Grindcore in Indonesia

Grindcore in Indonesia refers to a regional scene of Grindcore music that originated during the early 2000s. Prominent bands include Noxa, Extreme Decay, Tersanjung13, Funeral Inception, and JASAD. Indonesian grindcore retains a number of a influences from both foreign grindcore bands, such as Napalm Death, and other genres.^[1]

Due to sheer distance from the geographical origins of Grindcore in Europe and North America, Indonesia is not typically considered to be a major segment of the worldwide grindcore scene.^[1] However, some Indonesian bands, such as Noxa, have played at major global extreme music festivals, including Obscene Extreme.^[2] The relative isolation of the scene, and comments made by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in which he listed Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death amongst his favourite bands, has aroused significant global media interest in the scene.^[3]

Background[]

Historical context[]

Indonesia is an archipelagic country of approximately 18,000 islands stretching along the equator in South East Asia. The area of Indonesia is populated by peoples of various migrations, creating a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and languages.^[4] An attempted coup in 1965 led to a violent army-led anti-communist purge in which over half a million people were killed. General Suharto politically outmaneuvered President Sukarno, and became president in March 1968. In the aftermath of Suharto's rise, under the New Order regime, hundreds of thousands of people were killed or imprisoned by the military and religious groups in a backlash against alleged communist supporters, with direct support from the United States.^[5][6]

In the late 1990s, however, Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the East Asian Financial Crisis,^[7] resulting in political and economic instability, social unrest, corruption, and terrorism. The crisis eroded domestic confidence with the New Order and led to popular protests. The Reformasi era following Suharto's resignation, led to a strengthening of democratic processes, including a regional autonomy program,^[8] the secession of East Timor, and the first direct presidential election in 2004.

The process of Reformasi also resulted in a higher degree of freedom of speech, in contrast to the pervasive censorship under the New Order. This has led to a more open political debate in the news media and increased expression in the arts, especially within Indonesian musical spheres.^[1] Concurrent with the increasing cultural liberalisation, Indonesians began to consume a greater variety of media, including early bootlegs of grindcore recordings.^[9]

Origins of grindcore[]

Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, characterised by an abrasive sound that uses heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of growls and high-pitched shrieks.^[10] Grindcore lyrics are typically provocative, whilst a number of grindcore musicians are committed to political and ethical causes, generally addressing themes of anti-racism, feminism, anti-militarism, animal rights and anti-capitalism.^[11]

Grindcore, as such, was developed during the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom by Napalm Death, a group who emerged from the anarcho-punk scene in Birmingham, England.^[12] Napalm Death's seismic impact inspired other British grindcore groups in the 1980s, among them Extreme Noise Terror,^[13] Carcass and Sore Throat,^[14] and spurred a global expansion of the genre. The early grindcore scene relied on an international network of tape trading and DIY production.^[13]

American grindcore, pioneered by Terrorizer and Assück.^[15] possessed a greater death metal influence, often employing riffs taken from crossover thrash or thrash metal.^[16]

Presence in Indonesia[]

Due to the widespread proliferation of grindcore and other western music styles into Indonesia via tape trading throughout the 1980s and 1990s, there is no definitive date in which to categorise the origins of the scene.^[1] Vocalist of early Indonesian Grindcore act Seringai, Arian 13 told VICE news in 2017 that the 1990 Napalm Death album Harmony Corruption was one of the "first nationally available death metal/grind albums", possessing an "obviously huge" impact upon the development of the scene.^[9] A number of prominent grindcore acts were formed throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, with JASAD being formed in 1990, Funeral Inception in 2000, and Noxa in 2002.^[1]

Napalm Death directly inspired a number of Indonesian musicians, with JASAD claiming influence by Napalm Death's sound,^[9] and the vocalist of Tengkorak recalling that he learned how to scream by listening to the vocal patterns of Barney Greenway.^[9] Arif "Gobel" Budiman, of Rottenomicon, also told VICE that his band probably wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for Harmony Corruption.^[9] VICE also noted Napalm Death's 2005 concert in Ancol, North Jakarta, as the event that "cemented Indonesia's place as a must-stop country on the extreme music world tour circuit". The foundation of the grindcore scene in East Bandung, according to Forgotten vocalist Addy Gembel, occurred concurrently with the ongoing industralisation of a previously semi-rural farming community, reflective of the anxieties generated by such historical development.^[1]

The scene also gained international prominence due to the signing of Wormrot from neighboring Singapore to major extreme metal label Earache Records in 2010. In 2017, they became the first Singaporean act to ever play at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival.^[17]

Some foreign musicians have also played on Indonesian grindcore releases, with Noxa featuring Jason Netherton of Misery Index and Shane McLachlan of the band Phobia on their 2011 album Legacy.^[18] In 2020, Dutch D.I.Y label Extreme Terror Production released a compilation of Indonesian grindcore entitled Grindonesia.^[19]

Characteristics[]

Indonesian grindcore is generally characterised as possessing using a noise-filled sound that uses heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdrive bass, high speed tempo, blast beats, vocals which consist of incomprehensible growls or high-pitched shrieks, extremely short songs and sociopolitical lyrics.^[10]

