Some things stay the same for a very good reason. Whether it’s some notion of fate that keep things the way they are, or the sheer will of those involved that are able to remain consistent in their efforts, it’s always a fascinating sight to witness a creation of any sort hit its mark time and time again. Even a little bit of change can send such a thing veering wildly down a different path, but it’s in even that we can bear witness to a name that is able to maintain control and show us what it can pull off. Having garnered a legendary reputation over the decades for all the right reasons, Rudra has taken those concepts to the extreme with their particular brand of Vedic metal. Even with their latest creation, they manage to keep every ounce of their awesome power.

After you’ve achieved glory many times over, the path forward can sometimes become the most unclear that it has been for quite some time. We’ve seen plenty of acts that stay around for quite a long time fall off at one point or another for a menagerie of different reasons, and while I long dreaded that Rudra would become one of them. To my immense surprise and pleasure, however, Rudra has remained a true constant in the entire Asian scene as the years have piled on with each album offering something to set Rudra even further apart from the competition. On a level all their own, it’s with their eleventh full-length album that this act returns to their roots on “Antithesis”. Make no mistake, though! Every inch of “Antithesis” is much of what we’ve come to expect from Rudra given the lyrical themes and its inspiration that permeates every factor of the songwriting, this record sees Rudra at the rawest they have been in years. Ten utterly vicious tracks that masterfully straddle the line of an approach that taps into being melodic in its rhythms and raw in its approach, this really feels like Rudra sought to shake things up after many of the epic landscapes that were crafted across much of their previous albums (as if this work was to literally be an antithesis to what came before). Featuring short and powerful songs that leave you no time for recovery and very little in the way of reprieve even amongst the gripping riffs that adorn the work, what we bear witness to throughout “Antithesis” is nothing short of Rudra getting back to the basics and showing us that even after so long, they can deliver a performance that stands out magnificently from the ocean of competition that they always find themselves before.

The quality of the Asian scene is nothing that should be underestimated for all that it holds within its depths, yet there is always something special afoot whenever Rudra rears its head once again. It’s a name that more than warrants the rare title of “legendary” for their decades-long offensive that has yet to lose so much as a minute shred of its overwhelming potency. Even after ten stunning full-length albums, Rudra still has more than enough incredible power to throw around with “Antithesis” being all the proof one could ever need.

LISTEN to “Antithesis” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Rudra on Facebook here.