A change in the line-up and continuation of Brahmavidya (Knowledge of Brahma-Hindu god of creation) .Rudra’s Vedic crusade continues with Brahmavidya Transcedental the follow up to 2005’s Brahmavidya Primordial. I must share, that I consider myself the fittest person from ‘Metalindia’ to review this band, because  lyrics contain loads of alphabets, shlokas and hymns from Sanskrit language. And my study of the language till grade10th makes me qualified enough to talk you through the whole record. First thing that flows out of the amps is ‘Bhagavapada Namaskar’ these are 2 verses taken from Guru Gita,elaborating glories of guru who takes pain to wipe out delusion of a disciple, its delivered  in traditional Hindu chant style with gentle picking of sitar in the background.

Second track ‘Ravens of paradise’Rudra sing about dispassion & how it can lead to self knowledge. From the word go the double base drum kicks in the overdrive and cadaveric blast beats during central part of the song add to the rush.Kathir (vocals) sounds indulgently coarse, raw & majestic during the Sanskrit sections. Enter the 3rd minute and you can clearly decipher the ancestral signature vedic tone upping the momentum. A unique thing catching my attention is the finer guitar tuning done on the rhythms when compared with previous albums. Lead guitar playing is very ancient and reminds that it’s Rudra’s music and the foundation for which was kept before dark ages.

‘Amrtasyaputra’as explained by the band is- ‘He’exist completely in his vision of his immortal self. This one has only an objective that is to destroy your amps. This track assimilates the effect of Destruction, Sodom and newer exodus. On the chorus part when Kathir is shouting out loud ‘Amrtasyaputra’, the guitars are being pulled at 1 chord, make you feel as one of the characters talked about. The effect is bombastic as drums and vocals have the listener under a grip. Nature of the lead playing is very amphibian as they sail & crawl the way the rhythms move. ‘Hymns from the blazing chariot’, describes the enlightenment of Arjuna by lord Krishna taken from Bhagvad Gita, 4 Sanskrit verses are sang with tabla outros just before the nuclear assault. The effect is penetrating when shlokas are riding those warm leads. Its a battlefield where you feel chaos is won when the light comes from those solos moving as fast as the wheels of the chariot. Peace is attained with the shloka outro!This track is shear majesty.

Track 5, ‘Meditations at dawn’ is a morning meditation prayer played with acoustic guitars, dholak & tabla.Tabla solo during the last section & the female vocals provide a soothing effect. Placement of this track is also perfect as it calms down things ,almost midway. ‘Advaitamrta’-is nectar of self knowledge taken from Upanishads. This track is rides a mid-speed, with faster parts in intervals all squeezed through a common time frame funnel. Next track is ‘Natural born ignorance’ is reflection that vedanata is not bound by cultural & racial boundaries. As soon as the first riff unfolds it becomes a head bangers candy very suffocation styled riffs during first segment. Later Rudra legacy fills in with nicely heard side cymbal, which makes it very primitive (the way it is suppose to be).With lyrics like- ‘In the name of your lord, the meek shall inherit the weak, in the name of your god, the strong shall become the meek.’ act as perfect whips to make you realize how much effort has been put in to formulate the aggression through words.

Now comes the most interesting track amongst all ‘Immortality roars’- it’s about roaring drums leading you to roar of Vedanta. Its 4 shloka verse recital in kathir’s death metal chords, with ferocious double base and a spiritual sitar in the background. In between the song the drum patterns are such that you feel you are listening to multiple nagadas (ancient Indian percussion instrument).Track 9 ‘Reversing the currents’ is an excerpt from updesha Saram.Its a like a huge lizard sticking to the task to pounce over the prey, kill and eat. And over here the prey is the listener. I am forced to describe it that way due its step flow. Carefully listen to the background on the shlok section.
This is quite a lengthy album so we move on to track 10 & 11 ‘Venerable opposites’& ‘Avidya nivrti’the axes remain sharpened and pierce with ferocity, both songs become monstrous when sanskit words are recited, with kathir completely over the top.

‘Not the seen but the seer’ takes you to Devi Gita of Devi Bhagvata purana; musically it’s a very unique song as the whole divine effect during Sanskrit lyrics has drum playing on this one reminds of tabla & dholak being played as 1 unit and the central interlude is very catchy. ‘Adiguru namastubhyam’ takes you to a land where you feel that you are participating in a huge Havana/yagya (ancient Hindu way of praying around fire).Final track ‘Majestic Ashtavakara signs off the album majestically, brutal death metal Rudra style.

Time to bring the book to a close!it’s their 5th album and its audible, there’s enough maturity on recording process and its audible, it’s a dark extension of their previous works and its audible. Now get this album!!!.. is that audible?