Romance of the Clouds: April 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007















Cymbals crashing thunderously, furious machinegun-like bass drum kicks, chugging guitar riffs that resemble a steam train running at full speed, all producing ear-splitting music that is known as extreme metal. Some perceive this genre to be the epitome of chaos and catastrophe, and then there are those who go a step further and declare this to be the soundtrack to armageddon. The most ridiculous ones accuse this to allegedly be devil-worshipping music. Yet, it is the words of these few "ridiculous ones" that have brought the most impact and almost killed Malaysian independent music altogether. The media dug out the term "black metal" from their archives and blew it out of proportion, causing the government to ban and label almost all underground gigs as "black metal". Lots of people (young and old, men and women) who played in local bands had to go on a hiatus for something that they could never imagine doing.

One band that have persevered through this and still standing strong is Sil Khannaz. Formed in 1987 in Perlis, these guys have withstood not just the test of time, but also the struggles that would have made most people give up their dreams. The band migrated to KL in search of pursuing their musical dreams and got to record two demo tapes in 1990 and 1992. These materials, plus their tireless efforts of playing gigs around the city, secured them a recording deal. They had already garnered a huge fan base by the time they released their debut album "Conception of Madness" in 1993, which resulted in them managing to sell 20,000 units. Their sound progressed further with the addition of classical malay music elements to their next album "Gerbang Kayangan", which sold 22,000 units. The success of those albums prompted frontman Abdul Ramzee to set up his own recording label, Nebiula Productions, which signed underground metal titans like Langsuyr and As-Sahar. He also decided to open a music store that caters mainly to metal/rock listeners (Nebiula Heavy Metal Shop) since there were not many around the country back then.

Little did Abdul Ramzee and Sil Khannaz knew that dark clouds were forming above them, and the empire they built was about to crumble right in front of their eyes. The whole "black metal" issue exploded in 2001, causing the authorities to conduct raids on their businesses and gigs. These problems eventually proved to be a major blow not only to their reputation, but also to the rice bowls of each band member. The band were forced to lay low for awhile, and just when things looked to be calm like before, the "second wave" of the "black metal" episode resurfaced in 2005. Once again, their plans of coming up with new material had to take a backseat.

Although plans of resurrecting their career have been welcomed with stumbling blocks since the start of the new millenium, the fire in Sil Khannaz never faded and giving up have never been the band's motto. A number of line-up changes followed before they could finally release "Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji" (BAPP) at the end of 2006. Not merely an album to cure their fans' yearning for new material, BAPP proved to be the landmark record to show how far Sil Khannaz has progressed as an extreme metal band. Their lyrical approach this time is also more diverse than before, including a song about the unfortunate events of May 13, 1969. Some of the lyrics in "Purnama 13" reads : "Dalam aku ada kau, dalam kita ada darah yang sama (There is a piece of you in me, we share the same blood within)" which promotes unity and harmony with each other.

















Some would argue that their problems outweigh their success, but Sil Khannaz has never thought of slowing down, as the fire is still burning strong. Between them they share an unbearable amount of false accuusations that they let fall on deaf ears. They have turned the other cheek whenever lies are thrown at them for the past 20 years. It is this patience and perseverance that have kept them going for so long, all in the name of making pure and honest extreme metal music. To celebrate 20 years of uncompromising brutality, Sil Khannaz is preparing a special show for their fans on Saturday April 28. Former members of the band will also be there to play Sil Khannaz classics of their time. This gig will take place at Planet Hollywood, fans should be there at 3pm for a rocking time to remember.



Kirana signed off at 4:02 PM
1 souls that need closure

Monday, April 23, 2007
Pejam celik pejam celik, three weeks have passed, just like that. It is obvious that I was referring to my time here as an intern at The Star. While it remains arguable whether my style of writing have improved, it would nevertheless be an understatement to say that this stint has been one of substance so far. Yes, although our department spend endless hours daily on the telly (Oprah, Simpsons, Idol, etc), chatting on msn, fooling around with umbrellas and munching on free snacks, we interns do gain valuable knowledge and experience in between.

The three interns have so far gone through press conferences, fashion shows, gigs, celebrity interviews, movie screenings and so much more. We experienced more than just jitters and butterflies in those situations. Last Saturday, for instance, the two girls (Syar and Josephine) got chased by two rempits in Pudu who wanted to give them "a ride". Luckily there was a taxi nearby that they could rush to for cover. Where they nearly fell to the hands of urban scums, yours truly went down in a less dramatic way; influenza. I initially fought all I could without any medical attention whatsoever, as I barely had time to squeeze in between my multiple assignments. However, the final straw was on thursday evening (after my interview with VJ Denise) when I could barely speak a word and my physical health succumbed to the virus that has taken the mightiest of men.

So the first blood was drawn when I was forced to take an MC last Friday. The next chapter promises to be much tougher and uncompromising, as we brace ourselves to be shifted to Omerta Department. There's a few points worth taking note of here. Firstly, the people in Omerta are allegedly dull and lifeless, way off the mark compared to the beautiful folks here at R.AGE. On top of that, the workload of Omerta could easily rip the head of your most hardworking donkey. Articles are due a lot faster, travelling out is more common than roti canai at Raju's and fun is welcomed with as much enthusiasm as spring cleaning day. The final quirk would be that Interns Inc. would be no more, as each of us are going to be sent there on different weeks INDIVIDUALLY.

I guess not everything could go your way after all. But to be fair to everyone, the time is not even here, how could I simply judge what I don't actually know for a fact? So til I actually face that situation head-on, it would not make much sense for me to go on ranting as it probably won't be that bad of an experience after all. Nevertheless, I would keep my eyes open and fly close as I await to face yet another day at THE INTERN'S OFFICE *insert The Apprentice/Amazing Race/What's-His-Face Reality Show style dramatic end theme here*

Kirana signed off at 7:34 PM
0 souls that need closure

Monday, April 02, 2007
Alright, so today is my first day doing practical training at The Star and you can bet your ass I'm NOT the happiest man alive. This has nothing at all to do with The Star though, since they provided me a very comfortable working environment, what with the the cute Ms Nasanenol (its an insider drug-related joketerm NOTE: Drugs are not cool, kids).

Syar's presence made things seem more friendly though. It really helps having a familiar face around, well a couple actually, if you include my former lecturer Mr. Rubin, who's a journalist here, and also the cute Ms Nasa (have I mentioned that I think she's cute?).

Well, let me get back at the upset part first. First and foremost, I was dissapointed with Nana (not Nasa, she's cute) for cancelling our coffee date last evening. Really looked forward to meeting her before starting work today, but I guess one can't have everything, right? And I am also abit upset at not being able to go jamming after work today, as it would have been great to meet up with the boys to blow these monday blues away, especially since its the first day of workenol (another drug-related thingy. NOTE: I'm not high, at least not at work).

All in all, rejoice, for had it not been because of those so-called mishaps, Cinta Arjuna would not have received an update today, especially since I'm stealing company's bandwith here, therefore I am at risk of facing a 5-year jail term or taking Ms Rekha out on a date or both. Hopefully I dont live to see out the latter. And that rhymes with Tattler, whom job offer I rejected even though they offered almost twice the money here at The Star. But its not about the money, we have to aim for the stars, which justifies both my decision for The Star and Nasa.

Therefore, I'm not super* (thanks for asking).


*South Park-related gajizzismo.

Kirana signed off at 3:46 PM
7 souls that need closure