated moves to ensure conversion
You make strategic moves to ensure that people are converted to your religion.
Pride of the insane
The insanity of hubris, or excessive pride, often displayed by religious leaders.
Vulgar display of divinity
A shameful and indecent spectacle of supposedly divine power.
Contributed by Anthony D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.