Rants - The Heavy Metal Misconception: 2 comments

How I see myself as a Metal fan in Malaysia?

Like in any other places all over the world, Heavy Metal will always be regarded as the music for the mischievous sprite and Malaysia included. The functionality of the media and press in this country offered no help what so ever in aiding the curiosity of the conservative, uninformed and anxious society with the very much-needed explanation despite their roles as propagators of truth and conscience. As far as I am concerned, Heavy Metal in Malaysian will always remain as an underrated and second-class form of musical entertainment in the eyes of any normal Joes and Janes, despite the cultivations of a comprehensive amount of creativities and innovations within the local Heavy Metal scene through out the decade, showed by these underrated musicians and enthusiasts. Maybe it is for the better.

As fans of everything heavy and extreme, some Malaysian heavy metal fans were very much open to be a subject of ridicule and the prejudicial judgments of the society in general, especially during the height of the Black Metal/Satanism controversy, which resulted with the music being banned right there and then by the local religious authorities sending parents and teachers into an uncontainable frenzy and restlessness.

As dedicated I am in wanting to defend heavy metal, I cannot put the blame unjustly to the local authorities, parents and teachers. The fears were indeed legitimate but the manner they tend to use in resolving the problem was just another hands off approach. There were no thorough and detailed studies being conducted. There were minimum confrontations. The conclusion was made solely via assumptions, hearsays and the exaggerations and misleading flights of the imagination puffed out by the local ignorant and biased medias. If it was really a life, moral or belief threatening situation, they have all the rights to put a ban on the music, hell, I would even give them my support, but the question remained unanswered, how threatening the situation was? Were all the rumors true? One rotten apple does not make the whole barrel inconsumable, thus banning the consumption of apples in general would make the lawmakers appeared absurd, unintelligent and ridiculous.

Heavy Metal will always be related to a psychological form of entertainment. Heavy Metal fans do not condone to these heavy, brutal, unlistenable and extreme form of entertainment just to be solely entertained. It was and always will be a form of psychological therapy, in some ways or another, listening to a music resented by the rest of the society gave them psychological prowess and autonomy, elites in their own little world, thus the reason why Heavy Metal is so much a tribal music. In order to understand these kids who worshipped Slayer or those frostbitten Norwegian bands in the likes of Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal and Darkthrone who often in their earlier formations championed satanic and evil imagery for shock values, the authority should have studied the reasons why these kids were listening to these kind of music in the first place. They will be in for a surprise to find out that most of the kids did not even give a fuck about no lyrical contents. These bands could have sung about lollipops, candy bars and teddy bears, but with that awesome kind of voice, they could have sung about eating Pizza under the eclipsing winter moon, I would still be listening to the great music!

Rants - The Pre Introduction to the Future: 1 comments

I am still waiting for Mr.Mantheravathee, the lead guitarist and the riff master of the mighty shadow lords, Hayagriva to come back to me with some details about his band for my next feature entry. In the mean time, I will be structuring and assembling a lengthy and extensive opinion based entry about the future of Malaysian Metal and the challenges that it will be facing in keeping abreast with the rapid development of the Heavy Metal scene world wide. Sounds impressive huh? It shall not be intended as a proper study of cultural anthropology for Malaysian Heavy Metal, but I do hope that it will shed some lights for those who are interested to be acquainted with various realistic guiding principles that they can apply as a diagram to shape Heavy Metal music with their own identity, personality and distinctiveness. In advance, I would like to thank those Metal enthusiasts who have agreed to accept my invitation to participate. Thank you.

I have already received a few answer sheets and the opinions were intellectually dominating, mind bombarding and served the point more better than better. I cant fucking wait!

The entry will mainly be dealing with the issue of originality and passion in Heavy Metal in the context of Malaysia; the issue of having the right driving force that will be needed and acknowledged as a striving foundation for Malaysian bands on their quest to build reputations for their respective bands on a wider and larger scale; and the last but not least, the challenges that needs to be noted and overcome. I am trying to promote this blog internationally and hopefully the forum shall be an eye opener for the worldwide audience of Heavy Metal, of the intensity and innovativeness of Malaysian Heavy Metal. Fingers crossed.

Rants - The Malaysian Black Metal: 2 comments

When I first started The Bullet Belt a few weeks ago, it was only for one sole motivation and that sole motivation was my dire need to contribute and promote local underrated heavy metal bands from all across Malaysia regardless of genre and origin. I know that it will not be much of a contribution for the time being since I am still quite in the dark as to what would be the best and most effectual ways to promote the bands featured in this blog. Myspace would be a good place to start. In any case, I will try and see it through.

I have been checking out a number of exotic metal bands on the Astral Lore Production’s roster and currently crossing my fingers in the hope that all the bands featured on the roster are still amply alive and active. I know some of them are. It is quite blissful to witness the actuality that there are still some perseverance, enthusiasm and devotions from the good people in Astral Lore to promote exotic bands from the local black metal scene. A few years ago, I often wondered what in the name of damnation have happened to all these greater than great Malaysian black metal bands? What happened to all those bullet belts, pentagrams, spikes, inverted crosses, corpse paints and those nerve wrecking high-pitched haunting wails? Long gone were the glorious reigning days of Klang Valley Black Metal elites in the likes Nebiras, Aradia, Sauts Alastor, Ravenlord and War 666.

The black metal rhetoric toyed around by the local media had really made a huge caustic and destructive impact on the local metal scene especially the local black metal scene in particular. All of a sudden, the bands seemed to have died down. It was a very dark and gloomy year for the metal industry during those challenging days back then and the result showed.

I hope with the current development smearing rapidly in the local black metal scene, the hell hordes, with high hopes, shall once again reign supreme. With the reformations of some of the older bands like Aradia, Mistik and Imperial, the release of albums from bands like War 666, Hayagriva and Insultor and newer bands started to emerge these recent years, there might be a possible bright future after all for the local black metal scene. Or should I say, a dark and black future? We shall see.