OVERDEATH INTERVIEW / METAL HISTORY: "We are the oldest Sidoarjo UG band" (Sidoarjo Grindcore)

OVERDEATH - the Oldest Underground Band in Sidoarjo

Our interview with Hanif and Agus of Overdeath, Sidoarjo Grindcore, 27 January 2014

Interpretation Bahasa Indonesian / Bahasa Inggris by: Dwi Yudha (bassist of Osiris, Surabaya death-metal)

Extra questions by: Dwi Yudha

Overdeath is: Hanif (guitar), Antok (bass), Adi (drum), and Agus (vocals)

Please note that this band should not be confused with the Mexican band Overdeath.

Jack Frost (Busuk Webzine): Please tell us the history of the band.

Agus (Overdeath vocalist): We are the oldest grindcore band in Sidoarjo. We formed in 1997. We are the oldest underground band here. Before we chose grindcore we played some old-school death-metal. We chose grindcore because in 1997 there was no grindcore band in Sidoarjo. There were only death-metal and death-metal bands. We chose grindcore because we enjoy the music and we are idealistic about the bands and the music.

Rizal Hirhead, Jack, Yudha, Agus, unknown

JF: How about your influences?

Agus: Napalm Death.

Hanif (Overdeath guitarist): Napalm Death is old-school grindcore which is enjoyable to listen to.

Agus: Napalm Death is not just about the music. It contains critique of government and society and it involves discussion of rejection and such issues.

Dwi Yudha (Osiris bassist): Why the name Overdeath?

Agus: It has a philosophy that people will die and no-one will be able to resist death.

JF: Is the name Napalm Death plus Overkill?

Agus: No, that is not the intention. We do like the music of Napalm Death and Overkill but the name is not based upon that.

JF: You talk about Napalm Death critiquing government and society so can you tell us more about your lyrics?

Agus: The lyrics on the last album criticize the government and the stigma that Indonesia is a terrorist country. We criticize why the government cannot erase this perspective.

JF: Have you heard the band Deadly Weapon from Yogya?

Agus: We think it is a good band from Yogya because they have a good musical concept and arrangements.

Dwi Yudha: Please tell us more about the underground scene in Sidoarjo.

Hanif: We think that underground here has many types of music but there is still a blockage. Some people think underground is a gang and not a community. The community is not solid enough. Underground has its own way to show its existence. Too many people follow the trend and are not creators.

Dwi Yudha: What is the society’s perspective about this metal?

Agus: The society still has a bad perspective. They still think we are drunk, are bad guys, and have no education.

Dwi Yudha: How can the Sidoarjo metal scene change the perspective from bad to good?

Agus: We do some social activity and charity. At Ramadan we share ifthar (break fasting). This is to change the bad perspective from society.

JF: How many albums have you had?

Agus: We had an album in 1998 and in 2000 we had a second album.  The titles are Sectored in Formality (1998) and Dead in Solution (2000). We appeared on compilation albums Harmonic Sesat (1999) and Metalik Klinik #6 (2001). In 2010 we had three more demo songs. We had a connection with Green Head Records in Australia.

Dwi Yudha: Which band do you want to play with onstage?

Agus: Napalm Death and we want to play in Rock in Solo like Behemoth last year.

Dwi Yudha: Do you have a music video or video of performance?

Agus: We have a footage video uploaded on Youtube for the song “Bimasa”.

JF: Will you still be playing grindcore when you are 60-years-old?

Hanif: Yes I think so, grindcore till die.

Dwi Yudha: What are your future goals for the band?

Agus: We want to launch our album as soon as possible in 2014. We want to tour with other Sidoarjo bands. We want to be a grindcore icon for Sidoarjo.

JF: Do you think grindcore is not as popular as death-metal?

Agus: Grindcore and death-metal have the same popularity overall but here death-metal is more popular than grindcore.

JF: Why is there such a long time between the second album and now?

Agus: After the second album we were busy working at our jobs and with our families.

JF: What is your message for the fans?

Agus: Keep Grinding!

Left to Right: Rizal Nur Rokhim (HITHEAD band), Jack Frost (Busuk Chronicles), Dwi Yudha (OSIRIS / ANUBIS bands), Agus Overdeath, unknown @ Sidoarjo.

