“What most people don’t know about Bali is that there is a thriving metal, hardcore, total idiot, metal, speed punk…whatever, you name it. There is a scene.”
So says the intro to Bali Punk & Death Metal: Late 1990s, a 44-minute documentary regarding the Balinese metal scene. The documentary is a companion piece to Emma Baulch’s 2007 book, Making Scenes: Reggae, Punk and Death Metal in 1990s Bali, the result of the author’s tenure in Bali and her research on youth culture.
The documentary takes us through several live concerts thrown in Bali. It juxtaposes crammed indoor shows with ones outside, with grass huts around or a sandy beach in the background, while also showcasing some of the more mystical attributes of the scene via black metal concerts.
Presently, the music scene in Bali feels much the same, though bands from different genres are making their mark, such as sludge band Cyclops, while others are reaching beyond the island in terms of bands who are making an impact, such as Ludicia recently performing at Wacken in 2022.
Let’s look below at a handful of bands from the past and present who are putting Bali on the map as more than just a destination famous for its beaches.
Doom/Stoner/Sludge Metal
Mound
If there were any place where psychedelic doom metal would low-key be a perfect soundtrack to traversing, Bali would be it. Mound encapsulate this humid, dreary, washed-out mood well with The Four Fundemental States of Matter EP. See the release party with the audience put into a trance-like state here:
Shankar
Shankar takes an occult approach in regards to their presentation (Baphomet imagery, heavy use of black and white in their gig posters), while keeping their sound a little filthier sounding than the average doom band. The band all shared the same metallic interests in high school, forming in 2016. Under the Human State is an endearing piece of rugged Balinese blasphemy.
Cyclops
Bali’s Skullism Records is home to a myriad of bands in different styles, with bands like Shankar and Cyclops showcasing the best of Bali’s doom and sludge scene. Cyclops offer a bulldozing sound along with a bulldozing vocal delivery, while also having pretty memorable and catchy songs. Pelatar Live, known for offering high-quality studio concerts from Indonesian metal bands, premiered their Cyclops performance in March. The band also got to perform with idols Eyehategod during their stop in Bali in 2019.
Grindcore
Visum
Grindcore seems to be a young man’s game in Bali, as we now take a look at another group of young lads who prefer their music to be fast and maybe short-lived, Visum. The band emerged in 2013 and put out a demo the next year titled Don’t Setting My Life. I am not exactly sure what it means, but in this case, multiple meanings of the title do benefit it. Sometimes one and done is all you need, with Visum (at this time) being a good example.
Nalais
I appreciate album art that depicts the culture that the band is living in, instead of hypothesizing about another nation’s problems. Take Nalais’ Negeri Gila – it is aesthetically, a grindcore album cover, with a collage of black and white political images put together to exemplify a myriad of issues that are spoken about within the album’s lyrics. However, look closer and the people, the straw huts, the money and the skyscrapers are distinctly Indonesian. If you have seven minutes to spare, give a listen to this surprisingly varied effort.
Grind Chachacha
Coming onto the scene in 2012, the three strapping young lads who make up Grind Chachacha have their hearts and heads in the right place and use grindcore to express environmental concerns. Their first release was a split with East Java-based Bruten before releasing their 20-track full-length Hutan Gundul in 2014. The cover art depicting a man bound by his neck by machinery, as well as having it processing thoughts in his head depicts the threat of technology as inescapable.
FreeWill
Grind is not just a young man’s game in Bali, with scene veterans FreeWill emerging in 2003 and showing their years of built-up skill and aggression on the 2017 effort Let’s Grind. The band take a socio-political approach, as expected, with a sound that resembles early Napalm Death. Of note is the album cover for their 2008 EP Jaman Mesin, showing a fetus injecting something into a bound woman’s temple.
Bersimbah Darah
What better way to find out the heavy hitters in a scene than by what bands open for an international act when they come through town? When Dying Fetus played Bali during their 2010 tour, six bands were given the coveted opportunity to open – Rezume, Born by Mistake, Infernal Desire, Trojan, Antipop and Bersimbah Darah. Bersimbah Darah hail from Gianyar, Bali and are backed by No Label Records. They perform a grind/death metal hybrid which isn’t shy about uppercutting you in the face with socio/political blasts.
Black Metal
Nosferatu
The classic vampire film Nosferatu inspired no less than three bands from Indonesia, two being black metal. The Balinese Nosferatu appeared with fresh intestines in a live setting, with their vocalist chewing upon them before the band kicked it into gear. They released a two-track demo, Demonic Harmony Black Metal, while appearing on Live At – Total Bali Headbangers with Java-based Santet.
Khalikamaya
Khalikamaya emerged back in 1995, inspired by second-wave black metal bands from that period such as Immortal, Marduk, Satyricon and Dissection. Around the year 2000, the band, as they put it, “started to collapse and it took 10 further years to discover what was wrong with us.” They then reunited to take revenge on the scene in 2010, releasing an EP in that year with a split with Java-based Triumphator, released in 2016.
Balzabuth
Formed in 2005, Bali’s Balzabuth adopt both a modern and traditional approach to their art. The corpse painted five-piece band juggles mysticism and blasphemy, lyrically, while referencing the domestic religion – their EP Durga Murti refers to a statue of divine forces to fend off wickedness. The EP was distributed by Indonesian label Throne Musickness via cassette tape, seemingly their format of choice.
Digothal
There are one-man black metal groups all over the world, and Bali is no exception. Digothal is project by the musician sharing the same name. A hybrid of sorts, it is described by Digothal as “an electronic/depressive black metal music project based in Bali.” Digothal was formerly based in West Sumatra and also played live bass for goregrind band Cipotok in 2014. His solo efforts are as he describes them – electronic, atmospheric and with a lot of low-fi, unrefined charm.
