Kekal is an Indonesian
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
band formed in 1995 in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
. According to
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Kekal was one of the first heavy metal bands from Indonesia to make international inroads,
and, according to sociologist of heavy metal,
Keith Kahn-Harris
Keith Kahn-Harris is a sociologist and music critic. He is an honorary research fellow and senior lecturer at Birkbeck College, an associate fellow of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, and a lecturer at Leo Baeck College.
Khan-Harris wa ...
, was one of the few extreme metal bands from
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
to ever make more than a minimal impression on the global scene. Founded by two musicians known simply Yeris and Newbabe, the band underwent some shifts in lineup in its early years, but emerged with a consistent lineup of three key-members, guitarist/vocalist
Jeff Arwadi
Jefray Kurnia "Jeff" Arwadi (born 1974) is an Indonesian musician, music producer, and graphic designer. A native of Jakarta, Indonesia, he now resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is mostly known as a former guitarist, vocalist, and record pro ...
, bassist
Azhar Levi Sianturi
Azhar Levi Sianturi is an Indonesian musician and mechanical engineer. He is mainly known in the music scene as the former bassist for avant-garde/progressive metal band Kekal. He also has his own grindcore project called Mournphagy. His professi ...
, and guitarist
Leo Setiawan
Leonard "Leo" Setiawan is mainly known as a former guitarist for progressive metal band Kekal. His main occupation is civil engineer and he owns and operates a building development firm in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Kekal
Leo joined Kekal in 1996, ju ...
. Over the course of its career, Kekal has transitioned from a primarily
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
-based style into
progressive metal
Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
,
avant-garde metal
Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, art metal and experimetal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde music, avant-garde elements, including non-stan ...
, and electronic music, incorporating many other genres such as
ambient
Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film
* ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...
,
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
, and
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
.
The band debuted its first studio album in 1998 with ''
Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams
''Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams'' is the debut album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal released in 1998. Vocalist Harry left the band after the album's release.
Recording
The music on the album features extremely fast melodic black metal mix ...
'' and has so far released thirteen full-length studio albums, four EPs, several compilations and contributions to various collaborative albums. After its fourth studio album, ''
1000 Thoughts of Violence
''1000 Thoughts of Violence'' is the fourth album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal, released in 2003. The central theme of the album is moral decline and the violent nature of humanity. This was the first and only major studio album by the ...
'', in 2003, the band embarked on 2004 mini-tour of Europe. After three more studio albums – ''
Acidity
An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid.
The first category of acids are the ...
'' (2005), ''
The Habit of Fire
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' (2007), and ''
Audible Minority
''Audible Minority'' is the seventh full-length studio album by Indonesian experimental metal band Kekal. According to the band, the album is titled "Audible Minority" because the music on the album is of extreme minority status, and is "entirely ...
'' (2008) – all remaining band members officially left Kekal in August 2009. The band has continued as a legal entity since then, the former members contributing material as the band continues to release new albums. Since 2015, all musical contributions to new recordings are kept anonymous.
History
Early years (formation to 2002)
The early history of Kekal started out in 1990, when 16-year-old musician
Jeff Arwadi
Jefray Kurnia "Jeff" Arwadi (born 1974) is an Indonesian musician, music producer, and graphic designer. A native of Jakarta, Indonesia, he now resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is mostly known as a former guitarist, vocalist, and record pro ...
formed a self-styled "
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
ish
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
" band called Obliteration with some of his high school friends, but Jeff quit this group in 1991 to better learn guitar.
Kekal was officially formed on 15 August 1995, by two friends, simply named under pseudonyms Yeris and Newbabe (the latter revealed years later as Newin Atmarumeksa), as a more straightforward
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
band. The name Kekal was coined by Newbabe, and is Indonesian for 'Immortal' or 'Eternal'. The band was intended as a one-time project, and recruited a vocalist known simply as "Harry" to help record a four-song demo tape. This demo began to circulate and caught the attention of future guitarist Leo, who had gained experience in a
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
cover band
A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...
.
