(written by Islander)
Untu is an experimental death/thrash band from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, whose music fuses old-school extreme metal with Javanese gamelan — a traditional Javanese instrumental ensemble that includes such percussive instruments as gongs and the bronze saron demung. The group was originally formed in Los Angeles in 2015 as a large ensemble by composer Sean Hayward, and this year they have been working their way toward the December release of a four-song EP named Yet, I Smile.
In June Untu released the first song from the EP, “Batara Kala“, which we reviewed here. Two months later they released the second single, “The Dukun’s Hand“. And today we’re premiering a remarkable video for the third single, “Rampogan“, which will be digitally released tomorrow.
Untu explain that the song is named for a Javanese ritual combat between macan (tiger) and banteng (water buffalo) practiced in the 18th and 19th centuries. They further state:
“Rampogan” marks a deliberate departure from the death thrash sound of the EP’s previous singles, venturing instead into blackened doom. The gamelan composition featured is Gendhing Monggang, the same three-tone composition historically used to accompany the Rampogan ritual itself.
Traditionally, the Rampogan ritual represented man’s dominion over nature. But the wild and the civilized both exist within the self, and prove to be equally cruel.
Up above you can see a still-frame teaser for the music video accompanying the song, which is really quite amazing. It features barongan dancers Desta Aldi Nugroho as the banteng and Wahyu Kiky Yudha Prasetya as the macan, filmed at Lapangan Kalipucang, Yogyakarta, as well as footage of Untu performing the song.
The song itself is also fascinating — but nightmarish. It begins with the haunting ring of gamelan instruments and primitive thumping beats, and then shrill, unnerving sounds lead the music into much heavier and darker territory. Crushing chords come down, and the music dismally moans, joined by vicious screams.
Those haunting crystalline tones persist, as do the ritual beats, but the music has become orders of magnitude more ominous and unsettling. A corrosive guitar seems to slowly writhe in agony, and the pace of the drums and the gamelan tones accelerate. The music becomes increasingly discordant; the vocals scorch the mind; and the experience creates unnerving and unearthly tension — which breaks near the end in a way that provides no comfort.
The song is indeed quite different from the EP’s first two singles, and proof that Untu’s interests and talents are capable of ranging quite broadly, and that the gamelan ensemble is capable of creating widely varying moods.
UNTU is:
Sean Hayward – guitar, vocals
Aryo Kusumojati – drums
Aristo Axel Tanor – bass
Mustika Garis Sejati – gong
Suseno Setyo Wibowo – demung
Susilo Nugroho – demung
“Rampogan” was recorded at Watchtower Records and Nowhere Found Studio. It was mixed by Sean Hayward, mastered by Wisnu Ikhsantama W., and features cover art by Yanal Desmon Zendrato. It will be released tomorrow – October 6th. To find it, check the links below.
Yet, I Smile will be released on December 6th, and at that time Untu will present the EP’s fourth song “Only to Fall“.
https://untu.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0qBRqUyB4hQg1lDuHJUg90
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/untu/1880283346
FOLLOW UNTU:
https://www.instagram.com/untu.musik
