ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Video Review: KERANGKENK Anarchy by Dave Wolff

Anarchy
This is a brand new video track from the Indonesian death metallers Kerangkenk. As is common, you can read their interview (from January 2015) at this blog. As a representation of the DM scene from their country, you could hardly ask for something better. I often point out bands from specific scenes the world over ignoring trends and fueling themselves purely on self-sustaining dedication. This band substantiates that principle while humanizing death metal’s inherent savagery. While self-contained, the Indonesian underground has kept itself alive without money, mainstream hype and music television channels, and thanks to the internet we are given a glimpse into their world as the bands live their definition of true metal. If there were more artists like this extreme metal would be unstoppable. The distinctive attitude and underground spirit indicative to Indonesia resonates as the band allow their ability to speak for them. While Anarchy’s length is only three and a half minutes, by its end you feel you’ve been thrown in a meat grinder and crushed into something resembling hamburger. There are a few occasions in which I hear a riff or blast beat that reminds me of Kreator or Morbid Angel, and the ambience all around reminded me of when I first discovered death metal around 1987-88, but Kerangkenk blaze their own identity making it clear they’re not excessively mimicking their favorite bands. Anarchy displays the band’s expertise at playing extreme music as well as their dedication. The guitars and bass are rigorous, inexorable, nimble-fingered and ill-lighted, the lead vocals are guttural and equally unyielding, but the blast beats and fills most of all are beyond amazing, coming close to the highest velocity Cryptopsy are capable of achieving. Kerangkenk certainly give them a run for it in the quickness department, and promise greater things to come with future releases. I highly recommend this band to fans of brutal music everywhere. -Dave Wolff


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