Wednesday 30 November 2016

CD REVIEW: KREMATIST (Jakarta Progressive Death Metal) - "Pasukan Neraka", by Collin Brophy, 19/11/16

Krematist Pasukan Neraka Album Review, by Collin Brophy

Krematist is a five-piece progressive death metal band from Jakarta, Indonesia which was formed back in 2011. The band has had numerous releases and also songs on compilations and a live DVD and it has quite a large following not only in Indonesia, but in all parts of the world.

krematografi:
*Split Demo Krematist /Doom For Butcher (2011) D.I.Y.
*EP CD version Krematist -self titled (2011) D.I.Y.
*Dam Project compilation (2012) released by Amy Lee
Production.
*Philosophy II compilation (2012) released by Brother Banger records.
*Metal Distorsi compilation (2013) released by Metal Harmony production.
*DVD live Sumpiuh Mrindink 10 (2013) released by Cavalera distribution.
*Indonesian Underground 3 (2014) released by Edel Weiss production.
*EP cassette tape Krematology (2014) released by Sic Fanatics records.
*Creepy ultimate underground compilation (2014) released by Bijikopi records.
*Darkness Hours compilation (2014) released by Tukang Bakar Mayat production.
*Metal Fanatik cassette compilation (2014) released by Sic Fanatics records.

Band Members:  Phuput - Vocals (2011- present); Beng - Guitars (2011- present); Dawen - Guitars (2011- present); Uya - Drums (2011- present); and Sonny - Bass (2011- present).
Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia.
Genre: Progressive Death Metal.

Krematist in English means “incendiary" and judging by some of the influences which include, Death, Carcass, Dismember, Twisted Into For, Bolt Thrower and Gorod just to name a few as well as Krandamayat  (Jakarta Death Trash Metal), and with lyrical themes such as Hell, Slaughter and Trapped In Disbelief, then you can understand why they play some awesome death metal.

New Album: Pasukan Neraka running time 37 Minutes.
Tracks: 1. Intro, 2. Memenggal Eksistensi Surga, 3. Meronta, 4. Showing Blod Toxin, 5. Slaughter The Traitor, 6. Song Of Dirty Mongrel, 7. Tafsir Ayat Terakhir, 8. Your Story Like Pornstar.

Guest Vocalist:  Putri on “Song of Dirty Mongrel” (from Goth metal band Leaving Stories).

Pasukan Neraka starts off with an Intro which is calm and relaxing and after that, well you are thrown into 35 odd minutes of complete chaos and mayhem. Some of the drumming on Pasukan Neraka is just insane and very brutal at times, and the riffs and solos on Pasukan Neraka are truly amazing. Many times I have been doing air guitar on the train while listening to this album. We should not forget Sonny on Bass who rounds off an amazing album with all musicians complimenting each other’s playing ability. Phuput’s vocals are something else, very harsh and brutal at times. I wish I could do vocals like Phuput, very impressed.

On a track called “Song of Dirty Mongrel”, they had a very special guest, and that guest was none other the angelic vocalist of Indonesia’s Leaving Stories, Putri, what a truly amazing voice. I could listen to her voice all day, if you get the chance check her band out.

If you are into Progressive Death Metal or into any genre of metal then I recommend that you check that you Pasukan Neraka, even though Pasukan Neraka hasn’t got the highly polished sound and production like some bands which can ruin a great album. For me personally, I am glad it hasn’t because this is exactly how I think Krematist would sound live. I love the rawness of the album and you can feel the vocalist’s emotions through his voice.

I didn’t know what to expect before I heard Pasukan Neraka but I am now a huge fan. My stand-out tracks include “Memenggal Eksistensi Surga”, just an all-round head-banging track with really cool riffs and solo. The other stand-out track and my favourite is  “Song Of Dirty Mongrel” and I would have to say that the main reason is because of the unforgettable voice of Putri [by Collin Brophy for Busuk Chronicles].

If you want to check out Krematist please check out the links below.

