### Kekal: 8

#### 19/04/11 || Love Lagerkvist

I have to admit that the opening to Indonesian Kekal’s “8” is quite promising to the first time listener. For a couple of seconds, what streams out of our speakers are some of the loudest, most dissonant near-glitch sounds that have ever graced a metal album. Just the way we like it. But then something happens: What sounded so good at first turns into a mediocre form of metallic rock with a shitty electronic beat in the background.

But let’s back up for a minute, because a lot of you are probably wondering “who the hell are Kekal, and what’s with the funny name?”. Kekal are as previously stated from Indonesia, are one of the first bands from the country to play something that’s could be called extreme metal. Apparently they released their would-be magnum opus “1000 Thoughts of Violence” back in 2003 and oh, since 2009 the band has been completely without members. Like, at all. So considering nothing actually made “8” it’s actually quite impressive. However, considering three or so incredibly pretentious Indonesians well into their 30s made “8”, it’s actually pretty shit.

The meat of this loaf is made of, as stated in the first paragraph that you skipped to dodge all the unnecessary small talk, some kind of progressive metal/rock with electronic influences. And you know what, that mix is great if well executed. Just look at later Ulver or their country mates Manes, both of those bands have put out some amazing stuff in this area, but Kekal just seem to lack that extra “ummph”. The vocals are average, the guitar are boring but work in a rhythmical sense and the electronic stuff is mediocre.

If they’d only gone with a really glitchy approach and then carefully added the metal elements upon that groundwork, it would’ve been fine. But instead we get covers of a second hand Manes demo. As we say it out on the Internet: Do not want.

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Whirlwind Records
- Website: www.kekal.org
- Band
- According to Kekal’s website, this thing: vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, bass, electronics

- Tracklist
- 01. Track one
- 02. Gestalt principles of matter perception
- 03. A linear passage
- 04. Tabula rasa
- 05. Private school of thought
- 06. The regulars
- 07. Departure gate 8
- 08. Heartache memorial
- 09. Let us blend
- 10. Open world
- 11. End unit of the universe