LEMBANG SPECIAL ISSUE: Our first interview with DEXTROLOGY (Lembang Brutal Death Metal), 2018.

Our first interview with DEXTROLOGY (Lembang Brutal Death Metal).

Date: Thursday 17 May 2018.

At: Lembang, West Java.

Interview with: Fian (guitarist).

Translation by: Teguh Prasetyo (bassist, Interfectorment / Digging Up).

BAND NEWS: The five-track EP Resurrection the Abnormal Beast was released on 10 November 2018 via Brutal Mind.

Kieran James: Tell us about the band history.

Fian Dextrology (guitarist): We started in 2015. Our original line-up was: Fian (guitar); Adol (drums); and Fandi (vocals). In the middle of 2015, we released a promo called Dishumanism Theory released by Blackland Records, Bekasi. We did a lot of gigs after the promo. At 2016 Fandi the vocalist left the band because of work commitments.

KJ: So what happened after that?

Fian: In 2016 Dextrology made a deal with a label for the album. However, after we finished the album material, the label had no plan to release it. The label did not give a release date and this situation continued up until 2018.

Teguh Prasetyo: It’s very annoying to me personally that this happened to my friend. I saw them put a lot of work into the album. I don’t know why the label did not release it yet. Disembowel Records – this is the label which wanted to make a contract with Hydro. This is a Tangerang label, the owner is Armand.

Fian: After that we had a new vocalist, his name is Ferdi. Ferdi is the little brother of Fandi. After he joined, finally, the band decided to take the record to another label. The last label could not give a clear date as to when they could release it.

Finally we have a label from Jakarta called Brutal Mind. They will release the original EP album. We re-recorded everything with the new vocalist. Some songs are missing from the original album.

KJ: What are the main influences?

Fian: Suffocation, Disgorge, Inveracity (Greece), Opeth, and Katatonia.

KJ: Indonesian band influences?

Fian: Viscral (Bekasi), Jasad, and Beside.

KJ: How old are the band members?

Fian: The youngest one, Ferdi, is 19-years-old, I am 25 [Note: Fian then shows his ID card which is followed by much laughter from everybody present.]

Teguh: I am amazed he is only 25. He was in the scene before I came.

KJ: Did you have a band before your current band?

Fian: Yes, Getih.

KJ: Who was the first Death Metal band from Lembang?

Teguh: There are older bands than Pedophilia. We don’t know for sure but we think it is Gurkha (1995).

KJ: What are the good and bad things about the Lembang scene?

Fian: There is a gap between genres. There is some type of cold war between bands.

KJ: Do you want to say anything more about this?

Teguh: The situation happened from a long time ago until now. There is some bad blood between bands. Everything is not as bad as before. Things are improving because today there are a lot of bands of different genres who hang out in the same place and share the same ideas about music.

KJ: What do you think about Bandung Death Metal?

Fian: I think it is solid and always consistent.

KJ: What do you think about Interfectorment playing in Bangkok?

Fian: I think Interfectorment play a little differently to Bandung-style Death Metal.

KJ: How is Interfectorment different from Bandung-style?

Teguh: The main influence of our music is from Europe.

Agung Prasetia (Interfectorment guitarist): The old Interfectorment always tended to look for the most modern sound we could get. We have quite a different playing style from any other band in Bandung. At 2013 that style and sound were still quite fresh. But now a lot of bands have the same style and sound.

Teguh: What is the impact on the band of the new vocalist joining?

Fian: Our music concept was more towards Old School Death Metal style but, after Ferdi came, he made the sound feel like Brutal Death Metal.

KJ: Future plans?

Fian: We will make new songs for the future full-length album by the end of the year. The EP will be released in July 2018. [Note: actual EP release date was 10 November 2018.] It is still a secret as to who the record label will be for the full-length.

[This part below is joking / banter.]

Agrog Beside: He made a booking for second show [Sound Reaction] but he did not play…

Teguh: He is quite a random person [all laugh]. This made us upset. We have pain-in-the-ass friends but he is still our friend.

Agrog: In Lembang we are waiting to see Dextrology play. [Note: The band never played in Lembang, only outside of it.]

Teguh: Many Lembang bands have the same story as Dextrology. It is not that they don’t want to play in Lembang but they don’t get the chance.

[Normal interview continues on.]

Teguh: Why did you never have a bass player in your band?

Fian: We did not find the right person. [Note: Fian played bass on the album and the demo.]

KJ: Where did the band play?

Fian: Usually we play at Jakarta, Bandung, and Karawang.

KJ: Message for the fans?

Fian: You must take your breakfast before the gigs because you will get drunk at the gigs.

Teguh: Like I said, he’s quite a random person!

KJ: Are you proud to come from Lembang?

Fian [Teguh interprets into English]: Yes, proud.

Teguh [explaining the interpretation]: But the first answer is no, second answer is yes so I’m not sure.

Agrog: If you are proud, you must play here.

KJ: If you play in Jakarta, do you say “we are from Lembang” or “we are from Bandung”?

Fian: Bandung.

KJ: The truth is out.

Teguh: Yes, the truth is out. Sorry, Interfectorment is Lembang band.

Agrog: If you are Bandung band you can go away from Lembang!

Agrog: I am [in] Bandung band but I don’t forget I am from Lembang and I make gigs in Lembang.

Teguh: But why did Beside not play in Lembang?

Agrog: Bands in Lembang must show up and make a foundation at our gigs so people know about them.

Teguh: Lembang bands usually don’t play at Lembang. We have our friends such as Getih who always play at Indramayu. They almost never play in Lembang; the same applies to Interfectorment too. It will take three years before we play in Lembang again.

KJ: What do you think of your first interview?

Fian: Nervous!

*****THE END*****

Left to Right: Teguh Prasetyo (Interfectorment / Digging Up bassist), Kieran James (Busuk Chronicles), Agung Prasetia (Interfectorment guitarist), Bandung, May 2018.

Left to Right: Bobby Rock (Turbidity / ex-Bleeding Corpse), Daniel (Turbidity), Kieran James (Busuk Chronicles), Agung Prasetia (Interfectorment guitarist), Teguh Prasetyo (Interfectorment / Digging Up bassist), Bandung, May 2018.

INTERFECTORMENT (Lembang Death Metal) feat. Teguh Prasetyo on bass (second from left) and Agung Prasetia on guitar (third from left).