Monday 28 November 2016

NEW INTERVIEW: Our first interview with DEIFORMITY (Sydney Death Metal), by Collin Brophy, 18/11/16

Deiformity (Sydney Death Metal) Interview, by Collin Brophy
 
Collin Brophy (Busuk Chronicles). Hello how is everyone in Deiformity going?
Deiformity. Great thanks. It's just me Paulie (drums) answering, so I'll answer in the first person as myself instead of talking about the band in the third person... so it doesn't feel weird.

C. Brophy. Deiformity was formed back in February 2016 but it was only made public in November that Deiformity even existed. Why did it take so long for it to be announced that Deiformity even existed and what was behind waiting so long for it to be announced?
Paulie (drummer). We wrote all the material before learning our parts and hitting the rehearsal room, so we needed to fully complete certain goals to reach the stage where we had something more than just a name and a logo to offer everyone.

C. Brophy. How did you guys come up with the band name?
Paulie. Adrian and Loz came up with the name. We were after a single-word band name that wasn't taken yet, which proved to be very hard! It took us a while with probably thousands of suggestions that were either taken or had been done in the past. That was a hilarious few weeks; we could have been called many things. In the end Deiformity was a no brainer; its meaning resonated with all of us. 

C. Brophy. Can you give me a brief history of the band?
Paulie. It started off with Loz and me working together on another project. We decided to abandon that and work together on something new with a set system to get a new band established and get us back onstage. We then formed up with Adrian Williamson to begin the writing process. Instantly the drive was there and we started hammering straight into it. Half-way through the writing process we called on our good mate Rob Piersen who has been shredding away for years to take up the second guitar and he's exactly what we needed. Finally, Loz convinced Chris Tuckley to join on bass once most of the material was written and he started joining us in the rehearsal room. 

C. Brophy. Who came up with the logo for Deformity?
Paulie. Loz did. The original was a Pencil drawing. The band instantly loved it.

C. Brophy. Can you introduce the band members and what roles they play in Deiformity?
Paulie. We have got Loz from Hell Itself on vocals.
Paulie - (ex-Daemon Foetal harvest) on drums.
Adrian - (ex-Viscera) on guitars
Rob - (fresh meat) on guitars
Chris - (ex-New Blood) on Bass

C. Brophy. How long have you all known each other?
Paulie. A fair few years now, but within a decade I'd say; it is hard to pin-point.

C. Brophy.
How did you meet?
Paulie. The Sydney Death metal scene. We have all been friends amongst friends and around each other for years. Again, it’s just one of those random things you can't really pin-point.

C. Brophy. What inspired you to make music together?
Paulie. We just wanted to play some fat death metal with each other as a group of mates and enjoy the piss out of it.

C. Brophy. What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever's available?)
C. Brophy. What made you choose the instruments you have now?
Paulie. Personally, for me on drums, I hate house kits... it never feels like the same instrument for me. I am still using my gear from six years ago when I last played.  The cymbals I use are a mish-mash of good shit that was at the right price at the right time. But coming back, I'd say every time I crack one I'd be replacing them with Rech cymbals from Australia. They sound wicked and are good value too. Still using my old Pearl export kit which is great for the road. Nothing wrong with it. Aesthetically it is so beaten to shit that its character is growing on me. Still using Axis long board pedals with Ekit triggers for monitoring. They are perfect. I ain't changing what ain't broke.
Adrian (guitarist1). B.C.Rich Icon V with a single EMG 81 P/UP, Mesa Boogies 100 watt Dual Rectifier, Vader Custom 480 watt Cabinet, Marshall JCM 900 100 WATT Cabinet Maxon O.D. 808 Overdrive , BOSS NS2 Noise Suppressor and a BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner. Strings are S.I.T. Power Wound 12-52's.
Rob (guitarist2). B.c.rich ironbird standard, 150 watt LINE6 SPYDER 3, JCM 900 350 WATT A Cabinet, boss ns2 noise suppressor s.i.t power wound 12-52, chose instruments because they are built for metal, and just absolutely deliver what you want them to. They are great to play and look great.
Chris (bassist). (too busy working or punching shit to answer)
Loz (vocalist). A lead pipe in the study.

