East Coast Extreme Metal Assault - Kelantan Metal Army: 2 comments

Posted at 11:09 AM in

It is obvious that my first rant would be on Kelantan Metal Scene, my good old home town. I am quite delighted when I first encountered a number of serious Kelantanese bands trying to make it big in the Malaysian metal scene. When I was still living in Kota Bharu, punks and skinheads were all over the place and to find one decent metal head back then was like finding a needle in a haystack.

It is always amusing to have in mind the fact that one of the first few Malaysian metal bands who were responsible for the pioneering of Death Metal music in Malaysia and one of the first to release a death metal album was a bunch of long haired metal loving pretty boys from Kelantan, Suffercation. Suffercation’s first album, Days of Darkness which was released in 1992 was the most brutal, highly technical and most intense, not to mention the top notch quality, death metal record ever to came out from Malaysia back in the old days. Suffercation took the scene by storm.

Positioned north east of peninsular Malaysia, Kelantan was and still regarded as a very socially conservative and Islamic state with open metal shows, among others, were constantly monitored and rushed by the intolerant local authorities. Being under the administration of the theocratic Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party for more than 18 years, Kelantanese metalheads had to put great effort to keep abreast with the contemporary growth of the Malaysian metal in general.

Over the past few years, despite the fact that they were under constant surveillance of the bigoted religious authorities, Kelantan Metal scene managed to survive and evolve within the rampant and extensive obstacles thrown to impede the movement. The Kelantanese metalheads even managed to systematize and organize themselves into one vigorous terror front which goes by the name of Kelantan Metal Army, a small dedicated group of metal enthusiasts committed solely for the elevation and appreciation of extreme music in a land where no music could thrive.

With strings of successful heavy metal gigs and their annual Extreme Terrorism metal shows, Kelantan Metal Army earned their much deserved reputation from their fellow metal compatriots for their never ending efforts and endeavors, trying to bring in renowned Malaysian metal bands to play in Kota Bharu.

Newer local bands under the wings of Kelantan Metal Army, in the likes of In Torment (brutal death metal), Dark Regime (brutal death metal), Incarcerate (death metal), Diman (melodic black metal) and Slaughter Soul (melodic death metal/heavy metal), just to name a few, were proud torchbearers trying to put Kelantan on the map of local extreme music following the path paved by their older sibling, Suffercation.

All hail Kelantan Metal!

Kelantan Metal Army on Myspace.
2 Responses to 'East Coast Extreme Metal Assault - Kelantan Metal Army:'
  1. That was a great review.

    thanx!

    on behalf of KMA, we salute u!

    horns uP!

  2. thanks man.. Its a pleasure doing something for my dear old hometown. Just a little contribution with the hopes that Kelantan Metal Scene will gloriously flourish and leave a mark in the Malaysian Metal Industry.

    All Hail!

Leave a Reply

Worshippers.