Gelap on Metal Encyclopedia.

Thanks to Ruigeloeland for reviewing my band to this site. Appreciate it a lot.
So there, check it out!

**********************

Gelap is a Progressive Gothic Metal band hailing from Indonesia. The band formed in 2006 and “Gerbang Timur” is their debut release. First only available on cassette, but later also released on good old cd.

Indonesian Gothic Metal. I must say I had no notion whatsoever of the Gothic Metal scene in this country and I certainly hadn’t encountered a band from there before (although metal-archives returns fifteen hits when doing a search, certainly more than I expected). Anyway, not knowing what to expect gave me all the more reason to be excited when the band agreed to send me a copy of their album for review.

On to the music. The album starts off at full force, after a short up-tempo drum and keyboard passage the guitars kick in with a chugging riff and the vocals kick in. The song is pretty fast for Gothic Metal and the Progressive elements are also quite obvious due to the rhythms that are incorporated in the song structure. Despite all of this the band still manages to create the right atmosphere needed for a good Gothic Metal song. Of note is the great amount of variety that the band displays from the start. There are fast straight forward passages, chaotic (in a good way) keyboard passages and even a short passage where the piano takes on the center stage.

Furthermore, the band is graced with an excellent guitar player and they fully embrace this quality by making some room for a few excellent guitar leads. All of this variety seems to be the bands trademark, because the album more or less follows this routine. Notable exception being “Nanakanisura”, a tasteful ballad somewhat halfway through the album.

The vocals are handled by two female singers. The lead vocals are clean, somewhat deep, while the second singer has a higher tone and can pull of passages bordering on operatic. Both are excellent singers. The lyrics alternate between Indonesian and English. A nice touch, because it quite exceptional to hear a Gothic Metal song in this language, but it is also nice to hear some lyrics you can actually understand if you’re able to speak Indonesian. My knowledge of the language is next to none, but I must say I’m pleasantly surprised by the way the language sounds and how well it fits in with the music.

Downfall to all the variety the band incorporates in their songs might be that the music was a bit of a challenge to get into with the first few spins, because the songs don’t follow a traditional path and aren’t “easy on the ear”. After a few listening sessions though, I really began enjoying the music. The production is excellent too, making this release a winner on all fronts.

If the other bands from Indonesia are of similar quality as Gelap is, it’s certainly a scene worth checking out if you’re into Gothic Metal.

I got a new toy!!

This handsome boy is my new born nephew. I haven't found a suitable name for him but I already got some really great names. His sister - Aufa - is so excited to knowing that she has a little brother. Uh oh, I smell something chaos if they both go to my house...

We will not go down, Palestine!!!!!

Over and over, it is a repeating evil... Again and again, all I can do is just shed more useless tears to them in my powerless effort to help my brothers and sisters there. I am nothing comparing to them, yet I still remain here safely, untouched and unhurt. Every day in my Shalat, I pray to them. I beg Allah to free them, give them the best reward they could get for their bravery to stand in their land, to stand for what they deserve. I am proud to be their sister, proud to be in one shelter with them. My beloved family... I hereby send you my purest pray, may Allah bless you all, give reward to your endless loyalty upon your own land. YOUR LAND, my brothers... it's YOURS. Never let anyone take it from you. I here - a coward with tears on my cheeks - could just send you my deepest afterthought and feel so envy to you for knowing that heaven has given you ticket to enter it ever since you yell about Allah's names to those filthy soldiers of evil, either armed or unarmed. And yes, He heard your call...

~ G ~

***

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart)


A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight
________________________________________

The tongue.

Something without bones is mean. Something without bones is merciless. It attacked me several times on the head. It made me bleed, it made me fallen into the deepest darkest hole under my frailty. It delivered messages that would haunt me for years that I could barely erase them from my knotty mind. I tried to close my eyes and covered the imagery of that boneless thing with something more content, and I couldn’t. That shapeless form stabbed into the center of me and left marks it went all into the corners of it. I just followed the drift powerless, though I didn’t want to be any part of it.