NEW HITHEAD INTERVIEW: "I don't agree that police close Bandung pubs at 12.00am" (Sidoarjo Hardcore)

Left to Right: Rizal Nur Rokhim (HITHEAD band), Jack Frost (Busuk Chronicles), Dwi Yudha (OSIRIS / ANUBIS band), Agus (OVERDEATH band), unknown @ Sidoatjo.

My interview with Bimo and Rizal of Hithead (Sidoarjo Hardcore Pride), 27 January 2014

Interpretation Bahasa Indonesian / Bahasa Inggris by: Dwi Yudha (bassist of Osiris, Surabaya death-metal)

Extra questions by: Niza (vocalist Climaxeth / Osiris) & Dwi Yudha

Hithead is: Bimo (vocals); Rizal (drummer), Riza (guitar), and Bima (bass).

Jack Frost: Please tell us the history of your band.

Bimo (vocalist): We formed the band in 2011. I formed Hithead because I felt that hardcore in Sidoarjo was stuck. So I hoped that the band could bring new colour to hardcore in Sidoarjo. Because in Sidoarjo many people make hardcore bands just for fashion or image but they don’t have the ideology.

Rizal Hithead (fourth left) with Yudha, Niza, Jack, and SICKLES

JF: Who are your influences in hardcore?

B: Hatebreed and Kingdom of Sorrow (Jamey Jasta).

JF: Why do you like hardcore so much instead of metal?

B: I chose hardcore because of the sense of rebelling against the government. In Indonesia the poor is like shit because the government is kind of greedy and selfish. They just think about themselves and not the people.

JF: Do you know in Bandung the police close the pubs at 12 o’clock and have a curfew. What do you think?

B: I think it sucks, I don’t agree with this.

JF: Do you have any album or plan for an album?

B: We have a plan to finish the album at the end of 2014. We have three demo songs and for the album seven songs.

JF: Is the title of the album fixed?

B: The concept is fixed but we have not decided on the title of the album.

JF: What is the hardcore scene like here in Sidoarjo?

B: The scene here is weak. Many people in hardcore still think hardcore is a gang and not a music. The scene is not solid.

JF: What about Surabaya hardcore?

B: I think hardcore in Surabaya is great and cool. It is different from Sidoarjo.

JF: What are your comments about Devadata?

B: F***ing great, legend.

JF: What is your comment about Outright?

B: I think it is new-school hardcore with great music and concept. It is new-school and not really old-school like Devadata.

JF: What is your comment about Straight Answer (Jakarta)?

B: I like the band; they play old-school punk hardcore.

JF: What is the best scene for hardcore in Indonesia?

B: Surabaya.

Niza and Jack

JF: What does the scene in Sidoarjo need to do to improve?

B: I think hardcore in Sidoarjo should work together to remove the gap between new-school and old-school. They should change the focus from fashion to music. Hardcore is passion not fashion.

JF: Are you straight-edge?

B: No [smiles].

JF: Do you agree with what someone said that “hardcore only will work for you if you believe in it”?

B: Yes I agree.

Niza (Climaxeth / Osiris vocalist): Where did you play on the stage?

B: East Java. We think that our music is not good enough to move to any other province especially in Java Island. We still need some improvement.

Dwi Yudha (Osiris bassist): What was your father’s reaction to your love of hardcore?

B: My parents really support me for hardcore but there is still some bad perspective from the society. We come back home late after midnight.

JF: Is there any connection between hardcore and football hooliganism in Sidoarjo? I’m thinking about how Cockney Rejects was associated with West Ham United’s Inter City Firm...

B: Surabaya has a soccer team Persebaya and they have hooligans called Bonex Hardcore.

JF: Are some people in the hooligan scene also in the underground music scene?

B: Yes. There are hooligans from the hardcore scene. They are called “Wolf x Feet”.

JF: Will your band get a bad reaction in Malang because of the football factor?

B: For “Wolf x Feet” there is no problem for us to play in Malang because the people in Malang think music is music and football is just football.

JF: What is the relationship between hardcore and metal here?

B: I think hardcore and metal are in one family called “Underground”. There is no real difference because we are one family. They are just different music genres.

Dwi Yudha: What band would you love to accompany on the stage?

B: Foreign band Hatebreed and Indonesian band Serigala Malam.

JF: What do you think of the band Tengkorak? I was fortunate to be able to meet Samier in Surabaya...