In June 1996,
Azhar Sianturi
Azhar Levi Sianturi is an Indonesian musician and mechanical engineer. He is mainly known in the music scene as the former bassist for avant-garde/progressive metal band Kekal. He also has his own grindcore project called Mournphagy. His professi ...
joined Kekal and the band recorded its official demo, entitled ''Contra Spiritualia Nequitiae'', using the songwriting and production talents of Jeff Arwadi, who was also a member of the group Inner Warfare.
According to Jeff, the demo was recorded in his bedroom with a
Fostex
is an electronics company that manufactures loudspeakers and audio equipment for other companies or sells them under the trade name Fostex. It is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Overview
Foster Denki supplies audio equipment as an OEM:
* ...
X-28
4-track tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...
and a
karaoke
is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone.
Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...
microphone.
To create reverb during vocal takes, a bucket was placed over the microphone head.
With the help of underground
tape trading
Tape trading is an unofficial method of distribution of musical or video content through the postal system, which was prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Although most commonly used to distribute and publicize limited-release musical demo tapes in ...
circles and local
fanzine
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...
s, the demo soon caught the attention of the metal scene outside Indonesia and Southeast Asia, and few record labels began offering deals. Later that year
Leo Setiawan
Leonard "Leo" Setiawan is mainly known as a former guitarist for progressive metal band Kekal. His main occupation is civil engineer and he owns and operates a building development firm in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Kekal
Leo joined Kekal in 1996, ju ...
joined the band, and in April 1997 Kekal began to record its self-produced debut album, ''
Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams
''Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams'' is the debut album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal released in 1998. Vocalist Harry left the band after the album's release.
Recording
The music on the album features extremely fast melodic black metal mix ...
'', released in 1998.
The album was licensed to and released by two record labels, THT Productions in Indonesia and Candlelight Productions in Singapore.
Harry left the band after this recording, and the remaining trio released ''
Embrace the Dead
''Embrace the Dead'' is the second album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal. It reached sold-out status in 2004. On 15 August 2010, a new, remastered limited edition entitled ''Embrace the Dead 1999'' was released as a free download, for up to ...
'' the next year. Jeff has expressed disappointment with this album, both in the stylistic direction, which was intentionally designed to appeal to a more mainstream audience,
and in the recording sessions, which would inspire the title of the band's next album, ''
The Painful Experience''. The following year the band contributed to a
Living Sacrifice
Living Sacrifice is an American Christian metal band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1989. The band has released eight studio albums, out of which the first three were recorded under R.E.X. Records with their original vocalist Darren John ...
tribute album with a cover of that band's song "Mind Distant".
In October 2001, the band's third album, ''The Painful Experience'', was released. Leo Setiawan left the band before the recording sessions and moved to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia, but he was still listed on the album credits as a guitarist due to his contribution on the album's songwriting and general concept. In 2002, the band was reduced to a duo. It collaborated with the Dutch band
Slechtvalk
Slechtvalk (the Dutch word for peregrine falcon) is a Christian black metal band from the Netherlands, formed in 1999. Previously signed to Fear Dark Records and currently to Whirlwind Records, the group has released five albums, a split-CD wit ...
to record a split album, ''
Chaos & Warfare'',
and also recorded a cover of "
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", also known as "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen", is an English traditional Christmas carol. It is in the Roxburghe Collection (iii. 452), and is listed as no. 394 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "T ...
" for the compilation album ''Brutal Christmas: The Season in Chaos''.
International scene (2003–2006)

In 2003, with the absence of Leo as a guitarist, the remaining members Jeff and Azhar Levi recorded a cover song "Dance Macabre" for a well-received
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...
tribute album entitled ''Covered in Filth'',
and shortly after they released the highly progressive and experimental ''
1000 Thoughts of Violence
''1000 Thoughts of Violence'' is the fourth album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal, released in 2003. The central theme of the album is moral decline and the violent nature of humanity. This was the first and only major studio album by the ...
'' which was also well received, being rated eight out of ten by ''Rock Hard''
and was regarded as a highlight of the year 2003 by Powermetal.de.
A best-of collection of works and re-recordings of Kekal entitled ''
Introduce Us to Immortality
''Introduce Us to Immortality'' is the first compilation album by extreme progressive metal band Kekal. It is a best-of collection of works and re-recordings by the band dating from 1995 to 2003. Several tracks were digitally re-mastered at 24-b ...