 

Something without bones scares me a lot. It crawled into my bed and slipped inside my dreams. It contaminated them until I could no longer brave enough to lay back and sleep well again. It screeched with pitchy tones and said something sharp through my dreamy reflection, still inside my dreams. I couldn’t find the answer of how hard it was to cut this unpleasant contact.

 

Something without bones is gluey, as gluey as when it said horrible things about me. Even when I never said, or never did. It just glued, and it would stick on me, until like…

 

Forever.

 

~ G ~

 

For You: “Thank you for the LITLLE COWARD heart inside the BIG BLUFFING mouth.”

For another You: “Thank you for being such a DISAPPOINTING FRIEND ever be.”

And for the last You: “Thank you for the jealousy upon my existence. I’ll keep being your forever nightmare, coz you’re such a BIG SHORT FAT entertaining fool.”

24.

I closed my eyes and I called Your name. You came in a second, then we talked. I said I need You, and I thought You have left me. You said I'm stupid and asked me whether You've had abandoned me. I said I miss You and I miss mom, You answered You miss me too and my mom misses me even more. I said I'm getting older, You said I'm getting wiser. I said no, You said believe me. I mourned to think that I'm one year closer to meet You. You asked me if I indeed not desiring to meet you. That's not what I meant, I answered. I'm afraid I'm not ready yet, You said no one is ready to meet You, and You convinced me that You're not that frightening. I laughed, You smiled. I said You must be undoubtedly beautiful, You answered You would prefer to be said forever indescribable.

I said thank you for willing to talk with me, You said I'm one of Your creations, You should and shall always stick your eyes on me. I sobbed, You said don't cry. I smiled, You said "Happy birthday, go blow your 24 liquid candles. No need to do the make-a-wish ritual, I already knew yours. Cheers, human"

November 15
~G~

Fitting.

Habis fitting kebaya buat acara resepsi anaknya salah satu boss gede perusahaan tempat saya menguras keringat dan air mata.

Duh.... Kerahnya bener-bener tidak sesuai dengan harapan. Gue minta yang victorian style, kenapa yang nongol model blue-colar style gini?

Harus dirubah, harus! Selamatkan martabat bangsa seperti Obama!!!

*bener-bener postingan ngga penting. Cowo gue mana yah? Blom nongol... Pantatnya blom kering apa ya? Yasudahlah, bakar sebatang lagi aja kalo gitu.

~G~

Games Online

Lumayan ngilangin bete dikantor kalo:

1. Lagi ngga ada kerjaan
2. YM lagi sepi
3. Lagi ngga ada gosip hot dikantor
4. Efes, Fesbuk sama Multiply lagi membosankan
5. Ngga ada cerita seru di detik.com dan bolanews
6. Bosen maenin Diner Dash, Feeding Frenzy, Pizza Frenzy sama Volley pantai
7. Nungguin download The Sims sama Harry Potter terbaru yang ngga kelar-kelar [seperti apa yang terjadi sama gue sekarang, hiks... tolonglah!]

~G~

Mine!

Sometimes people - stupidly - claim something that does not belong to them as their own. For example, this one pathetic shit is trying to take over one life that is not his. My deep condolence for his dead stinky rotten brain and soul. Screw you, asshole! The one life that you are trying to take is MINE!!!

MINE!!! MINE!!! and only belongs to ME!!!

F U !!!

~G~

Death.

Finally be able to see my Death on the stage again and "making love" with his guitar. Sampe nge-diving segala udah kaya martabak diangkat-angkat trus dibolak-balik [hihihihi....]. One word to describe him on the stage: CHAOS!! And oh how I love seeing him like that

~G~

Breaking in.

I want to shut it up

I will torch the tradition

Put an end to it

I will make an eternal silence

To a loud superficial convention

To a strictly unbreakable set of mind

I want to get over it

I will cork my ears to deafness

And plug my eyes to blindness

Yet I will widely open my heart

I will unleash it to the maximum limit

Let them see what lies beneath it

I want to stop it

I will stand in the middle of the road

Put both hands aside me

So they won’t be able to move forward

Watch me taking my heart from inside my chest

It’s bleeding, red and tortured

I want to break it

Burry all wounds in the vault

Where no one can reach it any longer

I will mend their damaged thoughts

Establish a needful revolution

I will safe them from the doom

I won’t get any helped by me

I don’t need that

Coz yet

I’m already breaking in.