C. Brophy. What made you choose the instruments you have now?
Paulie. For me personally, cymbals were just a matter of getting the right price for the quality of sound. They all break the same. My pearl kit was through Billy Hyde’s back in the day, they mainly sold Pearl over Tama. So I got the red one. The Axis long board’s pedals I chose originally to assist with speed but now I use them with the Ekit triggers for monitoring which other pedals can't do without using acoustic triggers that make life hard.
Adrian. Based on legendary bands/guitarists who use similar and the crushing guitar tones they got from them.
Rob. Because they are built for metal, and just absolutely deliver what you want them to. They are great to play and look great.
Loz. I make memes.

C. Brophy. Who writes your songs?
Paulie. Adrian writes the guitars. I write drums to that and maybe play around with the structure, and then Loz writes vocals over the top. 

C. Brophy. What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
Paulie. War. The band didn't start with a set theme or topic, but these themes came naturally to Loz. I figured if he was writing the lyrics and had to sing them, we should leave the themes completely up to him. And we all really dig the direction in which he has taken us.

C. Brophy. Do you think these topics will change over time? 
Paulie. Yeah could do. But everything we have currently written is all war at the moment.

C. Brophy. Could you briefly describe the music-making process? 
Paulie. We decided not to work in the traditional sense of jamming together, writing in a rehearsal room and trying to remember what we played for the next week. We all have full-time jobs working various hours, have family and other commitments, so we decided that we were all competent enough to learn our parts at home and turn up and play when we could get together. So we went with the sending files back and forth approach, writing the guitars to click, then I write and lay down drums, then Loz records vocals. Once we had enough material written and recorded, we would then go into rehearsal mode to get ready to go live.

C. Brophy. What bands do you like / influence your style?
Paulie. Too many to name those we like. I'd say this band is heavily influenced by Cannibal Corpse, Bolt Thrower and old school death metal in general.

C. Brophy. As a new metal band what can we expect from Deiformity that we don’t already get from metal bands in Sydney?
Paulie. We just want to play some fat death metal, together as mates, for the front row head-bangers to head-bang their arses off to. We are not here to offer anything different from anyone else because we are not comparing ourselves to anyone else. We all love Death metal. We all love playing death metal - so we started a death metal band and these are the songs we write. We tried to make them as catchy and as brutal as we could. Hope ya like' em! That's about all there is to it.

C. Brophy. Can you tell us about the metal scene from where you are from and can you recommend any bands?
Paulie. We are all from Sydney. Sydney has very few venues and a generally tight-knit community of metal-heads as a result. Always up for a drink and a good time no matter what bands are on. Some of us have been a part of it since the early 90's and it's our primary social circle. We wouldn't have it any other way. There is some cool new shit on the scene: Golgothan Remains, Horrisonous and The Plague. Murder World and Darker Half still kick arse. 

C. Brophy. What are your goals and plans for the band?
Paulie. Go live and record.

C. Brophy. What’s your ultimate direction for your band?
Paulie. Just write and play some fat death and enjoy the piss out of it.

C. Brophy.
How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?
Paulie. We only have one demo released on youtube so far with more to come.
We are still in the process of getting ready to record. We should have a few out by the time these lines are read [see links below for four tracks].

C. Brophy. Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD? 
Paulie. Only Facebook and youtube at the moment.

C. Brophy. Deiformity unleashed their first ever song back on the 9th November 2016 called “Corpse Stomper”, what has been the response from the public to the song?
Paulie. Pretty awesome. We are really happy with the response.

C. Brophy. Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support since forming Deiformity?
Paulie. Yes. Loz, for covering everyone at rehearsals when we forget to pay and drive off.

C. Brophy. Any last words?
Paulie. We should be releasing some more demos soon. Hope you enjoy them and come out to head-bang with us live in 2017. Subscribe to our Youtube channel and add us on facebook for updates.