Death Metal/Deathcore
Kaligula
When looking for brutal death metal, no label represents the genre in Indonesia and the surrounding areas better than Brutal Mind, representing bands like Gorepot from Taiwan, Visceral Explosion from South Korea, and numerous bands from the Indonesian islands such as Kaligula. Jimbaran, Bali’s Kaligula exemplify the cruelty of tyranny with bludgeoning, yet catchy death metal. As with their peers, they have also released a music video which plays out like a mini-horror film with “Retorika Elite.”
Reviled
Reviled are another band on the Brutal Mind label. The five-piece emerged from capital city Denpasar in 2009, performing an oppressive, swampy, guttural, ugly form of death metal which is as straight to the point as a mugging and stabbing in an alleyway. The band don’t shy away from breakdowns either, often topping off a song with a few kicks in the head for good measure.
Erupsy
Tech/death band Erupsy are intricate in their songwriting as well as their message – their video for “Diorama Jelma Era” is a bit like a modern-day Koyaanisqatsi, juxtaposing progress and protests, with crunchy guitars instead of Philip Glass’ hypnotizing orchestration. Check out their Sadist Records-backed Kaum Muak record for a technical punishment from Bali.
Eternal Madness
Eternal Madness are one of Bali’s legacy bands, emerging way back in 1994 and releasing their first record, Offerings to Rangda in 1997. The band uses the Indonesian percussive instrument the gamelan in their brand of brutal death metal, which also contains a heavy dose of Indonesian folklore. The result is something both esoteric and punishing, and needing to be heard.
Infectous Arteries
Death metal and brutal death metal bands outnumber any other type of metal band in Bali, which isn’t surprising, as the whole of Indonesia is known for its huge death metal scene. Infectous Arteries are from the old guard, forming in 1998. They offer a no-frills, churning, frothing sound with a pleasant brutal death snare sound popping away in the background on Journey to the Unknown. On Synoptic Oddity, their sound is cleared up a little, though banger after banger make up this album.
Infernal Desire
Infernal Desire are another one of Bali’s legendary acts from the ‘90s. F.F.F.F. or Feel Free For Fuck, released in 2004, is a grind-laced mammoth of a brutal death metal album, with each song having its own sound and personality. The band were also able to perform with Dying Fetus during their Bali show in 2010 – giving all of the bands on the bill a lesson in violence.
Ludicia
Ludicia are a new death metal/deathcore band making some waves in Bali and abroad, having played at Wacken 2022, representing Indonesia at the Wacken Metal Battle where they wore traditional garb onstage and wowed the German audience. They currently have one album out, 2022’s Avontour. Their new track “Apocalypse” and its accompanying video bring to mind vintage Suicide Silence, with Lucker mannerisms at play in the midst of a domestic horror tale.
Glast Heim
Glast Heim are another band representing the fresh blood coming out of Bali. Playing a hybrid of melodic death metal and deathcore, the band formed in 2011, but only started shelving out material in 2023, with three singles and a full-length album, Samsara. The band dressed to impress for an online Sound From Hell performance, wearing white button up shirts, looking like they were ready to play at a wedding.
Metalcore/Hardcore
Christian Matius Tirta
To label Christian Matius Tirta as just a metalcore artist would diminish his varied output – the multi-instrumentalist has songs that are within this genre, though his softer numbers such as “Alone” and cover songs such as ones for The Black Dahlia Murder’s “Contagion” posted to YouTube showcase more of what this man can do. So far, a demo called The End has been officially released, featuring the banger “The Three Musketeers.”
Parau
Armstretch Records is another Indonesian label, specializing in death metal and metalcore. Denpasar, Bali’s Parau represents some of the metalcore found on the label, a band that has been around since the beginnings of the genre in 2002. With experience comes a sense of refinement, and their video for “Legasi” is a high-quality thriller of a production, showcasing a murder plot and the dark demons who visit the culprit afterwards. Likewise, their video for “Menghujam Kelam” is another murky tale that ends in murder.
Regicide
Hardcore, thrash, metalcore and groove metal are components that make up Denpasar’s veterans, Regicide. Formed back in 2003, the band don’t look to soothe your ears with melodic choruses, instead, they let their socially aware lyrics known through the cigarette stained throat of bandana-wearing vocalist Krisna Teja. Check out their video for “Lahir, Hidup, Mati” which was filmed during the pandemic.
Minatory
Minatory have been around since 2011 and bring together hardcore, punk and metal in rather fun songs you could imagine downing pints to with a bunch of sweaty fans in a coffee house turned live music venue. In fact, that is just what you’ll see in their latest video for “Tanked For You,” filmed at their album launch party at Haluan Coffee Space.
Thrash
Gerbang 13
Thrash bands in Indonesia are plentiful, but in Bali they seem to be few and far between. Luckily, Gerbang 13 (gate 13) is a standout band with an original style, so you don’t need many more. Their sole record, 2018’s Lontar features hardcore-inspired shouted vocals, infectious groove-riffs and thoughtful lyrics. Regarding their track “Dimensi Sabdi Ironi,” the band says it is about “the journey of the human spirit that is still alive in the world which is infinitely far away, like an insidious movie.”
Progressive Metal
ILP (Indra Lesmana Project)
For those prog heads who can’t get enough of Dream Theater and Devin Townsend, there is a project within Bali who have been busy in the lab of secret sciences. ILP, or the Indra Lesmana Project, are a progressive metal band, named after the band’s keyboardist, vocalist and overall composer. The band came into the scene with 2018’s Sacred Geometry EP and since, having been busy in the lab, putting out a sample of a single for the masses in 2019.