Rival.

I knew it would be you
Who broke the line
Told me we would be fine
Until one of us were fallen

I knew it would be me
Who answered your call
Told you that you were wrong
Until I could prove it to your shocking mime

I knew it would be us
Who got enough to each other
Told nothing and acting a stranger
Until we gone old and limping

I knew I wouldn't be known
The reason why this would happen
A scenario that was already written
Until the last page that is filled with a blank

I knew you have known
That in the end
God knows everything that we don't

~G~

* You know how hard it was to deal with, but I knew that I would be the last one standing here.

Playing God.

Holy men never exist
Not a baby, nor even a priest
They manifest evil in every breath they catch
They experience things and they feed evil thoughts
They are blessed with feeling, brain and senses
They are condemned with hunger, fear and greediness
True and false will be their lifetime enemies
Merit and sin will be their forever worst nightmares
Everything in this world will have its end
But why not to God?
Every creature will choose its path to heaven or hell
But why not to God?
Why God never wants to own what we have,
Though we always want to own God’s power?
Why God never envies us,
Though we are ready to kill and to die to be in His position?
Men never created to feel truly satisfied
Nor even be wholly perfect
But they give rank, they give rate, they give score
They give reward, they give punishment
They judge, they value things and they label things
They establish egocentric thoughts to a form named “law”
Whether it was made unintentionally conscious
Or intentionally unconscious
Law has been said as mass legally compromise
They said it is mass legally agreement
And there they are
They form a new mindset of humankind
Because they judge, innocence exists
Because they value things, the accused appears
They collect power and hide their weaknesses from disclosure
A power with several unbelievable ingredients
It is include a bottle of fear, 10 spoons of passion
A cup of cowardice, a full bundle of stupidity
Mixed with a bowl of polluted brain capacity
They are all mixed up in a pan of money
Burnt in a flame of greediness
That is how law is made
That is how they started to question God
That is how they lose their self-consciousness
That is how phenomenon plays games upon men
Soiled their holiness, ruined their innocence
Screwed their goodness
Where finally some deceiving goodness hide in mask only remain
I started to question myself
Why heaven still has to be there,
If men are all playing God?

~G~

Kriuuukk...

[Tidur sambil mimpiin dia kayanya enak nih!]

Setelah selesai meng-upload foto-foto nostalgiLa di Efes, dan habis itu baca note Fesbuk-nya Sita, aduh... Gue jadi kangen B.A.N.G.E.T sama mereka!



Untung besok ada acara Bukber...
*menahan keinginan untuk menguap, menjerit minta pulang dan mengutuk aircon kantor yang sangat tidak bersahabat sementara perut kosong blong!*

Gelap on Hai Magazine!

Click the image to view the clearer readable picture.

“Emang bener, metal deket dengan setan. Ya begitulah! Itu sebabnya kita harus bikin yang exceptional, yang beda.” [Ombat – Tengkorak]

“Bagi gue, bukan jadi hal yang baku kalau metal harus mengarah ke arah yang negative. Kalau mereka bilang gitu, gue juga punya hak kalau metal juga bisa positif.” [Die – Purgatory]

“Kami ngga pernah merencanakan bakal begini. Intinya sih kami ngambil referensi ke agama karena kami nguasain materinya. Beda kalau ngomongin setan-setanan, hal kaya gitu gue ngga ngerti.” [Amor – Purgatory]

“Dunia ini sekarang udah kacau banget. Dengan segala keburukan yang terjadi, yang bisa menolong kita cuma iman dan agama.” [Rins – Gelap]

***

Those are the previews of one of the newest Hai Magazine’s articles that have been released on Sept 8. Regarding to the fasting month that we’re running now, Hai Magazine gives the readers a Ramadhan-theme for its recent edition. There are several Ramadhan-theme articles like “Berdakwah Lewat Lagu”, “Nongkrong Selama Ramadhan”, “Peraturan Khas Ramadhan” and the last is “Metal Religi”.

