Romance of the Clouds: Extreme Purity
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