_{Words by Kayla Hamilton @kaylazomboid
Header photo credit: @msy.hm}

The hardcore and heavy music scene in Indonesia is one of the most diverse and interesting in Asia. A movement made up of vastly different scenes, there are bands to find across the country.

We have been keeping our eye on the scene for a little while, so here are five bands we’ve been following.

Down For Life

Originating from Surakarta in Central Java, Down For Life is one of the most prominent names in the scene. With an old-school thrash-infused metallic hardcore sound, they have taken some of best of the genres and turned it into their own style. You can catch these guys performing regularly and they have also played shows outside of Indonesia.

Fornicaras

Also from Central Java, but based in Magelang, Fornicaras have been one of our favourites for a long time. A more modern metalcore sound, with soaring vocals and more complex riffing, they are one of the most exciting metalcore acts in not just Indonesia but the entire South East Asia region. Their most recent single ‘Stompbomb’ has been on regular rotation in the Noise ‘N’ Visuals office and you might recognise their name from our radio playlist.

Hyper

Another band that has featured on many of our playlists is West Java’s very own Hyper. From playing at the Indonesia edition of Bring Me The Horizon‘s NEXFEST to put out some of the most artistic and curated music videos, Hyper deserve every bit of the love they get. Straight up metalcore of the more classic variety, they infuse elements of death and thrash metal and metallic hardcore to bring forth their blistering style.

Crionics

Hailing from Pontianak, which is a city in the West Kalimantan region of Indonesia, Crionics have been one of the newest bands on our radar. Vocally diverse, weaving heavy breakdowns into mathcore-style hooks they put on a masterclass of harnessing sonic chaos. Instantly grabbing our attention with their latest single ‘Remnant‘, we’ve been having a ball diving into their music.

Kenya

After witnessing the absolute scenes the Balinese hardcore band can incite during their shows, they have been a fixture in the NNV Southeast Asia hardcore lexicon. Straight up hardcore, they are delivering 2-step worthy verses with spin kick encouraging choruses, this band is a monster of their own. They travel a little more than some of the other bands from Indonesia, so if you get a chance to catch them, don’t hesitate.

We are well aware we are only scraping the surface of what the Indonesian heavy music scene has to offer. These are just some bands to get you started if you are a fan of breakdowns.

We are also well aware that the region is going through some ecological disasters, so we ask if you can spare some money to donate or a way to participate, please check out the initiative below. 100% of the proceeds will be distributed through WALHI (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia/Indonesian Forum For the Environment.

Wildfires and other ecological disasters are impacting the ecosystem, the wildlife and of course, neighbouring communities.

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