The latter article is quite special for me, because my band – Gelap – has been chosen as one of three underground bands that are considered as religious bands, along with Purgatory [new metal] and Tengkorak [grindcore]. Frankly, it’s a big honor for me and Gelap especially, to be put side-by-side with two most well-known religious underground bands like Purgatory and Tengkorak [regarding that we’re still new in the underground scene and they are like the “Gods” in each of their own scene].

The article itself tells about looking metal music in different perception, the Brightside. That actually not all metal bands are related to demonic, hedonic or atheistic. There is always light within the darkness, even if it is just a tiny light. What matters is whether you could see the tiny light when your eyes are already stucked in the darkness’ comfort zone. More or less that’s the article written on it.

Be pleased to read the article if it meets your interest [which also means you might buy the mag. Aha! Hai Mag should pay me for marketing their stuff, hahaha!]

Enjoy reading and enlightening your mind with METALLY religious bunch of musicians’ opinions.

LOL

~G~

enoUGH.

I can never be enoUGH to everybody.
And everybody will soon have enoUGH with me.
In the end everybody will leave me.
As it is always be, most likely.

~G~

While watching Alanis - Uninvited [click the picture to see the vid]

Just whatever.

Fasting month is coming in a few days ahead, but I already got a pretty deal of trial from God. It’s about this website that one of my friends gave to me on the Messanger. I already felt interested just by reading the link-name, soon as I opened the site, I knew I was right. This site is the Moslem-hater site, they’re not Christian, or Jewish or I don’t know who they are [not that important, sorry]. Whoever they are, they’re discrediting Islam in a very well-thought of sorta way! They are bunch of GODDAMN smarty-pants! I bet they did some deep research and brainstorming of the Holy Qur’an first before making this amazing site. And really, I have to admit that this site is so fucking teasing! And I won’t recommend you to click your computer mouse to the link if you don’t prepare enough to read it [esp. for my Muslim buddies here]

I know there are lots of other similar sites like this, I just never interested in finding them [it’s just gonna piss me off, so I’d better put my distance on it], until my friend gave the link. After I opened, I said to him

***

MC: hati hati blog ini--->musuh Islam nyata--->>http://xxxxxxxxxxx.blogspot.com/

G: Thx for sharing bro, really great site, indeed

G: mereka sebenernya orang2 smart

G: sayangnya tidak begitu smart naro otaknya dimana

G: jadi dibaca aja untuk fun

MC: yups

G: i have lots of FUN reading them

MC: masi banyak lg seh,, web/blog semacem itu

G: iya

MC: yea

G: kalo diliat smua ngga ada habisnya

MC: iya,, bikin kesel aj,,,

MC: share ke yg laen yah

G: hahahaha... ngga tau deh

G: terlalu malay

G: sebenernya itu tujuan mereka

G: muslim kesel, muslim share

G: smua muslim jadi baca itu

G: dan ada aja yg pegangannya goyah, bisa bahaya

G: like i said, they're smart people

G: whoever made this site

MC: yups

G: beneran, kalo hati ngga kukuh sm islam

G: baca itu bisa goyah loh

G: they make the site really great!

G: ngga mengatasnamakan agama2 lain

MC: http://www.yyyyyyyyy.xxxxxxxxxxxx.org/forum <+++ ini yg lebih

G: menomorsatukan freedom, hak mengambil keputusan

G: itu sbnrnya yg dicari2 orang, kebebasan kan?