'' was also released that year.
Also that year, Kekal received notice by the
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
-based radio show "Psych Folk" Radio on
Radio Centraal
Radio Centraal is a Belgian "underground" radio station in the old city center of Antwerp.
It began broadcasting on 31 October 1980 on 103.9 FM as one of the first pirate radio
Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a val ...
, being referred to in that show's programs on progressive music in Indonesia.
[; ] The success of ''1000 Thoughts of Violence'' was followed up by a two-week European mini-tour, arranged and promoted by the band's record label in Europe at the time, Fear Dark. In March 2004, the band, consisting of Jeff, Azhar, and Jeff's wife Safrina on programming, played a string of shows in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.
That month, the band was featured in the Dutch magazine ''Aardschok''.
That year also saw the release of ''Spirits of the Ancient Days'', a collection of early Kekal demo songs.
Upon return to Indonesia, Kekal was back in the studio to record a fifth album ''
Acidity
An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid.
The first category of acids are the ...
''. An official reunion album for the band, it marked the return of Leo as well as vocal contributions from founding member Newbabe. Didi Priyadi joined as a session guitarist and played in some local shows as an additional live guitarist. Ac''cidity'' was well received, and Kekal was again noted by "Psych Folk" Radio. In 2006, the band started recording their sixth album, ''
The Habit of Fire
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
''. In 2006, Jeff leaked two cover songs, "The Prow", originally by
Voivod, and "Juices Like Wine", originally by
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...
, both of which were recorded in 2005.
Jeff's move to Canada (2006–2008)
In 2006, right after the recording of ''
The Habit of Fire
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'', founding member Jeff Arwadi moved to Canada while the rest of the members were in Indonesia, leaving the band unable to play shows and do touring. At the same time they left their longtime record label Fear Dark and status of the band was in question. After few months of uncertainty and rumors of break-up went around among their fans, they all decided to remain together and to keep the band only as a studio project. They quickly signed licensing deals with two record labels to release ''The Habit of Fire'' in 2007. The album was received very well and was named CD of the Month by UK's music technology magazine ''
Sound on Sound
''Sound on Sound'' is a monthly music technology magazine. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, and interviews with industry professionals. Due to its technical focus, it is predominantly ...
'',
as well as being nominated as The Best Avantgarde Metal Album in 2007 by
Metal Storm
Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia, that specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary rights to the electronic ballistics technology ...
. In 2007, Jeff leaked another cover tune, "Redemption", that originally was planned as part of a
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
tribute album by Open Grave Records, a project that was ultimately shelved.
Later in 2007, Jeff announced on the band's
Myspace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
blog
A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
that a new Kekal album was on the way, which he had been working on all by himself.

It was revealed later on that the new album was entitled ''
Audible Minority
''Audible Minority'' is the seventh full-length studio album by Indonesian experimental metal band Kekal. According to the band, the album is titled "Audible Minority" because the music on the album is of extreme minority status, and is "entirely ...
'', and it was meant to be released officially on 25 December 2008 as two versions: a free download and a limited edition
Digipak
Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage.
Jewel case
A ...
with total 11 songs including a cover of the
A-ha
A-ha (often stylised as ''a''-h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ros ...
song "Locust". The Digipak version was never released, and the album ended up being offered only as a free download instead.
Departure of band members (2009)
In March 2009, Azhar Levi decided to step down from Kekal. Jeff Arwadi said that although this closed a door, Kekal would continue as a musical unit in a "new era" of the band's history. On 12 August 2009, Jeff announced that he and Leo had left Kekal, and that the name would continue but without active members. He said that, as well as unspecified personal reasons, he decided to leave the band because, after being closer to nature and in a less densely populated city in Canada, he was unable to continue to make dark and angry metal music which he did in the past with Kekal. Shortly after, Kekal put up an offer of three albums for free download on its website, including its best-selling album to date, ''1000 Thoughts of Violence''. To address confusion among the fans, the band issued a statement on its official Facebook page: "KEKAL IS NOT DEAD!!!! When Jeff left Kekal it doesn't mean the band is dead!"
The band remains active without any official members, its pages being maintained by a volunteer collective and all music contributed by former members of the band, and then, after 2012, anonymously.
