Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)

One of Indonesia’s hottest acts in metalcore Strangers gave us a little present to finish off 2024. Their latest release, a self-titled EP comes off the perfect time, rounding off a year of successes.

With the single ‘Mala’ dropping just a little before, combined with an epic music video and other sneak peaks from the extended release- does the rest of the EP measure up? Let’s break it down.

Starting off with a short introductory track to set the scene, ‘Lair’ is simple but atmospheric. Leaning into an almost melodic nu-metal soundscape, it segues into the first full song on the EP ‘Pelakhar’. The down tuned guitars and full rhythm section build stupendously, setting up the first verse dramatically. The bass in the verse is monstrous and deep, providing the perfect backdrop for a restrained but still somehow ferocious vocal delivery. As it crescendos into the chorus- the instrumentation becomes more full. The guitars work in an understated way, taking small pockets of the track to allow their presence to be felt. There are tinges of death metal, black metal and progressive metal, all packaged in this more melodic, doom laced metalcorish structure.

Once again, the clean guitars return, leading us into the single we talked about earlier, ‘Mala’. This is where the band truly taps more into that modern metalcore style, but it never loses the tenacity and influence of other genres. It’s taken that popular style of nu-metalcore and infused it with a darker energy. There are tinges of Converge furiousness with an Alpha Wolf style viciousness but remaining uniquely Strangers. As deep, dark and heavy this track is- it is still melodic and catchy as hell. The breakdown goes hard of course, making it a real stand out release on the EP.

Not to be too outdone though, ‘Empat’ does not need a pretty little clean introduction to lead it into our ears, rather it comes through at a crashing speed. If you want to hear the speed of every member of this band, then it is on full display in this track. Drums pounding, guitars shredding, bass driving and of course, vocals snarling- it eventually slows down but never strips back. It is more to catch your breath before it powers forward in a to the depths of hell heavy breakdown. There is such an underlayer of a doomsday soundscape that is prevalent through this EP and it is highlighted especially in the final moments of this one.

Never slowing down, the final full track on the release ‘Sesakala’ delivers what is just a fundamentally straight up metalcore track in some ways, but a little more complex in others. Dipping into those mathcore time signatures, Djent style chugging and the raw speed of classic hardcore and thrash, it is a multi-faceted track that provides an overwhelming tidal wave of sound. Just when you think it is going to slow down, it kicks back in at breakneck speed before allowing itself to pull back just a tad. The pullback is only to allow the vocals to take on a more front and centre approach as they drag you into an atmospheric breakdown. Allowing the musicians to play, it gives us that slow fade out as the final outro ‘bmTh’ gives us twenty-two seconds of unbridled rage to finish.

All in all, while this EP is short and sweet, it makes a powerful impact. While I would love to have a little more music- what it manages to do in four songs is nothing short of impressive.

I am curious to see where the band goes from here, as the band has developed an interesting sound, soaked in a range of influences of genres. It flows well, sounds cohesive and an easy release to have on repeat- overall it is a solid representation of not just what Strangers are all about but also what is happening in the growing Indonesian metalcore scene.

8.5/10