Day Of Atonement Slated To Perform At Trendy Bangsat Fest 18

It has been a packed month for the Surabaya goth metal outfit and for a good reason as well. Not only did they perform at Transsounds held in their country Indonesia, their single Dead Man Whisper received airplay on the Meshradio programme Taste Of Darkness in Singapore and preparations for their upcoming album have begun as well. While that is being put at the back of their mind for now, Day Of Atonement are gearing up for yet another gig organised by Indonesian metal promoters Panzerfaust Division along with 23 other bands from various parts of Indonesia with names such as Titik Koma, Bersimbah Darah and Boroxide just to name a few. The 18th edition of Trendy Bangsat Fest will be held on June 6 at Gedung Srimulat, Surabaya (Indonesia) and tickets cost 25,000 rupiah for pre-sale tickets and 30,000 at the door with merchandise going for 50,000 rupiah. For those living elsewhere and would like to go for a short holiday, this is the ideal getaway to spend your weekend or school vacation with a festival that is being throughout the entire day. Day Of Atonement will be the 19th band onstage and will start their 20 minute set at 4.20pm so get your gothic power metal fix at Trendy Bangsat Fest!

Name: Trendy Bangsat Fest 18

Date & Time: 6th June 2010, 10.00am - 9.00pm
Place: Gedung Srimulat, Surabaya, Indonesia
Price: Rp 25,000 (pre-sale) Rp 30,000 (at the door)
Acts:
01. 11.00 - 11.15 CRUEL ANGEL - Surabaya Death Metal
02. 11.15 - 11.30 EVELYN VIOLETA - Surabaya Metal Core
03. 11.30 - 11.45 KORAK - Sidoarjo Hard Core
04. 11.45 - 12.00 ZORV - Surabaya Grunge
05. 12.00 - 12.15 PAK TUA - Surabaya Metal Core
06. 12.15 - 12.30 DEAD CRIMINAL - Surabaya Death Thrash Metal
07. 12.30 - 12.45 NEGARA BONEKA - Sidoarjo Metal Core
08. 12.45 - 13.00 BORN AFTER DYING - Surabaya Hard Core
09. 13.00 - 13.15 FREEDOM FIGHTER - Surabaya Heavy Metal
10. 13.15 - 13.30 DARK AGE - Jogja Death Metal
11. 13.40 - 14.00 AMERTA - Surabaya Gothic Metal
12. 14.00 - 14.20 CLIMAXETH - Surabaya Technical Death Metal
13. 14.20 - 14.40 VENDUZOR - Surabaya Death Metal
14. 14.40 - 15.00 THIRSTY BLOOD - Sidoarjo Black Metal
15. 15.00 - 15.20 VIOLENCE - Surabaya Symphonic Gothic Metal
16. 15.20 - 15.40 FEAR INSIDE - Surabaya Death Metal
17. 15.40 - 16.00 TITIK KOMA - Surabaya Death Metal
18. 16.00 - 16.20 DRY - Surabaya Blackened Death Metal
19. 16.20 - 16.40 DAY OF ATONEMENT - Surabaya Power Gothic Metal
20. 16.40 - 17.00 UNDER MY THROAT - Surabaya Death Metal
21. 17.00 - 17.20 JAGAL - Surabaya Brutal Death Metal
22. 17.20 - 17.40 BOROXIDES - Surabaya Ethnic Hard Core
23. 18.00 - 18.45 BERSIMBAH DARAH - Bali Death Grinder
24. 19.00 - 20.00 BESIDE - Bandung Melodic Death Metal

(For more information, contact Morgan at 0856.3180.485 or visit http://www.facebook.com/trendybangsat)

Chronicles Of Reverence: Siouxsie Sioux

Born Susan Janet Ballion on May 27 1957 in London, she is famously known for being the frontwoman and center of attention for Siouxsie And The Banshees along with subsequent projects as a solo artiste and the band The Creatures throughout her singing career. Surviving a rough childhood with the loss of her father and a near death experience, Siouxsie first made her mark on the punk scene with her unique fashion sense fueled by the inspiration of bands such as David Bowie, Roxy Music and The Stooges which gave an inkling on her path in life later on with the formation of Siouxsie And The Banshees in 1976. Together with fellow founder Steven Severin, the band was fast selling out venues in its early days and eventually had their first single Hong Kong Garden released under Polydor which reached the top 10 of the UK charts soon after and subsequently released The Scream in 1978. Making guest appearances every now and then, Siouxsie's last discography came in the form of her solo album MantaRay and was last heard in the The Edge Of Love soundtrack singing Careless Love and is currently taking a break from touring