B: They are some kind of radical band. I think they are too religious for a band. They can’t separate between religion and music. They are too radical for the metal society to accept. They can’t separate people’s religion from musical genre.

JF: Is there any hardcore band in Indonesia similar to Tengkorak?

B: Purgatory is similar to Tengkorak. For hardcore there is no similar band.

JF: What are your future goals and dreams for the band?

Rizal (Hithead drummer): We want to have an album and a tour with the bands we mentioned before.

JF: Do you want to play in Bandung Biersik?

B: Yes but mostly we want to play in Wacken Open Air!

Dwi Yudha: What target will you have?

B: We want the album to be accepted in Indonesia first.

Dwi Yudha: What songs do you want to cover?

B: Pantera, “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit”.

JF: What is your comment about Busuk Webzine?

Rizal: It is a special place for info on underground music.

JF: What do you think that we include hardcore now as well as metal?

Rizal: We are very supportive for hardcore to be included in Busuk Webzine. Then we will not maintain a division between hardcore and metal. Let us unite as one.

JF: What is your message for the fans?

Rizal: The message for the scene is that we should unite as one.

Bimo: Hardcore is a passion and not a fashion. It is not about showing off the style or the clothes.  

Left to Right: Back row: Jack Frost (Busuk Chronicles), Niza Climaxeth, Arie Sickles, Rony Sickles, Haidir Sickles. Front row: Rizal Nur Rokhim (HITHEAD band), Dwi Yudha (OSIRIS / ANUBIS band) @ Bangkalan, Madura.

CLASSIC INTERVIEW: My interview with Niza Climaxeth, 26/1/2014 (with Samier and Valerian)

Kieran James aka Jack Frost and Niza Climaxeth @ Surabaya, November 2012.

My interview with Niza of Climaxeth / Osiris, Inferno Music Studio & Rock Shop, Surabaya, 26 January 2014

Interpretation where necessary by: Dimas (Valerian Guitarist) & Verrel (Valerian Drummer)

Extra Comments and Extra Questions by: Dimas, Verrel, Harman (Valerian Guitarist)  & Samier (Tengkorak Guitarist)

Jack Frost: Please tell us your life story. How did you become a metalhead?

Niza: It began when I was in elementary school. My brother liked metal music such as Sepultura, Slayer, Soulfly, and those kinds of bands. I began to browse the bands trying to find out more. When I was in senior high-school I formed my first band called Hexagram. I was the vocalist. They played metalcore.

Jack, Daniel Valerian, Niza, Dimas Valerian

JF: What happened to this band?

N: It finished. My second band is called Climaxeth. I am in this band up until now.

JF: Earlier people mentioned your side-project. What is the side-project?

N: Osiris.

JF: Also death-metal?

N: Yes

JF: What are your influences especially for the female vocals?

N: Rachel Heyzer from Sinister and Angela Gossow from Arch Enemy. [Jack Frost note: Rachel Heyzer was vocalist for two of Sinister’s albums: Creative Killings (2001) and Savage or Grace (2003). Rachel Heyzer also did vocals for Infinited Hate, Occult, and Sacramental Sachem.] 

JF: How did you get to know Popo?

N: I knew her through Popo’s friend Yofie, through Yahoo Messenger.

JF: Ah, Yahoo Messenger...no-one uses that anymore...

JF: What do you think of Popo?

N: She is a very nice girl and she has character in her voice. Her knowledge about death-metal is so brilliant and amazing. She is a great person yeah...

JF: What do your parents think about you singing in a death-metal band?

N: At the first time my parents did not agree that I played in a band or the music I played. As the days and years passed they could accept it. Now they support my band.

JF: Now for some sensitive question but I ask because I really want to understand more about the society and religion of Indonesia: why do you wear the jilbab [hijab] on the stage?

N: It comes from myself; to be a good Muslim. It is one of the requirements for Muslims to use hijabs to show that you are a Muslim.

JF: The hijab is a cultural custom?

N: I have the obligation to cover it as a Muslim.

Daniel Valerian, Edo Valerian, additional bassist, Dimas Valerian

JF: Is it OK to wear metal tee-shirts with the jilbab? It’s such a contrast...

N: It’s not a problem; it’s just an appearance. I also avoid clothes with pictures of inverted crosses, 666, and Satan.

Dimas (Valerian Guitarist): As Samier said, music is music and religion is religion...

Samier (Tengkorak Guitarist): I did not say that. Music should not influence or infiltrate our [religious] beliefs.  

