Romance of the Clouds: Stronger Than Steel - Malaysian Metal Royal Family
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Flyers for the anniversary showcase

Fans of all races, shapes and sizes gathered at Planet Hollywood on April 28 to pay tribute to the epitome of Malaysian metal music, also known as the legendary Sil Khannaz. There is no local band capable of emulating what Sil Khannaz managed to pull off last Saturday at their 20th anniversary showcase, period. Everything from the get-go spelled success, in terms of punctuality, support, showmanship, feedback and flow of the performance. Even the souvenir t-shirt to commemorate the band's 20 years of existence was sold out before the show started. That was the only disappointment I experienced throughout that fateful Saturday evening, as everything else couldn't be any more beautiful than it already was.

They couldn't have chosen a better MC for the occasion either, as Bob (also frontman for The Pilgrims) entertained the 500-strong crowd (thanks CoreThumb) with his hilarious antics throughout the evening. He even turned what could have been a dull prize-giving ceremony into something fun, by giving out remarks like "Dia memenangi make-up sumbangan penaja...untuk corpse paint!" But the real stars that day were of course the incomparable metal juggernaut that is Sil Khannaz.

The band in full-force from the start

They opened their first set with the first track off their new album (Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji) "Intravena Tantrika". The crowd went wild from the first riff onwards, even though not everyone in attendance had bought their latest release. They continued the set with other tracks from "Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji" like "Teras Besi", the May 13-inspired "Purnama 13" and "Al-Hulm, Al-Araq". Fans that have memorised lyrics to the new songs were singing along from the top of their lungs, while the others headbanged, moshed and crowd-surfed their way through the first set. The climax of all the friendly aggression (moshing) came during the last song of the first set, "Mestica Ibni Israel", where fans apparently channeled their anger and frustration of Mastika magazine towards each other. In my opinion, this song was written and performed with the sole intention of getting metalheads into a headbanging frenzy.

The autographed guitar giveaway

A much-needed intermission then followed, as the band, at least according to Bob, "dah tua, cepat pancit". The fans took this opportunity to claim their drinks at the bar and refuel their supply of nicotine. Sil Khannaz' frontman Jaie Jokhannaz then came back on stage after 15 minutes to announce the winner of an autographed Hamer guitar, before being surprised by guitarist Dark-E who brought a birthday cake for the band. Jaie then invited the band members on stage, including former Sil Khannaz stalwarts CD Naz (guitarist) and Lan Bye (Drummer), to blow out the candles and cut the cake together, accompanied by their fans who sang an off-key but emotional birthday song for the mighty Silkz.

One big, happy, "Metal" family

The second set soon kicked-off with Lan Bye and CD Naz taking over their original positions to play with the band. CD Naz rocked out incredibly well, delivering meaningful solos and mind numbing riffs that he was once known for. Lan Bye wasn't bad either, rarely missing a beat although he has not been in the Silkz' drum stool for almost four years. This set consisted mainly of songs from their first album "Conception of Madness" and the more hard rock-ish "Bara Pawaka" album. CD Naz even swapped the guitar for the microphone to sing his rendition of "Purnamarjuna" (thanks blood), to the delight of the fans.

















CD Naz swapping his guitar for the microphone















A short break ensued soon after, but Sil Khannaz apparently have another surprise for the legions that turned out at Planet Hollywood that evening. The band went back on stage with Jaie announcing that, for the first time ever; they will play with three guitarists at once. The first thing that came up everyone's mind was Iron Maiden, and before long you can hear screams of "Maiden Weihh!" and "Up the Irons" from various sections of the crowd. Although they didn't cover any of the mighty Maiden's songs, the atmosphere was comparable to Hammersmith in London, as fans were singing to every riff in unison, reminiscent of Maiden gigs. The third set is probably the most intense and energetic performance by the band that day. The most recognisable and loved Sil Khannaz' classics were performed in this set such as "Eastern Barbaric Skullkrusher", "Gerbang Kayangan" and "Santapan Terakhir Raja Bersiong". Almost everyone was shouting along to the lyrics, and the moshpit got totally out of control at this point. It is all too clear that the band was feeding off the crowd's energy and vice versa. Jaie then took a moment to thank everybody who have helped them through the years, stressing that all their dreams would have remained as dreams had they not receive the support from every single person present. The band proceeded to play its last song of the evening, "Kiss of the Whisper" which was the cue for total mayhem in the pits, and that was exactly what happened. More than 500 people shouted in unison "Akulah...Sil...Sil Khannaz!!!" while raising the devil horns salute as the band brought its unforgettable performance to a close.

Jaie Jokhannaz and co. bringing down the house


Dark-E mesmerising the crowd


Joe Slaughter showing off his supernatural powers

Hashim Pestilence weaving his magic on the four-string

Dark-E and me after the show

From left: Joe Slaughter, some dude, and myself

Call me crazy, but I took one of the setlists as souvenir


Kirana signed off at 7:20 AM
5 souls that need closure