C. Brophy. Once again thank the guys from Deiformity for the privilege of doing this interview with them, it’s been an honour.
Paulie. cheers. \m/

Facebook
1 "Corpse Stomper":
2 "Twist the Blade":
3 "Cadaver Factory":
4 Cloud of Ash

Friday 25 November 2016

NEW INTERVIEW: Our first interview with EXENEMY (Dhaka, Bangladesh Power Metal), 17/11/2016

Kieran James (Busuk Chronicles)1: Hi, can you tell me the early history from the formation of the band up to now?
Answer from Mashuq (keyboardist, EXENEMY): Hello, well we started just like any other band out there. Our bassist Akib and frontman Emran (two grade school friends) started jamming together and then decided to make a band out of it. At first we had Ishraque on drums and Ratul and Arny on Guitars but later Ratul and Ishraque left and Souren (friend of Arny’s) and Shahriar and Mashuq (kindergarten friends of Emran and Akib’s) joined the band. And to be honest Exenemy started off as a thrash metal band then we gradually got more into melodies and though every single member of this band has different tastes in music, we all loved listening and covering power metal. Though we don’t consider us as a fully-fledged power metal band.  We are simply a Metal band.
KJ2: How is the response of people to your debut album?
Answer: So far it is going great. We’ve had more than a hundred physical copy (CD) orders for The Choir of the Martyrs album (released 11 November 2016). People are looking forward to our T-shirts being in the market so they can buy. Many great musicians in our local scenario have shared our album and also are supporting us. This truly is an amazing feeling. I guess all we need now is a label then we will be all set.
KJ3: What are the most influential bands for you guys in playing music?
Answer: As I’ve mentioned before, everyone as different tastes so we do have a lot of influential bands. But if we had to shorten it down we’d say Kamelot, Helloween, Dragonforce, Avenged Sevenfold, Galneryus, etc.
KJ4: What are your future plans for the band?
Answer: We are planning on hitting the stage as much as we can. We have already prepared a lot of the songs which will be on our next record. We are currently working on a music video and we also have a plan on releasing a Cover EP where we will cover songs of some well known bands.
KJ5: Are the songs you create using English or foreign lyrics?
Answer: We tend to write English songs and our album does contain 8 English tracks but yes we do have 2 Bengali tracks as well.
KJ6: What are the lyrical themes?
Answer: I guess our album name kind of speaks for itself here “The Choir of the Martyrs”. It is dedicated to all the soldiers all over the world who went and died in battles for the foundation of the land we stand in today who remain unnamed and are buried under our feet while we don't even know their names. They had families just like us but they fought for us.
KJ7: Why do you all like to play power-metal instead of deathcore or other modern styles?
Answer: Like I’ve said earlier, we tend to seek for melodies and we do have a lot of other genre influences on our record.
KJ8: When did you first become fans of metal bands?
Answer: We started this band to do metal.
KJ9: What do you say to people who ask why you play western-style music?
Answer: I really don’t know what to answer. Music is music and it has no boundaries. This album is basically a tribute for our soldiers who became martyrs back in the 1971 liberation war in our country. And we wrote the record on English because we wanted to spread the message and the news to a mass population.
KJ10: Do the wives and girlfriends of the personnel support what you are doing?
Answer: We are way too young to be married but yes we do have girlfriends and they do support us a lot. 
KJ11: What are the best and worst things about the metal community in your city?
Answer: The best would be that many bands are now rising and are getting a great platform for companies like Get Amped Series and many more. And the worst thing would be that music has been divided in groups in different part of the city.
KJ12: How big is the metal scene in your country compared to say India and other neighboring countries?
Answer: Metal is huge in our country and we have metalheads almost everywhere. We have great metal bands from legends like Warfaze, Aurthohin, Artcell, Vibe and my personal favorite Cryptic Fate to bands like Mechanix, Powersurge, Enmachined, Trainwreck.
Debut full-length studio album The Choir of the Martyrs (2016)
KJ13: What are your most memorable shows or experiences onstage?
Answer: Requiem for Justice was a gig where for the first time ever the crowd sang along with our newly released track with us.
KJ14: Have you got any message for the fans? Answer: Please listen to our album and if you have then please feel free to let us know what we lack and what do we need to do to make our next album even more and you have liked our album then please support us by buying our music from online stores or purchase our CD, T-shirts and other merchandise when it's out.
KJ15: Can you give us names and genres of some good Bangladeshi metal bands we should listen to?
Answer: Heavy metal, Metalcore, Death metal. Aurthohin, Trainwreck, Absentia, Severe Dementia.
KJ16: Do you know any Indonesian metal bands? I recommend Valerian, Batosay, Umbra Mortis and Jikunsprain.
Answer: Yes we do follow a lot of Indonesian bands and we do love their sound a lot as well. I must say the quality of music over there is truly amazing.
Metal Archives band page:
Youtube videos: 1 Victory Serenade
2 Twisted Saints
3 Rusty Wings
4 The Choir of the Martyrs full album (released 11 November 2016)