Current activity (2010–present)
On 13 January 2010, Kekal announced that a new album was in the works, and that former members Jeff, Leo, and Levi were all contributing. Then, on 15 February, Jeff posted a music video on his YouTube channel for an, at that time, untitled new album.
The music video was for a song entitled "Tabula Rasa", which was also released for streaming.
On 15 August 2010, a remastered, limited-edition version of the band's second album, ''
Embrace the Dead
''Embrace the Dead'' is the second album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal. It reached sold-out status in 2004. On 15 August 2010, a new, remastered limited edition entitled ''Embrace the Dead 1999'' was released as a free download, for up to ...
'', was released as a free-download for up 1000 downloads in celebration of the band's 15-year anniversary. Kekal's newest album, ''8'', was made available for pre-order on 22 December 2010 by Whirlwind Records, and was released on 23 January 2011.
On 2 March 2011, Jeff Arwadi announced on the Kekal Facebook page that he and Leo were recording new music and said that another album would probably be released sometime in 2012. On 26 April, Jeff uploaded a music video for the song "Futuride" from the upcoming EP, which was promised to be released in July. The EP, ''Futuride'', was released in July 2011. In addition to two stand-alone songs, the EP contained three trackings from "Tabula Rasa" made available for public use under
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.
On 24 February 2012, Kekal announced the title of its ninth studio album, ''
Autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...
'', and the album was released on 19 December 2012, first as a limited, hand-numbered deluxe-edition double-CD with the 2008 album ''Audible Minority'' (which was previously never released on CD) added as a bonus disc. On 29 June 2013, ''Autonomy'' was released by Indonesian netlabel Yes No Wave Music as a free digital download but restricted to Indonesian market only.
On March 19, 2013, Kekal released the EP ''Unsung Division.'' The band's tenth studio album, ''Multilateral'', was released in 2015. In December 2016, the band announced a new album for 2018, entitled ''Deeper Underground'', and a single, "Root of All Evil", set for release in 2017. Kekal's eleventh studio album, ''Quantum Resolution'', was released in 2020, and a twelfth studio album, ''Envisaged'', was released in 2022.
Music
Style
Although mainly known as a
progressive metal
Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
and
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
or experimental metal band, Kekal has stylistic origins in
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
, particularly
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
,
but even with its debut album the band demonstrated a unique style.
''Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams'' featured a varied sound of black and
death metal
Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
and incorporated a range of
vocal
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...
styles such as high pitched black metal shrieks,
death growl
The death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other Extreme metal, extreme Heavy metal genres, subgenres of heavy metal music. Sometimes death gro ...
s, and female singing.
On ''Embrace the Dead'', Kekal used a combination of black metal with death,
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
, and
doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
elements and included hints of
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language
** Gothic ( ...
and
dark wave
Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...
.
The third album, ''The Painful Experience'', saw the band fusing its black metal style with progressive metal and included elements of
thrash
Thrash may refer to:
*Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work
*Thrash (surname)
* Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers
*''Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video game ...
, classic, and
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...
.
Mark Allan Powell described that most of the band's songs were midtempo to fast with a heavy, guitar-driven style, though the band incorporated "certain elements of variety into the sound."
On its fourth, highly technical album, ''1000 Thoughts of Violence'', the band plunged into ultra-progressive experiments,
The album was noted for switching between raging intensity and more mellow passages, such as the song "Violent Society", which even included a
hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
passage.
Powermetal.de noted that the band had become more progressive and lost some of its toughness and aggression.
"Psych Folk" Radio viewed the album favorably, mentioning that ''1000 Thoughts of Violence'' "is a possibility to invite progressive rock listeners to take the challenge to open up their perspectives."
In March 2004, ''Aardschok'' Magazine described the band's albums as a mix of black,
heavy
Heavy may refer to:
Measures
* Heavy, a characterization of objects with substantial weight
* Heavy, a wake turbulence category used by pilots and air traffic controllers to refer to aircraft with a maximum takeoff mass of 136,000 kgs or mo ...
, and progressive metal, being grounded in the extreme metal scene.
On its fifth album, ''Acidity'', Kekal used
double bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The hea ...
blasts and saw the band incorporating styles such as
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic c ...
