Southeast Asia Heavy Metal: INDONESIA

Southeast Asia Heavy Metal

Podcast Tour 2012

-Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines-

Episode 2: INDONESIA 

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Episode 2 of our Southeast Asian Heavy Metal Tour takes us to the “Metal Archipelago”. Indonesian heavy metal is characterized by four basic components. 1) Metal is Power 2) Your Metal Scene is Your Extended Family 3) Respect Your Fans, and most importantly 4) Be Proud. Furthermore, if you manage to express your anger and rage through guttural vocals accompanied by heavy distortion and blast drums than you couldn’t have found a much better place in the whole of Southeast Asia. Here, in Indonesia, extreme metal is the sovereign ruler of this mystical land.  

Pernicious Hate live at Jakarta, DEATH FEST 2011

Indonesia has set itself apart from its neighbors in Southeast Asia by taking heavy music to its extremes. A guttural vocalist is much more venerated and appreciated than any other kind of metal singer in the scene. With the extreme genres of Death Metal, Grindcore and Black Metal on the top, other genres of metal which are more popular in the west are not as prevalent in Indonesia. Moreover, bands in the power metal or melodic genres are scarce and hard to come by. However, the very few that do exist manage to put out a respectable effort. Such is the case of the only power metal band in this episode, VALERIAN. Exceptionally isolated like if on their own island (that figures), bands like VALERIAN are something special. However, you wouldn’t consider female death metal singers as “special” in Indonesian metal. For example, take female death metal signer Popo Puji. No doubt this woman can sing guttural vocals like the best of them and provide the necessary attitude on stage for the band to which she belongs, DEMONS DAMN. Regarding what motived Popo Puji to take up extreme metal, “I was motived by myself because I wanted to show to the people that I can play this metal, not only guys can play metal, women can also. I wanted to be a clever metal head not a follower…so; I push myself to learn much about this music.” No doubt Popo Puji is exceling in her craft. Testament to that are the songs she has already recorded from which you will hear the song “Dominasi Arogansi”. As for subject matter for Popo Puji’s lyrics, “My lyrics are mostly about anger, revenge and traitors. I try to image what I felt. Maybe in another life, I can express my anger…I try to bring my evil side of me.” Furthermore, Popo Puji is opening the way for more female participation in metal bands in the near future. And it goes to show you that chicks in Indonesia are also very much extreme when it comes to their metal just like the guys.

Popo Puji, vocals DEMONS DAMN

“It’s an energizing power, and Black Metal’s role is in executing; a pull trigger; can you read me? Can you see the mystical power in Black Metal in this land? It’s destructive!” Djiwo Ratriarkha vocals for MAKAM. Hailing from Solo, Java, MAKAM has been in existence for more than 16 years. MAKAM has been playing their on indigenous version of folk black metal based on mystical and old legends of the land in which they inhabit. “Anybody can make a Black Metal band, initially. But I’m sure they did not recognize their own character of their selves. So, why not try to explore the true colors of your soul? That would be good, guy. Trust me.” On the verge of releasing a new album, “MAHAMAKAM”, and a book documenting their sixteen year span career, MAKAM will continue to infuse with power their dark minions of fans called ‘The Raider Klan”. Metal is Power across Indonesia, and MAKAM is just one of the many extreme metal bands in the archipelago that embraces it. 

Djiwo Ratriarkha vocals MAKAM

“We don’t like to call them fans; we like them like friends.”- Ferly, JASAD( BUSUK, 2011). Respect your fans by treating them as your equals, not as your inferiors. Something that is mostly natural for many bands in Indonesia is to consider their fans as friends or an extended version of their families. Regarding the metal scene in Indonesia, JASAD’s  drummer, Abaz states, “…it can be like a second family.” (BUSUK, 2012). When asked what was the scene like in Indonesia, guitarist for SPIDER’S LAST MOMENT, Aryo, stated, “…Indonesia has a lot of metal bands, and lot of metal fans, as well. This situation encourages us to be different and give another choice or alternative colors to the metal scene in Indonesia.” Borok, bass player for CARAVAN OF ANACONDA states regarding the scene in Indonesia, “The band likes playing in Indonesia. Actually, many people here like our style, many support us.” If more bands from the west respected their fans like Indonesian bands do then they would have many supporters and also consider their fans as extended versions of their families.

SPIDER'S LAST MOMENT at Valentine Attack

You play extreme metal in Indonesia. So feel proud of yourself. When asked how she felt, Popo Puji, when singing in front of a crowd, she simply replied, “Proud.” Additionally adding, “Proud of my city...my town...of the many great musicians born here, of the many great bands from Bandung, and I am proud to be part of the Death Metal Community in Bandung, in Indonesia of course.” Djiwo, vocals MAKAM, expresses his pride for the scene by stating, “In this country, you put out to learn by doing it; it’s something that we call old school, and always with pride.” So in the end, in Indonesia, you are not just a metal head, you are a proud metal head.

