In 2022, Perverted Dexterity died, and from the ashes arose Sigils of Ruin. It is the latest project from Januaryo Hardy, one of the best and most productive metal musicians from Indonesia. They released their first demo just a few months ago. A close friend of mine recommended it to me, and I'm glad he did.
This band plays that ancient Floridian style of death metal, which is refreshing considering that most new death metal bands copy either Autopsy or Dismember. The production is exquisitely filthy. The distortion makes it sounds like it was pulled from some fetid swamp. That gritty quality is mostly thanks to the bass work of Isa Bellum, Hardy's wife. The drums are played by former Abonation and Antithesis member Kevin Irwan. His straightforward mid-paced rhythms are made more impactful by the strong snare, which sounds like it's echoing deep inside a moldy cavern. These rhythms are occasionally broken up by energetic blast beats which are able to compete with the best the early 1990s death metal scene had to offer.
The vocals are performed by a woman named Nabilla Soedarijanto, which is surprising considering just how sick and devious her growls are. She's clearly talented, as she can growl just as well as any man. As with all of his other projects, Hardy steals the show with his guitar work. His tremolo riffs give off a dark, subterranean feeling, and his chord progressions are menacing. Even more menacing are the slow chords that border on being doom-death. Hints of groove show up on occasion, and there are a few moments such as at the end of the first track where he includes some melodic leads.
Sigils of Ruin is not some mere imitation of what was done in the past. Their music possesses a vibrant, compelling spirit which breathes new life into old bones. They are one of the most promising death metal bands I've heard in a long while, and I can't wait to hear what they have planned next.