, black metal, progressive metal,
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
,
classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
,
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
,
trip hop
Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
ambient
Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film
* ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...
, and
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
.
Jeff Arwadi responded to the "avant-garde" label in an interview with Ultimate Metal.com: "For us, avant-garde is not a classification of music. It is a state of being, a state of becoming... ...once your music can be classified easily, I don't think the word progressive or avant-garde fits. So that's why we mention in our bio that 'avant-garde' is an ideal state for us, and not a classification."
On the next album, ''The Habit of Fire'', the band maintained its use of various music styles such as
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
, ambient, and
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
,
but began to shed its black metal roots and introduced atmospheric
soundscape
A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term, originally coined by Michael Southworth, was popularized by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, ...
s and an
industrial vibe.
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
described the album as mixing black metal,
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
, progressive rock, and jazz fusion.
With the 2010 album ''8'', the first album by the band without any active members, ''
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...
Germany'' noted that the band was now far away from its early black metal days.
Powermetal.de described the band as avant-garde tinged
post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
, with the album being predominantly electronic, but stated that "experimental" was the simplest description of the album. The reviewer, Björn Backes, made comparisons to
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured
Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...
and
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.
Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...
and noted the use of "weird" arrangements, post-rock mood swings and
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...
guitar sound. ''
Sonic Seducer
''Sonic Seducer'' is a German music magazine that covers gothic rock, new wave, EBM and other kinds of electronic music and culture. The magazine is noted for organizing the annual M'era Luna Festival. Since its inception in 1994, the ''Sonic ...
'' called the album simply avant-garde and described the band as loving
triplets,
polyrhythms
Polyrhythm () is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-r ...
, and complex beats.
Influences
Kekal has identified itself with the
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
and early 1980s metal scenes, and considers itself a "street-progressive" band that is aesthetically more akin to
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...
or
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the ban ...
than to technically oriented bands like
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards).
Dream Theat ...
. The band claims roots in 1980s forms of
heavy metal as pioneered by bands like
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
,
Bathory,
Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
,
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...
,
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...
,
Sodom,
Death
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
, and
Massacre
A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...
.
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), known professionally as Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal music, heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founde ...
and
Quorthon
Thomas Börje Forsberg (17 February 1966 – 3 June 2004),Date stated in the death notice for Ace Börje Forsberg that his family put in the swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter on 23 June 2004, the death notice also included the lyrics to the Batho ...
have also been cited as influences.
The band is also influenced by a diverse array of other music genre, including
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
and
metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
,
post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
,
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
R&B,
ambient
Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film
* ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...
, and
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
, and cites numerous other musicians from within and without heavy metal as influences, including
King Crimson
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
,
Camel
A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...
,
Rush,
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...
,
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer.
He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...
,
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
,
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex V ...
,
Deep Forest
Deep Forest is a French music project that originally began as a duo consisting of Michel Sanchez (musician), Michel Sanchez and Éric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electro ...
,
Kitarō
Masanori Takahashi (高橋 正則, ''Takahashi Masanori''; born February 4, 1953), professionally known as , is a Japanese musician, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated w ...
,
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Enya
Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...
,
Maire Brennan
Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...
,
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...
,
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...
,
Savatage
Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...
,
Kreator
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current line-up consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen Reil, Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli- ...
,
Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...
,
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
,
U2, and
Marillion
Marillion are a British neo-prog band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the mo ...
.
Songwriting and recording techniques
Jeff has stated that starting from the album ''The Painful Experience'' they incorporated their own approach to record drum tracks in the studio which they call "hybrid drums", a mix of real-time performance and software-based
matrix
Matrix (: matrices or matrixes) or MATRIX may refer to:
Science and mathematics
* Matrix (mathematics), a rectangular array of numbers, symbols or expressions
* Matrix (logic), part of a formula in prenex normal form
* Matrix (biology), the m ...
programming.