   

Sacrifice Indo by Andhoenk

With all its rich indigenous culture and proud people, Indonesia has evolved, in the heavy metal aspect, separately from its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. Perhaps, it’s due to natural phenomenon caused by “island rule” in which species get smaller or bigger depending on the resources available in the environment (Foster’s Rule). Perhaps, this could explain metaphorically why extreme metal is so big in Indonesia and other genres are just not prevalent. Or perhaps, we should also look into how religion and society afflicts any developing nation. The most natural response is to go as extreme and heavy as possible. For the time being, we understand that to Indonesians heavy metal music is power. This power is shared by fans and musicians alike as they are part of a scene (family) which respects each other’s roles. In the end, we can say that Indonesian metal heads are proud of their heavy metal music, and most of all, they are proud of being part of it. “…be true to yourself and hellyeargghh!” ~Djiwo, MAKAM

Artists/Songs in order of appearance

1. DEMONS DAMN - Dominasi, Arogansi

Bandung, Indonesia website

Read BUSUK Webzine interview with DEMONS DAMN

2. WAFAT - Terrible Retaliation

Surabaya East Java, Indonesia website

3. COSMIC VORTEX - Machine Gun Leg

Jakarta, Indonesia website

4.TENGGOROKAN - Fuck The Blasphemy

Kediri, Indonesia, website

Read BUSUK Webzine interview with Tenggorokan

5. RESIST THE DOOMS DAY - Reigns of Arrogance

Jakarta, Indonesia, website

6. MAKAM - Merkurius Equator

Solo Java, Indonesia, website, Facebook group 

 

Purchase Kayon Hoodie MAKAM
Longsleeve-Mid East Abrahamicide

Listen to our 2007 special with MAKAM. Included a full interview in English with Diwjo (vocals).

7. SACRIFICE - Nusa Tembini

SIDOARJO, Indonesia, website

Read GRIMCORPSE Webzine interview with SACRIFICE

8. VALERIAN - Arise

Surabaya, Indonesia, website

Read BUSUK Webzine interview with VALERIAN

9. CARAVAN OF ANACONDA - Liga Kanibal

Bandung, Indonesia, Website

10. SPIDER'S LAST MOMENT - Regret I shall Comprimise

Yogyakarta, Indonesia, website

11. PERNICIOUS HATE - Tragically

PURWOKERTO, Indonesia, website

Purchase Pernicious Hate T-shirts, contact Imam Santosa 62 85624442777

12. EMPTYS - Desember Maha Sadis

Gresick, Indonesia, website

13. JASAD - Bless My Wrath

Bandung, Indonesia, website

Read BUSUK Webzine interview with JASAD

CHECK OUT BLASTING OF DEATH ISSUE #10, April 2012

Traditional Indonesian Music

by Nindy Bynez 

The name of Indonesian folkore music is Keroncong, Dangdut, Campursari.

Kroncong (pronounced "kronchong"; Indonesian: Keroncong, Dutch: Krontjong) is the name of a ukulele-type instrument and an Indonesian musical style that typically makes use of the kroncong (the sound chrong-chrong-chrong comes from this instrument, so the music is called keronchong), the band or combo or ensemble (it called as keronchong orchestra) consist of a flute, a violin, a melody guitar, a cello in pizzicato style, string bass also in pizzicato, and a female or male singer.

Dangdut is a genre of Indonesian popular music that is partly derived from Malay, Arabic, and Hindustani music. It developed in the late 1960s and 1970s among working-class Muslim youth in Java, but beginning in the late 1990s reached a broader following in lower class Indonesians, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines.

Read more

A dangdut band typically consists of a lead singer, male or female, backed by four to eight musicians. Instruments usually include a tabla, mandolin, guitars, and synthesizers.The term has been expanded from the desert-style music to embrace other musical styles. Modern dangdut incorporates influences from Middle Eastern pop music, Western rock, house music, hip-hop music, contemporary R&B, and reggae.

The Campursari term in Indonesia's national music world refers to the mixture (crossover) few contemporary Indonesian music genre. Campursari name is taken from the actual Java language is general. Campursari music in the middle to eastern part of Java, especially related to the modification of gamelan musical instruments that can be combined with western musical instruments, or vice versa. In fact, the instruments 'foreign' this 'subject' in the grip of music that favored the local community: Java style and gending.

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BUSUK Webzine

Interviews with Indonesian, Southeast Asian and Foreign Metal Bands all Metal Genres