{"id":7822,"date":"2024-05-07T13:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7822"},"modified":"2024-05-07T13:00:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T13:00:08","slug":"heavy-metal-music-has-a-home-in-indonesia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=7822","title":{"rendered":"Heavy metal music has a home in Indonesia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nJakarta, Indonesia \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The sounds from guitars strumming and drums beating sears through the air. Crowds dance in circles while thumping their heads back and forth.<\/p>\n
Some 38,000 fans attended Hammersonic this past weekend, according to organizers of Southeast Asia\u2019s largest annual heavy metal music festival. Featuring 55 bands, the event is held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world\u2019s largest Muslim majority country.<\/p>\n
One of the groups performing, Lamb of God, was barred from performing in neighboring Malaysia in 2013 after Islamic leaders there said some of the band\u2019s songs were blasphemous. Interestingly, the current president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, talks openly about his passion for heavy metal and says he\u2019s a fan of Lamb of God.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nPri Ario Damar, dean of the performing arts faculty at the Jakarta Institute of Arts. (Dave Grunebaum\/VOA)<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a moderate Muslim country and that\u2019s why we\u2019re more open to foreign influence including heavy metal music than some more conservative countries\u201d said Pri Ario Damar, dean of the performing arts faculty at the Jakarta Institute of Arts.<\/p>\n
Damar, 49, was a bass guitarist in a local heavy metal band back in the 1990s and currently plays with his students from time to time. \u201cHeavy metal has been popular here for decades,\u201d he says. \u201cSo there are several generations of listeners here who appreciate it as an outlet to comment on society, politics and the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 6 p.m. local time, during a break in the live performances at Hammersonic, many fans went to the designated prayer area. Some of them prayed wearing heavy metal t-shirts simultaneously showing their Muslim faith and favorite music.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nDuring the six pm prayer break, these fans simultaneously show their Muslim faith and passion for heavy metal music. (Dave Grunebaum\/VOA)<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
While bands from around the world took the stage, Dian Ranidita, a 40-year-old Indonesian mother of three, tapped her feet to the rhythms while her husband Yanuardi gently bobbed his head up and down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe stereotype of heavy music is always dark, violent, aggressive and also like a devil, but actually heavy metal is not like that,\u201d Dian said, adding that she\u2019s been a heavy metal fan since high school because of the different themes in the music that she relates to.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor instance, romantic themes when you have a broken heart or feeling like fall in love with someone. And also if you\u2019re feeling depressed, there are also depression themes, and when you\u2019re feeling like you want to release your adrenaline,\u201d she said. \u201cThose are some of the many themes in heavy metal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sisi Selatan is a heavy metal band from the Indonesian city of Solo. The group performed songs about love and social activism while fans in front of the stage jumped up and down. Band members say Indonesia is a country that embraces foreign cultural influences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe [Indonesians] absorb foreign cultures,\u201d said guitarist Adi Wibowo. \u201cNot only metal music, but also Korean, Japanese, Indian music and more. We embrace these types of music.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nIndonesian singer and song writer Denisa Dhaniswara performs at Hammersonic, Southeast Asia\u2019s biggest annual heavy metal music festival. (Dave Grunebaum\/VOA)<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Denisa Dhaniswara is a 24-year-old heavy metal vocalist from Jakarta. Like many singers, she writes songs based on her own personal experiences in life.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of my lyrics are filled with grief and greed. So, I really want people to feel unsettled when you listen to my music,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of saying: I\u2019ve been feeling like this, do you relate? If you relate that\u2019s good. I mean I\u2019m not alone here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dhaniswara says Indonesia\u2019s heavy metal fanbase is growing as performers get better and better.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndonesia has a lot of newer heavy metal bands and that makes me very happy because we\u2019re always emerging,\u201d she said. \u201cAlways finding out new stuff. Everybody\u2019s so creative.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Pri](\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/01000000-0aff-0242-66ad-08dc6e91c7d9_w250_r0_s.jpg\"\/)
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\n<\/div>\n![\"Indonesian](\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/01000000-0aff-0242-8e4c-08dc6e91c7e2_w250_r0_s.jpg\"\/)
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