The Relevance Of Her Reverence


Everything that sums up the roots of the music subculture and her work with The Banshees provided the strong branch for subsequent goth influenced acts to grow from the punk subculture and taking a cue from her musical hero David Bowie by adding an element of glam with a drop of darkness that quickly spread through the waters and becoming a huge influence to bands such as Janes Addiction, Massive Attack, Garbage and even to bands that are just as acclaimed such as The Smiths whose lead singer Morrissey collaborated with Siouxsie at one point. Even to the bright lights of the fashion industry, Siouxsie Sioux is hailed as a doyen of her subculture by combining the elements of punk and goth seamlessly into her own wardrobe evidenced by the countless collections that have gone through the runway with her essence strongly felt from the make up to the raven hued articles. The Creatures era had some impact in the music subculture as well and despite not being a household name as The Banshees, it still managed to achieve critical acclaim and has influenced modern acts like PJ Harvey while MantaRay received the sign of approval from publications worldwide with Siouxsie's foray into solo territory looking to inspire the upcoming generations as she did with The Banshees and The Creatures and at 53 this year, Siouxsie is not resting on her laurels anytime soon. So the next time you listen to your favourite band and wonder why the melodic voices, fusion synthesisers and jet black apperance seems to strike a chord, it is simply because Siouxsie Sioux has influence in that artiste and its a statement that needs no verification.



To know more about Siouxsie Sioux:

http://siouxsiemantaray.com (Siouxsie Sioux)
http://siouxise.com (Siouxsie And The Banshees)

Proost!: Day Of Atonement (Indonesia)

(Click on logo to visit their website)


Starting from May, a monthly column will be dedicated specially for artistes that I believe have the potential to go all the way and once their big break comes, I hope I will be able to say Proost! to their success

Kicking off things this month are a band that is reminiscent of early Nightwish and Leaves Eyes with their dual vocalists blending in seamlessly with music that gives off feelings of pomp and grandeur but Tarja Turunen it ain't for this 7 piece band are as cohesive both onstage and off it. Hailing from the passionate country of Indonesia, the gothic metal outfit from Surabaya consists of Istie Flow (vocals), Zain (vocals), Ferry (guitar), Y-Sin (guitar), Yudha (keyboards), Ryo (symphony) and Cholix (drums) with inspiration coming from the likes of Epica which helped to sculpt the structure of their music and the result? A band that leaves you feeling enthralled the moment you press play and Day Of Atonement are no slouches either, taking time and effort to perform in various gigs throughout Indonesia and their upcoming performance sees them holding their own against their fellow compatriots at Transounds 2010 which will be held on May 2nd. Currently working on a 2nd album, one of the tracks that has been made available for listening is the epic 9 minute masterpiece Dead Man Whisper as we wait with bated breath on the full fledged assault that Day Of Atonement has set their sights on


(Day Of Atonement performing live)


(To listen to their track Dead Man Whisper, click on the Soundcloud link located on the right)

The Singapore Mag article is available now

(Click on picture below to view article)



As mentioned in the Meteoor article in April, myself, Lique and Saito Nagasaki are being featured in The Singapore Mag for its April edition. Under the Society column, the Culture Underground article talks about the alternative lifestyles Singaporeans pursue in their free time and along with other groups such as Cosplay, cowboys and motorcycle riders. Special thanks to Miss Sheralyn Tay for the feature

Absinthe Heart: The Devil Did Not Make Me Do It

Seeing someone dressed entirely in black and putting on death pale cosmetics is normal for the likes of us and those who are into the dark alternative subculture as we view them as individuals who are just dressing up in something that they thoroughly immersed in but what of the public? While most would shrug it off as an act of self expression or being weird, there are a few out there who make their disdain for goths openly but what happens when their resentment turns into a blind crusade? Body counts are definitely involved but this does not come from the "Satanists" or "witches" who commit the crime; They end up becoming the victims in this lopsided war instead


(Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold at the scene of the Columbine High massacre)

"Goths would have us believe that this was just an isolated incident. That Columbine was just a one-off. We know better..."
"Out of just a few of the cases we have researched, we can create an alarming series of statistics. Remember we have hundreds more. When you put just a few together it looks very disturbing. This is why we fight. We will expose these filthy Goths for what they are. Very dangerous indeed."
- An excerpt taken from an anti Goth website created by parents against the subculture

Despite living in a modern civilisation desensitised by violence, gratuitous sex and accessibility to any information with a click of the mouse, the kangaroo court mentality of society still exists and the moment an incident takes place, the finger pointing towards alleged perpetrators moves faster than a bill being passed in parliament to ban personal possession of firearms and who better to blame than the goths? An oddity that strikes fear into the hearts of the Stepford community with their unorthodox practices that go against organised religion, appearances that could give the grim reaper a run for its money and not to forget, cold hearted murderers who would not think twice before plunging the knife to complete their mission with the likes of Slayer and Marilyn Manson giving them the instructions to carry out the atrocities. For years, there have been reports of goths running rampant with their corpse painted faces and vampirism beliefs embedded into their demented minds to kill non believers and use them either as sacrifice to Satan or to retaliate against the norms of society. Not only that, these individuals turn towards places of worship such as churches and raze them to the ground in order to signal their aggressive intentions and even their idols get into the act of things, such as Burzum from Norway who carried Nazi leanings and Faust from Emperor who murdered a homosexual. The buck doesn't stop there with just the Wilson family murders and the beheading of Fawn Trivette by her fiance Christopher Dunsmoor using a samurai, the gothic community came into prominence with the Columbine High massacre that was carried out by goths Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold who wore trenchcoats and held semiautomatic guns as weapons to kill 12 students, 1 teacher and injuring 24 others on April 20 1999 before taking their own lives after the bloodshed. Just when the community thought that the Parents Music Resource Center (PRMC) had their hands full containing "Satanic metal" acts such as Mercyful Fate and Deicide, the problem had now escalated to criminal activity resulting in the loss of lives and in order to combat the rising tide of the trigger happy goths, anti goth movements were created to counter the problem such as Moral Majority led by Jerry Falwell and even religion got into the act using both print and mass media to declare their war against the goths, decrying them as "children of the devil" and "freaks conceived by witchcraft". To exemplify this, politician Joseph Lieberman once appeared in a talk show broadcasted by a Christian network and while holding a disc on one hand, he denounced the record as "the most evil music ever released by a major record label" with a vocal audience roaring in support for his statement coupled with the fact that post Columbine, more of these goth murders were still taking place with students from Lely high school attempting to replicate the Columbine High massacre in 2004 and the murder of Virginia Commonwealth University student Taylor Behl by her boyfriend Ben W. Fawley while engaging in rough sex. So is this sufficient vindication to haul up all of the goths and burn them at stake? Hold back those torches and pitchforks and look beyond the make up; these criminal acts are no different than those committed by serial murderers, rapists and arsonists who look no different than the man on the street


"Well, do what? Mow the lawn? Have a drink?"
- Judas Priest's Rob Halford defending himself in court during the James Vance trial where the latter claimed that the line "Do it" from the song Better By You, Better Than Me inspired him to enact a suicide pact with his friend Raymond Belknap

“It’s not about what they’re wearing, it’s about what they’re doing”
- Don Elium, co-author of the book "Raising a Son: Parents and the Making of a Healthy Man"