He also mentioned the efficiency of using the hybrid drumming compared with getting a drummer: "About the drummer, it is still very hard to find a right drummer because Kekal music is ranging from very
extreme-metal with
blast beats
A blast beat is a type of drum beat that originated in hardcore punk and grindcore, and is often associated with certain styles of extreme metal, namely black metal, death metal and their respective subgenres,Adam MacGregor, '' PCP Torpedo'' ...
and fast
double-kicks, to powerful
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
beats that demand steady tempo, and to some
polyrhythm
Polyrhythm () is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rh ...
ic playing and
time-signature
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure (bar). The time signature indicates the m ...
shifts in the characteristics of jazz and
prog drumming. We would need 2 or 3 kinds of drummer for Kekal. That's why the best thing for the recording is to make the hybrid drumming."
In other interview, Jeff mentioned the process of recording of ''The Habit of Fire'', starting from collecting
samples and creating
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
information, then manipulating the sounds to create what he called the 'skeleton'. Then riffs, MIDI-triggered instruments,
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s, and melodies would be added and the structure re-arranged once again. Once the song structure was set, the guitars would be re-recorded, then bass and drum tracks would be put on top, then vocals.
Jeff also mentioned during the interview about the 2011 Futuride EP, that he has experimented with
additive synthesis
Additive synthesis is a sound synthesis technique that creates timbre by adding sine waves together.
The timbre of musical instruments can be considered in the light of Fourier series, Fourier theory to consist of multiple harmonic or inharmoni ...
on the recent songs he has recorded and uses guitars to counterbalance the sounds generated by the additive synthesis.
Ethics and ideological stance
Kekal and anarchism
Kekal claims to have practiced
anarchism
Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
since the beginning of its career, which in their own words "translates to non-hierarchical and anti-authoritarian approach to self-governing/self-managing", including voluntary contribution,
free association and a strong
DIY ethic
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi- ...
.
Kekal never grants copyrights of the band's recording masters to any record labels (since 2010 all the music has been published through
Creative Commons license
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work". A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to share, use, and bu ...
)
and has 100% artistic control over music, production and artwork.
Kekal has recorded and produced most of its albums in its own studio/workstation, manages the band itself, does its own photo sessions, and designs its own
album artwork
An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to:
* the printed paperboard covers typically used to package:
** sets of and 78 ...
and covers. As Jeff stated, "So far, we've been known as an independent band who never want to get signed by record label, to maintain our independency and control over our artistic freedom, and also to own our recording masters and copyright. Instead of band signing, we always prefer to license our finished albums to record labels."
In another interview, Jeff added his point on Kekal's stance as a band: "...we are non-conformists, musical anarchists. We hate being trendy and we never try to be the same with the rest of the scene. People can love us or hate us, I don't care."
Kekal and Christianity
Kekal has been described by AllMusic as one of the first black metal bands to profess Christian beliefs.
In a 2020 interview with ''
Metal Storm
Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia, that specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary rights to the electronic ballistics technology ...
'', Jeff Arwadi, in response to the label of "Christian band", said that to him, Christian metal was a brand created to provide a "safe" market for children and youth groups as an exclusive alternative to a "harmful" non-Christian market.
And for him, such a brand does not make sense.
The band's lyrical material for the 2020 album entitled ''Quantum Resolution'' has many
Gnostic Christian references from the
Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the Chenoboskion Manuscripts and the Gnostic Gospels) is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Thirteen leather-bound papyrus c ...
writings such as
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is a non-canonical Logia, sayings gospel. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. Scholars speculate the works ...
, also another noncanonical scripture known as
Gospel of Mary
The Gospel of Mary is an early Christian text discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century papyrus codex written in Sahidic Coptic. This Berlin Codex was purchased in Cairo by German diplomat Carl Reinhardt.
Although the work is popularly known as t ...
, and the recognition regarding the world and this material universe as holographic or projection.
Jeff Arwadi, in particular, has expressed his belief in Christianity that is not a religion. During the 2017 interview, he considered himself as a
Christian Anarchist
Christian anarchism is a Christian movement in political theology that claims anarchism is inherent in Christianity and the Gospels. It is grounded in the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answ ...
and mentioned that he personally opposes the concept of religion, its dogma and hierarchical structure of authority within the church organization. The lyrics on the song called "Rotten in The House" reflect his opposition, which he describes in a 2018 interview: "Oftentimes, people choose to involve deeply into religion not because they want spiritual growth, but just to get away from the life of misery that they experience everyday, an escapism, so that they can 'reverse' their experience to become somewhat 'positive' for them and even 'empower' them. It's almost the same as the use of drugs in order to make you relax, to 'help' you get a good sleep, get high and forget all the problems for a moment. But the danger is also present, like in drugs, religion could become an addictive agent. Its application could gradually damage human sanity, common-sense and conscience." In one interview, Jeff clarified that for him personally, faith is something that drives the human life, and, just like diet and exercise, does not have to be associated with religion whatsoever.
