Conceived is one of the newest brutal death metal bands to come from the Indonesian city of Bandung. They formed in 2015 and released their first EP, Tutup Lawang Sigotaka, in 2020. The album cover depicts what is called Wayang Kulit, which is Indonesian shadow puppetry. It is used to retell mythical and historical epics and is a form of entertainment that is uniquely Indonesian. I always like it when a metal band incorporates their cultural identity into their music like this.
When I listened to this EP for the first time, I was immediately reminded of Jasad. Their brutal death metal is aggressive and straightforward and features a roughly equal mixture of fast-paced and slow-paced parts. The snare has a raw sound which makes the rapid blast beats even more chaotic. In between those they play mid-paced rhythms that deliver rumbling double bass, and they include some nice fills for good measure. The bass is placed quite high in the mix and makes the music sound darker and grittier.
The vocals are the best part. They are a deep and guttural growl that is heavily inspired by Man of Jasad. Their brutality is spectacular. As a sidenote, the incredibly deep, gurgling growls on the title track are sometimes used in Wayang Kulit. The guitars play lots of vicious palm-muted riffs that are occasionally broken up by wicked high-pitched tremolo riffs and pinch harmonics. They will then slow things down and play chugging riffs and chord progressions that are packed full of groove.
Conceived has a great deal of potential. Their brutal death metal is an excellent homage to Jasad, and I am eager to see how else they will combine their music with their culture.