Composition[]

Much like the proponents of grindcore in Europe and the US, Indonesian grindcore bands often draw inspiration from a variety of abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as: thrashcore,^[20][21] crust punk,^[22] hardcore punk, extreme metal,^[10] and industrial. Additionally, some Indonesian bands, like JASAD, also claim a death metal influence.^[23] Indonesian grindcore also primarily relies on the standard modern rock instrumentation of electric guitar, bass and drums.^[10] Vocals are typically guttural, and alternate between growls and high-pitched shrieks. Gang vocals, often utilised in hardcore punk, are sometimes present.^[10]

Blast beats are also commonly utilised in grindcore.^[24] In music journalist Adam MacGregor's definition, "the blast-beat generally comprises a repeated, sixteenth-note figure played at a very fast tempo, and divided uniformly among the kick drum, snare and ride, crash, or hi-hat cymbal."^[24] Blast beats have been described as "maniacal percussive explosions, less about rhythm per second than sheer sonic violence."^[25] Blast beats are often accompanied by down-tuned guitars and basses, played mostly with down picking, power chords and heavy distortion.^[10]

Songs in grindcore are typically shorter than in other genres.^[26] A characteristic of some grindcore songs is the "microsong," lasting only a few seconds. Napalm Death holds the Guinness World Record for shortest song ever recorded with the one-second "You Suffer" (1987).^[26]

Lyrical themes[]

Much like in Europe and the US, a number of Indonesian grindcore musicians are committed to political and ethical causes, generally featuring provocative lyrics in their songs.^[1] However, there do exist numerous differences in the symbols, themes, and values expressed through the members of the Indonesian grindcore scene.^[1] A marked difference is that, whilst grindcore in both Europe and the US often includes significant anti-religious and anti-clerical themes,^[10] described by Mørk as being reflective of a state of 'calculated antipathy',^[27] Indonesian grindcore musicians often possess the view that religion should not be bought into the scene, and should be relegated to one's personal life.^[1][28]

Saffar, a grindcore band based in Bandung, prominently featured Islamic lyrics on their debut album Mandatory El Arshy, but have identified themselves as a secular band with Islamic members.^[1] Other bands, including Tengkorak, Purgatory, and Kodusa, often prominently feature their identity within their music, often considered to be the forebearers of the pro-islamic and anti-zionist 'One Finger Movement'.^[1]

There is also significant regional diversity in lyrical themes, with bands from East Java often drawing upon centuries-old local traditions of occultism, black-magic, legend, and superstition, as well as upon western satanic themes.^[29] In light of this, James states that as such, the Indonesian scene must be viewed and understand primarily on a 'scene-by-scene' basis, and not as a homogeneous, undifferentiated mass.^[1] Generally, bands from Bandung possess more secular-based lyrics, whilst Jakarta situated bands often integrate religious themes into their lyrics.^[29]

Political stances, philosophies, lifestyle[]

Indonesian grindcore scene is largely characterised by the centrality of the values of respect, politeness, tolerance, and patience within Indonesian culture, in addition to a general unwillingness to criticise others.^[28] This is in direct contrast to the confrontational, and often provocative themes present in the grindcore of Europe and the US.^[13][21] As James notes, a majority of the scenes members are broadly socially conservative and respectful members of a pluralistic and diverse, but hierarchical society.^[1][28] Indonesian grindcore musicians usually separate their own personal religious beliefs from their music, but exceptions do exist.^[29]

One Finger Movement[]

The One Finger Movement was a collective of pro-islamic and anti-zionist bands, fans and venues based around Jakarta, originating in the early 2000s. Wallach identified that it primarily aimed to 'spiritually nourish and encourage' religious people who already have an active interest in metal music. Whilst based in Jakarta, it also possessed some influence in East Java and Sumatra.^[29] In a 2011 interview, Jason Hutagalung, an Australian-based Indonesian music promoter and tattoo artist, estimated that the One Finger Movement comprised about 20% of the Jakarta scene at its peak.^[1] The movement was named after the one finger sign (meaning ‘one god’) used by its proponents and supporters in place of the generally accepted worldwide devil’s horns symbol, which they viewed as unacceptable.^[30] This one finger sign involves partakers touching each other’s extended forefingers tip-to-tip. Not just limited to grindcore, bands of the One Finger Movement also include Purgatory and Tengkorak.^[1]

Prominent bands[]

• Noxa
• JASAD
• Seringai (early)^[9]
• Purgatory (early)^[1]
• Bangsat^[19]
• Death Vomit
• Tengkorak
• Bangkai
• Saffar
• Kodusa
• Asphyxiate
• Tenggorokan
• Jihad
• Rottenomicon
• Hurt'Em
• Busuk
• Ancaman
• Tumor Ganas
• AK//47
• Disfare
• Extreme Decay
• Trench Horror
• Terapiurine
• TersanjungXII
• Rajasinga
• Terror Of Dynamite Attack
• Terserah
• Jigsaw
• Wicked Flesh
• Inhumanity
• Total Damage
• Mesin Tempur
• Error Brain
• The Cruel
• Senopit

References[]