Bands - Imperial 3 comments

It has been quite a while since my first post about Malaysian bands. I have been in contact with quite a few highly potential bands for a feature post in this small timer blog and hopefully, with my endless devotion in promoting this blog, The Bullet Belt can compose, at least, an undersized scrap of contribution and input in promoting these bands featured in this blog in the future. There are plans for a wider scale promotion that have been flying in and out of my mind for quite a while, but I am still trying to sort things out and in time needed to stretch out these strategies upfront for the approvals of the bands respectively. I am calling it, Tali Pinggang Peluru Presents (malay for The Bullet Belt Presents). Fingers crossed.

So, what do we have here? The second band that I deem fit for a feature post in this blog is this one band called Imperial. Imperial is, well, at least for me although denied by the band’s founding member, primary songwriter and guitarist, Mr.Zarim, in an interview I made with him recently, a Black Metal band from Kuala Lumpur, the heart and focal point of Malaysia. Imperial is no new comer to the local metal scene. Started way back in 1993 with a demo entitled “Enslave” released in 1994. Heavily influenced by Scandinavian bands in the likes of Darkthrone, Samael and yes, Emperor, the band marched through 1995 with another demo entitled “Emperor of The Hordes”. Wow! Enslaved and Emperor would be so proud. “Emperor of The Horde” established Imperial as one of the many prominent Black Metal outfit hailing from the center of the Kuala Lumpur city in the instance of Aradia and Misantrope. Emperors in their own distinctive metal league.

The band played a number of gigs through out the country and was in the midst of preparing for the recording of their debut EP which was set for release, I believe somewhere in 1999 or 2000 under a local label called DreamWorldDecay, when the band faced internal and external conflicts and problems which resulted in the quitting of one of its founding member. Sadly, even though some of the new songs were already recorded, the EP idea was scrapped.

The band soldiered on and played their last show somewhere in 2001 before Imperial was officially put under and indefinite hiatus. The bands members concentrated on other normal commitments, the same normal commitments that usually become the main reason for the hindrance of progress of bands in Malaysia, like day jobs and families, sometimes or most of the time would lead to the disbandment and death of bands.

After 7 years of hibernating, the band members decided to reactivate the dragon and put forward their passion for music once again with the tying knot in the form of Imperial brotherhood. The new era of Imperial was celebrated and officialized with the release of their promo single entitled the Imm… oh, wait. No it is the “The Conqueror” this time. Haha, The single was released by Astral Lore Productions, one of the few remaining local labels who have stayed enthused in championing local black metal bands in Malaysia. The single was released in 2008. The debut album is currently in plans and the recording session is due to begin somewhere around august. Will the title of their new album contain the name of another scandanavian band? That would be the million dollar question. Immortal, Darkthrone and Satyricon will definitely be on the edge of their seats from now on. Haha.

Judging from the arrangement of The Conqueror, Imperial is set to rest on the formula of atmospheric, technical and progressive songs and the debut album, I believe, will contain strong feel for the atmosphere since synth will be fully utilized by the band. I have to suggest that this upcoming album should be a must for all heavy metal fans world wide for a dip and taste of Malaysian Progressive Black Metal, if labelling is inevitable, well, at least according to me. Again, this is a must for the fans of the later music of Emperor and Enslaved. The current line up of the band is composed of Zarim on guitars and Synths, Zam on vocals and bass, Jon on bass and second guitars and G-knight on the drums and percussions.

You can reach the Imperial Battlefront on their MySpace page
www.myspace.com/imperialbattlefront

Videos - Get Thrashed : The Story of Thrash Metal: 5 comments

Get Thrashed : The Story of Thrash Metal, Saigon 1515 Productions, 2008.

I have just finished watching this one great documentary on Thrash Metal, and it was a fun watch indeed. Get Thrashed explored the birth and origin of the Thrash Metal music, it talked about various prominent and influential bands, Metallica and Megadeth just to name a few, during that era that have helped shape the music and the entire movement and discussed further about various Thrash Metal scene from all over the world. 9jmix4w2pr

Like most of the documentaries out there, Get Thrashed contained loads of interviews and numerous video clips from old shows from the 80’s and early 90’s. What is Thrash Metal without the mention of the big five (big four to some)? The prominent bands featured at length were for example, the band who brought the genre to worldwide attention and the one responsible for the movement in the first place, Metallica, check, the band who elevated the genre into a higher level of phenomenal superhuman technicality with a display of callous ingenuity in songwriting, Megadeth, check, the pioneering and very much influential Exodus, check, the band who resorted to shock value, inspired a couple of other heavy metal subgenres and lifted the music to another level of superhuman intensity and velocity, Slayer, check, and the band who popularized experimentations in the genre, Anthrax, check. All the big five were deeply discussed and elaborated, don’t worry. The mention of Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera can be considered as a bonus.

The documentary also took a peak into the equally important Thrash Metal scene from all over the world, especially German and Brazil. What is Thrash Metal with out the mention of its Germanic extension, the Teutonic Thrash and its close cousin the Brazilian Thrash Metal. Bands like the mighty Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Sepultura and SarcoFago were equally important in contributing to the mass appeal of the movement back in the 80’s.

The height of the documentary for me was always with the Dave Mustaine of Megadeth interview. No matter how arrogant Mustaine appeared to be, to the extent that he claimed James Hetfield of Metallica and Kerry King of Slayer were the extension of his style and play, which for me is quite true, Mustaines crazy songwriting skills, is and will always be indisputable. The first two of Megadeth albums, Killing is My Business… and Business is Good and Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, will always be thrash metal classics alongside Metallica’s Kill Em All, Slayer’s Show No Mercy and Exodus’s Bonded by Blood.

This is a very good video and I recommend this one to those who would like to know the history of the music that they listen to.

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!