MC: kebebasan yg tak terbatas

G: itu dia

MC: lupa pembatas nilai moral

G: makanya, propaganda gila2an ini situs

MC: yups

G: bahaya lho sebenernya klo di share ke orang banyak

MC: tp pemerintah ko diem yah

G: makanya gw males, akan lebih aman kalo situs kaya gini di abandon

MC: mikirin aja web myspace, youtube,,,

MC: giliran yg kyak gini diem aj

***

Well, will do find heavier trial like this in the fasting month, I just have to be prepared. Set my heart, clean my thought, wash my dirty mind [yeah yeah, that’s right! Hahaha]. But anyway, happy fasting friends! Hope this sacred month could re-born ourselves, each in a unique way, until we reach the Glory in the end of the month.
^___^

Love.
~G~

Wall-E [2008]

Film ini kocak, lucu, sweet dan hi-tech pastinyah! Awalnya gw ngga ada rencana nonton film ini, tapi beberapa kolega gw berencana nonton ini pakai diskon yang disediain bagi yang punya account Mandiri. Setelah make sure gw bisa “kabur” lebih awal dari kantor dan ngga ada rencana apa-apa sama laki gw, gw pun menyetujui ikut serta di nonbar Wall-E di 21 Setiabudi.

Film-nya bercerita tentang seorang robot masa depan bernama Wall-E, yang bertugas “mengkotak-kotakkan” sampah-sampah di bumi yang sudah menggunduk tak tertolongkan lagi [kemudian diketahui seluruh penghuni bumi sudah dipindahkan ke galaksi lain yang lebih layak buat dijadikan tempat hidup dengan teknologi luar biasa canggih yang menyebabkan manusia tidak harus bergerak untuk melakukan APAPUN yang mereka mau karena sudah ada robot-robot yang melakukan semuanya untuk mereka]. Kemudian datang seorang robot bernama Eve, yang punya misi khusus untuk mencari lagi sumber kehidupan di bumi, memastikan apakah bumi masih punya harapan menjadi tempat tinggal manusia lagi. Wall-E dan Eve pun bertemu di bumi, sampai Wall-E jatuh cinta sama robot cewek ini. Hihihi, lucu banget deh, bayangin kaya kita yang goblok bahasa Inggris, ketemu sama orang Prancis yang goblok bahasa Inggris juga, giliran ngobrol pake bahasa Tarzan. Nah kurang lebih begitulah sapaan awal si Wall-E dan Eve waktu mereka kenalan. Kocak banget!!

Film ini efeknya mantep, yah namanya juga computer-animated movie. Lucu bener deh, habis nonton film ini jadi kepengen punya binatang peliharaan kaya Wall-E [Loh kok peliharaan? Wall-E kan robot! Hehehe…]

~G~

Vamp I are.

I am a crazy mind, I am deaf and blind.

I am abstractly defined, I am red as blood and warm as wine.

I live at night, whereas my eyes are open wide.

Even with no scent and light, I still can see where you hide.

I am the moon’s angel, she crumbles when I stumble.

The heat is so flammable, we are so close and mingle.

With my wings I fly, to the earth and sky.

Until the stars are all dry, to then I will fall and cry.

I’m the unwanted shade, they are hoping and wishing me fade.

And no other winter can I create, I let go all of what I should take.

The wind soon to be blowless, the sky goes darkless.

The owls are singing toneless, as the sacred night is remaining pureless.

I am a night owl, my heart is fragile yet peaceful.

I am impulsive and not desiring power, I will soon diminish in an hour.

I show not my existence, when the sun goes persistence.

Daylight is my resistance, so numb and full of hesitation.

I am the wolf’s sound, I wander in unbound.

When the flesh and blood has been found, peacefulness of night is profound.

And there goes the death of her

Taking her lifetime pledge burying under

Her grave.

~G~

Lessons taken from secretary training.

After I followed the secretary training for the past three days [August 12-14], I have learnt two things about secretarial matters besides networking, getting so dramatically sleepy and making 3 cups of coffee per day [step aside the main work of secretary, I’ve known it already]:

1. Boss can do NO wrong.
2. If boss does wrong thing, please take a look at rule number one.

Uhuh, I think I got that!

*rolling eyes*

~G~

What's with 080808?

Biasa aja gituh. It’s just a series of number, though.

There will be 090909, 101010, 111111, 121212

So what...