Thursday 24 November 2016

OPINION: "Armstretch Records: Stop Bastardising Our Batak People's Art", by Jason Xenophobic, 23/11/16

To Armstretch Records: please review your artwork! As a Batak person I am deeply offended by your bastardization of our people's art. Listed below are the problems I have with your 'representation' of Batak art:
Jason Xenophobic (Xenophobic Records)

1) Your Tungkot Panaluan is not in the least bit Batak, but actually a cropping of the Tiki from French Polynesia/Hawaii/Maori/Guam;
2) You used our three sacred colours - red,white and black on this "Tiki" when is supposed to be used for the actual Batak Tunkot which is the representation of a large male figure riding a beast (horse or Singha). The make rider is usually alone as opposed to sitting on another human figure as is the Tiki you have used;
3) The King of Sisingamangaraja ... Is a sacred figure - respected, loved and revered by our people, and is considered a patron for our tribe. Therefore, to represent him as an evil or beastly figure is very disrespectful and a violation of Batak art, ritual and tradition. 

Your artwork is misleading and, especially considering that you intend to mass produce this for commercial use, this is of significant concern. As such I am asking that any reproduction of this artwork to date be destroyed and no further reproductions be made. If you cannot agree to this I will have no choice but to pursue legal action. 

Please take these words seriously and in consideration for your future actions [by Jason Xenophobic of Xenophobic Records, 23/11/2016, used with his kind permission.] 

Untuk ARMSTRETCH RECORDS MOHON TARIK DAN PERIKSA Karya seni Anda! Sebagai orang Batak Saya sangat tersinggung oleh pembastaran Anda seni rakyat kita. Di bawah ini adalah masalah yang saya miliki dengan Anda 'representasi' dari Batak seni:

1) Tungkot Panaluan Anda tidak sedikit sedikit Batak, tapi sebenarnya tanam dari Tiki dari Polinesia Prancis / Hawaii / Maori / Guam;

2) Anda menggunakan tiga warna suci kami - merah, putih dan hitam di ini "Tiki" ketika seharusnya digunakan untuk Batak Tunkot sebenarnya yang merupakan representasi dari sosok laki-laki yang besar mengendarai binatang (kuda atau Singha). Maka pengendara biasanya sendiri yang bertentangan dengan duduk di sosok manusia lain seperti Tiki Anda telah menggunakan

3) Raja Sisingamangaraja /Datu/guru (yg mengenggam tongkat) Adalah sosok suci-, dicintai dan dihormati oleh orang-orang kami, dan dianggap sebagai pelindung bagi suku kami. Oleh karena itu untuk mewakilinya sebagai tokoh jahat atau menjijikan sangat tidak sopan dan melanggar Batak seni, ritual dan tradisi.

karya seni Anda adalah menyesatkan, dan terutama mengingat bahwa Anda berniat untuk memproduksi massal ini untuk penggunaan komersial, ini adalah perhatian yang sangat serious Karena itu saya meminta bahwa setiap reproduksi karya seni ini sampai saat ini mohon di Musnahkan dan tidak ada reproduksi lebih lanjut dibuat. Jika Anda tidak setuju untuk ini saya akan punya pilihan selain untuk mengejar anda melalui tindakan hukum.

Dimohon anda secepatnya mengambil kesimpulan sekian dan terima kasih
HORAS 
Oleh JASON HUTAGALUNG [used with his kind permission.]

CONCERT REVIEW: SAXON, live @ Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, Scotland, 21 November 2022, by KIeran James.

SAXON concert review – Glasgow, Scotland, 21 November 2022, by Kieran James “We stood in the dark and the band played on” It wasn’t a no...