In a 2020 interview, he stated that in 2015 and 2016, he underwent what he believes to be a spiritual awakening. He described the revelations he received in these experiences as "
Gnosis
Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where ...
".
Members
Former members
*
Jeff Arwadi
Jefray Kurnia "Jeff" Arwadi (born 1974) is an Indonesian musician, music producer, and graphic designer. A native of Jakarta, Indonesia, he now resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is mostly known as a former guitarist, vocalist, and record pro ...
(
Altera Enigma
Altera Enigma is a Christian metal band formed by Melbourne, Australia-based Jason De Ron, the former guitarist and front man of Paramaecium, and Jakarta, Indonesia native Jefray Arwadi, former guitarist, vocalist, and front man of Kekal. B ...
,
Armageddon Holocaust
Armageddon Holocaust was an Indonesian black metal band formed by two musicians known by the pseudonyms Doctor Dark and Dark Thriller.
History
Armageddon Holocaust originally conceived of by original members Doctor Dark and Dark Thriller in 199 ...
,
Doctor D,
Excision,
Inner Warfare
) – guitar, vocals,
programming
Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program m ...
,
drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
,
samples &
loops (1995–2009)
*
Azhar Levi Sianturi
Azhar Levi Sianturi is an Indonesian musician and mechanical engineer. He is mainly known in the music scene as the former bassist for avant-garde/progressive metal band Kekal. He also has his own grindcore project called Mournphagy. His professi ...
(Mournphagy
) – bass, vocals (1996–2009)
*
Leo Setiawan
Leonard "Leo" Setiawan is mainly known as a former guitarist for progressive metal band Kekal. His main occupation is civil engineer and he owns and operates a building development firm in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Kekal
Leo joined Kekal in 1996, ju ...
– guitar (1996–2001, 2005–2009)
*Harry
– vocals (1995–1998)
* Newin "Newbabe" Atmarumeksa
– bass, vocals (1995–1996, 2004–2005)
*Yeris
– guitar, vocals (1995–1996)
Guest musicians
*Didi Priyadi (Happy Day, In Memoriam)
– session and live guitar, live vocals
*Kenny Cheong
(
Altera Enigma
Altera Enigma is a Christian metal band formed by Melbourne, Australia-based Jason De Ron, the former guitarist and front man of Paramaecium, and Jakarta, Indonesia native Jefray Arwadi, former guitarist, vocalist, and front man of Kekal. B ...
,
Soundscape
) –
fretless bass
A fretless bass is an electric bass guitar whose neck lacks frets and thus is smooth like traditional string instruments, and like the neck of an acoustic double bass. While the fretless bass is played in all styles of music, it is most common in ...
*
Jason DeRon
Jason David De Ron (born 1973) is a musician from Melbourne, Australia, most notable for being the former guitarist for the death/doom band Paramaecium and co founder and guitarist of the avant garde/progressive metal band Altera Enigma.
Biogr ...
(
Paramaecium
Paramaecium (sometimes typeset as Paramæcium) was an Australian death/doom metal band formed in 1991. There is use of instrumentation like flutes, cellos and violins on some albums. Paramaecium is one of the few doom metal bands that focus o ...
,
Altera Enigma
Altera Enigma is a Christian metal band formed by Melbourne, Australia-based Jason De Ron, the former guitarist and front man of Paramaecium, and Jakarta, Indonesia native Jefray Arwadi, former guitarist, vocalist, and front man of Kekal. B ...
,
inExordium) – guitar
*Doctor D (
Armageddon Holocaust
Armageddon Holocaust was an Indonesian black metal band formed by two musicians known by the pseudonyms Doctor Dark and Dark Thriller.
History
Armageddon Holocaust originally conceived of by original members Doctor Dark and Dark Thriller in 199 ...