JF: What are the lyrical topics for Climaxeth?

N: Hypocrisy, anti-politics, the negative side of politics.

JF: Who is writer of the lyrics?

N: Me and also my bass player.

JF: Did you consider writing lyrics similar to Tengkorak?

N: No, not yet.

JF: What is your comment about the metal community here in Surabaya?

N: As Harman [Valerian Guitarist] says, there is a gap between us. We try to unite but unfortunately it is very difficult to unite the people within the community itself. They don’t have the same vision and mission.

JF: Why is there a division – is it based on genre or personality or the location within the city?

N: It’s personal. 

JF: Given that power-metal is the biggest genre in Surabaya why don’t you choose to play power-metal?

N: I like death-metal. I cannot sing in the clear voice...

Verrel (Valerian Drummer): Or maybe...in the high notes.

JF: What is your comment about Valerian band?

N: In my opinion Valerian is an awesome band with a good concept.

Verrel (Valerian Drummer): Newcomer with good performance [laughs]!

Dimas Valerian and Niza Climaxeth

JF: What do you think of the Valerian vocalist Ridwan?

N: Good. He has an atypical voice, different from the other power-metal singers.

JF: What is your experience of being a woman in the metal community of Surabaya?

N: [no answer]

JF: I mean, do the people respect you? Did anyone try to touch you in the moshpit?

N: I’m still confused about how to answer. The audience is OK, I feel secure.

JF: Who shows you most respect – the metalhead guys or the guys from outside the scene?

N: They show me respect.

JF: Did you have any bad experience? Did any guys stalk you on Facebook or in real-life?

N: Yes I had. But not so very big deal. I just had a few bad comments on my Facebook.

JF: What do your other friends from outside of the scene think of you playing in the metal scene?

N: My friends ask me: “are you alright with your throat”? I just explain to them that it’s normal [for death-metal vocals].

JF: Do you see girls come to shows in groups here or do they come with their boyfriends?

N: Usually they are accompanied by friends or boyfriend; they do not come one by one.

JF: Do you think the metal scene in Surabaya can attract more women because I think this is one way the scene can grow bigger?

N: It can happen.

Harman (Valerian Guitarist): It already happened. The scene is now growing and younger bands are playing – Fear, etc.  The audience is automatically getting younger. There is not so many women in extreme-metal, usually it is the bass guitarist’s wife [all laugh]; the bass guitarist is always followed by his wife!

JF: Niza, do you prefer to have metalhead boyfriend or not?

N: No comment!

VALERIAN: Bassist additional, Daniel, Edo, Verrel, Ridwan, Dimas, Jack

JF: Is there a plan for the full-length album for Climaxeth?

N: My guitarist has already left the band. We must re-record everything with a new guitarist and new drummer.

JF: So when can the album be released?

N: This year, as soon as possible - hopefully this year; after we record the album.

JF: What cities did you already play so far?

N: East Java and Central Java cities including Kediri and Yogyakarta, but not in West Java.

JF: What bands would you like to play with on the same stage?

N: With Valerian, Gorod (Singapore), and Nechrophagist. 

JF: Would you like to play in the same show as Demons Damn?

N: Absolutely yes!

JF: Samier, what is your comment about Climaxeth?

Samier (Tengkorak Guitarist): I think her band is a very good band; it is so technical...and very promising.

Dimas (Valerian Guitarist): I think in the future Climaxeth can be one of the biggest bands in Surabaya.

Samier: I hope so.

JF: How did you decide on the band name Climaxeth? The band name Climaxeth with a woman vocalist creates a certain picture...

N: Jason [Hutagalung] said that.

Harman: It’s just a stupid assumption.

JF: Do you know the band in Bandung called Girlzeroth?

N: I never heard; I only know Demons Damn.

JF: Do you know the band Sister Murder from Malang? What is your comment?

N: I never saw them; I just heard about the music.

JF: What is your message for the metal fans?

N: I wish for female vocalists to engage in metal music. I hope that more and more women vocalists can be involved in metal.

Harman: And less wife for the bass player [laughs]?

Niza Climaxeth and Jack Frost @ Inferno Music Studio, Surabaya, 26 January 2014.

Harman Valerian, Dimas Valerian, and Niza Climaxeth @ Inferno Music Studio, Surabaya, 26 January 2014.