While it is easy to lump the black metal and gothic movement as the same thing and the former sharing certain similarities, the church burnings in Norway and brutal murders in order to appease Satan that has plagued the black metal scene for years are remotely related to what the gothic subculture is all about, a history that has its roots in architecture and literature in the earlier centuries to the music and fashion movement of modern times. But irregardless of genre, stereotyping Goths and black metal fans as murderers are no different from calling a person listening to hip-hop a gangster or a reggae follower being an addict to opiates and who gives them such labels and demonising them in the process? It is the crusaders of morality themselves, finding a scapegoat to shift the blame and using the goths as a targetboard to throw their darts at and hoping to hit the bullseye eventually. Sadly for these morality groups, their aims have not only gone way off the mark but it has also courted controversy against them for the extreme measures taken to eradicate the supposed problem that has tainted the minds of society. Remove the exteriors of their preferred lifestyle, peer into the history of their childhood and one will realise that Alex Baranyi and David Anderson of the Wilson family murder are no different from any other murderer who are not into the gothic subculture; A life spent growing up on hardship and being envious of affluent families who lived in mansions while their parents struggled to make ends meet. Teenagers being ostracised by their schoolmates for looking gawky and often bullied by jocks for their "weirdness" while seeking solace in their own activities such as Dungeons & Dragons or even objects such as dolls. But beneath that escapism lies a mind fuelled by vengeance and a vow to "make them pay", resulting in massacres and murders from their misled path in life which could have been avoided if someone was there to sniff out the danger and nullifying the danger before its too late. In the Michael Moore documentary Bowling For Columbine, shock rocker Marilyn Manson was interviewed by Moore to give his thoughts on the Columbine High massacre. During that point of time, he was cited as the main influence of killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold despite the fact that they both hated Manson's music and when asked on what he would have said if he was given the chance to speak to them before the massacre, Manson simply said; "I wouldn't say a thing. I would just listen to them and that's what nobody did". The allegations made by the media were further unravelled in David Cullen's book Columbine where it was revealed that Harris and Klebold actually had a lot of friends, were not at the receiving end of any bullying and the supposed martyr of the killings, Cassie Bernall who became a popular figure in religious circles after proclaiming to have believed in God before getting killed by the duo actually died without being asked any questions whereas the actual person who was asked about her faith, Valeen Schnurr answered yes and survived the ordeal without a single shot being fired at her. But while most incidents portray goths as raiders of innocent lives, there have been instances where the former ends up on the receiving end of a merciless murder by the "lambs" and until today, the death of Sophie Lanchaster has been made known worldwide on the prejudice goths have to face at the mercy of the public eye. On August 11 2007, 20 year old Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were attacked by a group of teenage boys led by Brendan Harris and Ryan Herbert in the wee hours of the morning while on the way back home to their flat in King Street and while it started off with a friendly conversation and handing out cigarettes to the group, the latter unexpectedly turned against Robert Maltby and began attacking him before Sophie Lancaster came to his defence by shielding Robert's head on her lap. Relentless and intoxicated under the influence of alcohol, the gang continued their assault by striking and stamping Sophie on the the head such to an extent that when the paramedics arrived at the scene much later, they had difficulty in recognising her as her face was heavily bruised and while both Sophie and Robert slipped into a coma, the latter managed to wake up after 2 weeks without any recollection of the incident but sadly, Sophie passed away without another chance to live and enjoy life like her fellow peers. What was more appalling was the fact that Brendan Harris and his mother was light hearted about the matter during Harris' initial interview with the police and their condescending demeanour throughout the trial despite the severity of their actions

"I stand outside this house of justice today, not as Sophie's mother, but as her voice. Her voice that was cruelly silenced in a single mindless act. Sophie was a thoughtful, sensitive individual and she would not have wanted her death to have been in vain"
- Sylvia Lancaster, mother of the late Sophie Lancaster who was savagely beaten to death on August 11, 2007

Before the media decides to put up the Wanted posters on goths and distort truths on the gothic subculture, before warmongers throw the gauntlet, launch a full scale battle and publicly invite others to join in the bandwagon, let's not forget one simple fact; It could have happened to anyone by anyone. By judging a book by its cover, they fail to realise that goths are human beings after all and deserve to walk among the same path as they do and have dreams just like any other child, teenager or adult


Or must it take another death in order for them to wake up and do something about this injustice?

Heart Of Darkness (1st May 2010 at SIX)

(Click on poster to view event)



Pick up your sickles and metal pipes, pump your fist in the air and declare your allegiances out loud this Labour Day as the Singapore Dark Alternative Movement unveils the flag inscribed with the words Heart Of Darkness. Rally the people and congregate at SIX as congress will take place from 9pm onwards with DJs Murderfreak and Cosmic Battlefield square off in a musical motion of Industrial against New Wave throughout the night with beats so intense, it will not take long before everyone hits the dancefloor and roaring in approval. So dress up in your uniform and route march your way to Heart Of Darkness, the watering point of Jack Daniels awaits for you and giving you the fuel to raise your hands in unbridled passion with the only politics that you will ever need, period