, Doctor D, Bealiah) – vocals,
noises and
samples,
programming
Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program m ...
*Safrina Christina (Excision) – vocals, keyboards, programming
*Hans Kurniawan (Inner Warfare)
– keyboard
*Habil Kurnia
– keyboards,
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
,
mixing
*Julie
– female vocals
*Hana
– female vocals
*Vera
– female vocals
Timeline
*Note: As of 8 August 2009, Kekal has no active members, but former members and anonymous contributors continue to record and contribute content for the band. Therefore, this timeline of the band lineup ceases for any releases after 2012.
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:110 bottom:80 top:0 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2012
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:dd/mm/yyyy
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Electronics value:purple legend:Electronics,_programming,_samples
id:album value:black legend:Album
id:other value:gray(0.5) legend:Other_release
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
BackgroundColors=bars:bars
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1995
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1995
BarData =
bar:Harry text:"Harry"
bar:Yeris text:"Yeris"
bar:Jeff text:"Jeff Arwadi"
bar:Leo text:"Leo Setiawan"
bar:Newbabe text:" Newin Atmarumeksa"
bar:Azhar text:"Azhar Levi Sianturi"
PlotData=
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bar:Jeff from:01/07/1995 till:12/08/2009 color:Guitars
bar:Jeff from:01/07/1995 till:12/08/2009 color:Vocals width:3
bar:Jeff from:01/01/1997 till:12/08/2009 color:Purple width:7
bar:Azhar from:01/08/1996 till:01/03/2009 color:Bass
bar:Azhar from:01/08/1996 till:01/03/2009 color:Vocals width:3
bar:Azhar from:01/06/1996 till:01/08/1996 color:Vocals
bar:Leo from:01/08/1996 till:01/01/2001 color:Guitars
bar:Leo from:01/01/2005 till:12/08/2009 color:Guitars
bar:Harry from:01/11/1995 till:31/12/1998 color:Vocals
bar:Newbabe from:01/01/1995 till:01/08/1996 color:Bass
bar:Newbabe from:01/01/2004 till:13/03/2005 color:Vocals
bar:Yeris from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1996 color:Guitars
bar:Yeris from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1996 color:Vocals width:3
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Discography
* ''
Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams
''Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams'' is the debut album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal released in 1998. Vocalist Harry left the band after the album's release.
Recording
The music on the album features extremely fast melodic black metal mix ...
'' – 1998
* ''
Embrace the Dead
''Embrace the Dead'' is the second album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal. It reached sold-out status in 2004. On 15 August 2010, a new, remastered limited edition entitled ''Embrace the Dead 1999'' was released as a free download, for up to ...
'' – 1999
* ''
The Painful Experience'' – 2001
* ''
1000 Thoughts of Violence
''1000 Thoughts of Violence'' is the fourth album by Indonesian extreme metal band Kekal, released in 2003. The central theme of the album is moral decline and the violent nature of humanity. This was the first and only major studio album by the ...
'' – 2003
* ''
Acidity
An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid.
The first category of acids are the ...
'' – 2005
* ''
The Habit of Fire
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' – 2007
* ''
Audible Minority
''Audible Minority'' is the seventh full-length studio album by Indonesian experimental metal band Kekal. According to the band, the album is titled "Audible Minority" because the music on the album is of extreme minority status, and is "entirely ...
'' – 2008
* ''
8'' – 2010
* ''
Autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...
'' – 2012
* ''Multilateral'' - 2015
* ''Deeper Underground'' - 2018
* ''Quantum Resolution'' - 2020
* ''Envisaged'' - 2022
See also
*
Anarchism in Indonesia
*
List of Indonesian rock bands
Indonesian rock is rock music from Indonesia, a product of the culture and globalizing outlook of the country, similar to this genre's music globally. Indonesian-specific ideas about individualism, interdependency, modernism, and the supernatura ...
References
Notes
External links
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{{Authority control
Indonesian heavy metal musical groups
Avant-garde metal musical groups
Progressive metal musical groups
Indonesian progressive rock groups
Indonesian black metal musical groups
Political music groups
Electronic music groups
Musical groups from Jakarta
Musical groups established in 1995
Indonesian musical trios