Five years after the release of their first EP, Reptilia Buas, the Indonesian brutal death metal band Sufism released Republik Rakyat Jelata, their first full-length album. The cover art was drawn by Aghy Purakusuma, who also did work for bands such as Conceived, Decaying Flesh, Fetal Bleeding, and Pure Wrath. Unlike so many other brutal death metal album covers that depict death and gore, this one depicts ordinary village life in Indonesia. It’s calm and peaceful, standing in stark contrast to the misery and tumult of modern life. It’s as if it’s calling for a return to tradition. I remember enjoying their EP, so I was delighted to discover that their latest album is better.
If you’re a fan of Jasad, then you’ll already know what this band will sound like. The brutal death metal they play is fast and primal. Drummer Ari plays rapid blast beats that are made even more pulverizing by the raw snare sound. On occasion he will slow things down and play rhythms that incorporate powerful crashing cymbals and thumping double bass. He also includes plenty of elaborate fills. I was amazed by the bass work of Iman. He has been put very high in the mix and used that opportunity to play thick, complex riffs. His work shines the brightest on the first two tracks.
Vocalist Nanang performs a deep, hoarse growl which sounds almost exactly like that performed by Man of Jasad. Sandy, like so many other Indonesian metal guitarists, does excellent work here. He mainly plays fast-paced palm-muted riffs with a few tremolo riffs thrown in for good measure. Sometimes he will throw in some chromatic riffs to make things more interesting. When the tempo slows down, he plays extremely heavy chugging riffs that are often punctuated by stomach-churning tremolo riffs. All of these riffs aren’t exactly new, but they’re still played extremely well.
This album is dead simple, but I’m fine with that. Not everything needs to be groundbreaking and innovative. The band instead chooses to continue Indonesia’s fine tradition of brutality. May those flames stay alight far into the future.