Date: Saturday, 1 May 2010
Time: 9pm – 3 am
Venue:Six, 29 Carpenter Street #06-00
Cover: Free before 10pm, $12 thereafter
Acts: DJ Murderfreak & DJ Cosmic Armchair

Chapter 66: Too Fast For The Black Widow

Despite the love hate relationship that I have with my brother, there is at least one thing that I can never thank him enough for: Carelessly leaving his cassettes around while I stayed in his room. He might not look the part but when it came to music, that boy sure knew how to rock with bands such as Scorpions, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue being blared out of his stereo and singing You Give Love A Bad Name like a debonair rockstar (he still does at the ripe old age of 37 and with 2 kids. In the car with the latter two thinking that its my fault) It was from the daily visits in his room that first introduced me to music and even though the first song that I listened to was Scorpions' Wind Of Change, it was Motley Crue that became my favourite band and before you had Tokio Hotel and the other pretty boys putting on make up, Vince Neil and the gang were already donning cosmetics in the hair metal era known as the 80's while singing about their good buddy (Dr Feelgood) bad habits (Smoking In The Boys Room) and their thoughts of being in love (Too Fast For Love). But it was Marilyn Manson that changed my life completely instead at the age of 14 and the rest they say, was painted in black with Holywood at the back. Admittedly, there was a gap period where I thought that Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg was the shizznit and Mandy Moore was amazing but Mr Brian Warner salvaged me from Loserville and into a mean lean machine who did not care if society was ostracising him, music alone was an escapism and an education to their ills that were being masked by Stepford smiles. But it did not end there but rather the beginning of a musical voyage that made me want to listen to various kinds of music from the fast emerging (HIM), legendary (The Misfits) and obscure (Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13). Black metal was another influential force for me with Cradle Of Filth ripping up a vicious vortex for me to enter and discover the grim reality of life but I didn't have to be a Satanist in order to enjoy the genre as Immortal have proved and with great success (except the Call Of The Wintermoon video)and did help matters that I was into Norse mythology so the bond between me and the genre was quickly fostered. If being a goth was about the macabre and realism, then black metal was all about strength and viciousness (Note: I am not a Satanist and respect all forms of religion, everyone has a right to believe what they preach in irregardless of orthodoxy). Fast forward to modern times and 22 years on since childbirth, I am still listening to music and looking out for new bands to listen to irregardless of genre since what matters most is the quality and intensity of the music so do not be surprised if I start listening to Goatwhore at one moment and PMMP (Finnish pop duo) the next, it is the passion that counts and this is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you


So what inspired me to start an online page to talk about my innermost thoughts? It all started off with my regular gig as a writer for the Singapore Dark Alternative Movement and with the 3 columns that I contribute regularly (Absinthe Heart, Meteoor & Chronicles Of Reverence)it made ponder one day that while I am enjoying myself by pursuing my passion of writing for my subculture, I am only able to present it in the angle of being a goth and after looking at various online pages such as Murderfreak and The Fashionate Traveller, I became motivated to start a page of my own and write about the things I love while at the same time promote bands and events through my site. As you can see on my navigational links under Associated Arsonists, these are the fruits of labour that my friends have started and working hard towards their dream which goes to show that no matter how many obstacles you have to face, it takes dogged determination to get to where you are and for that, I salute to each and every one of you who taught me subliminally that its possible to achieve what you aim for. Hopefully with my posts here, someone out there will notice these efforts and take time to click the links to find out more about their endeavour and for those who would like me to put it on my site, feel free to drop me an email or via my personal networking sites (located at the links bar) or even to promote your events, I am more than happy to spread the word for you. As for myself, this is just another step to educate and motivate me in writing articles while pursuing my degree in English Literature at the same time. I might need to suit up and look "normal" should I end up becoming a teacher (aka secondary dream) instead of being the next Lord Byron (aka hedonistic poet/Romanticist rockstar with a quill) so for now, I just wanna rock!

(ps. For those who think that being a journalist/writer/poet is boring and decidedly "square", you might want to read up on the life of one Nick Kent. Not only did he play guitar for The Sex Pistols before they ditched him for one Sid Vicious, he bagged the hot Chrissie Hynde)