SECRET GIGS! SNAKE SOUP! VOLCANOS!
“Welcome back to Bandung!” With a huge grin and arms open for a hug, Burgerkill guitarist Ebenz welcomes Metal Hammer back to the heart of the Indonesian metal scene. Nearly a decade since Ebenz first made contact with us, Burgerkill and their countless friends and fellow musicians are still firmly dedicated to telling the rest of the world about their unique community and the huge amounts of great music it produces, often against the logistical odds.
Much to our delight, we have been invited to spend a week at the heart of the scene in Bandung, taking in the third annual Wacken Metal Battle Indonesia along the way. With 10 bands competing for a slot on this year’s Wacken bill, it promises an intriguing snapshot of the Indonesian scene in 2019. There is also talk of visiting a volcano. We are very much up for this.
DAY ONE
After (more or less) recovering from the mammoth journey from the UK to the world’s fourth most populous country, we launch into our first full day in 30? temperatures and t-shirt-ruining humidity by catching album and have been working and performing relentlessly since its release, including a brief dash to Europe where they recorded a new six-track EP with a full orchestra, revisiting old songs in a bombastic new style. Entitled , it’s expected to emerge later this year, but Ebenz is thinking ahead to what happens next. Having led his band to several notable triumphs, from winning a Golden God in 2013 to performing at Bloodstock and Wacken in 2015, he’s conscious of the responsibility he bears for sustaining an entire scene’s hopes.
