Rator, Nebiras, and the rise of Malaysian Black Metal

Agathos Daimon, from Nebiras

Southeast Asia is truly a hotbed of great black metal. The black metal-loving masses know Singapore is home to legends like Abhorer, Impiety, Rudra, and As-Sahar, and in recent years some great stuff has come out of countries like Thailand, but one of the best-kept secrets is the early black metal scene in Malaysia. To tell the story of the Malaysian black metal scene in the late 80s and early 90s is also to tell the story of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle.

But first, let's dig into the roots of the scene. While one could point to extreme thrash band BLACKFIRE as the godfather of Malaysian extreme metal (having formed in 1981), I don't know that they ever put out any official demos or albums before they went on hiatus in 1988. But another legendary band stands as the ancestor of Malaysian black metal: old school black/death pioneer RATOR. Hailing from Petaling Jaya, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Rator formed in 1987. They played a raw, vicious, and fast old-school style that--like many 80s bands--straddled the line between death and black metal. The sound on their one demo from this era--1989's Evil Symphony--sounds dated by today's standards, but is still a solid extreme metal release. Take a listen:

 

"Death Metal Warrior" is from Rator's '89 demo

In the late 80s/early 90s world of tape trading, Rator's demo circulated pretty far and wide, with praise coming from artists like Beherit and Rotting Christ. The relative success of this demo led to some complation appearances, but Rator didn't last more than a couple of years past the demo's heyday--they broke up in 1993. The demo took on a life of its own, though, and was reissued numerous times. Rator did eventually reform in the new millenium and has put out new material.

A rare pic of Rator

Following in the footsteps of Rator, extreme metallers NECROFIST formed in 1989, also hailing from Petaling Jaya. Inspired by the old school black/death metal madness of Rator, Necrofist were no slouches themselves. After a rehearsal demo they threw together in 1990, they managed to put out a demo in 1991 that--like Rator's--spread their name far beyond the borders of their native Malaysia.

This is Necrofist's 1991 demo

As a result of the tape trading associated with the old-school black metal scene, Necrofist began corresponding with some of the members of the Norwegian scene. They struck up professional relationships with luminaries such as Fenriz from Darkthrone and Euronymous from Mayhem. The band then changed their name to NEBIRAS in late '91.

"Holocaust of Apocalypse" is from Nebiras's 1993 demo

In terms of underground credibility, the very early 90s were good years for Nebiras. Their connection to Norwegian black metal paid off in spades--they were reviewed in underground zines the world over, and Nebiras mastermind Agathos Daimon even got a shout out in Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky. By 1993, Nebiras had put out their first major demo (As the Sky Turns Black), and Fenriz himself had written a poem dedicated to the band that appeared in the demo's liner notes.

Nebiras's sound had evolved from the raw old-school style of their Necrofist days to something cold, vile, and necro. The trebly and lo-fi guitar tone was clearly inspired by Norwegian black metal, as you can hear on their 1994 demo, Our Blood for His Glory:

This is Our Blood for His Glory in full

It was also around this time that the members of Nebiras had joined forces with other Malaysian bands like Bazzah and Conqueror to form the Watchtower Fraternity Circle. Like Norway's Inner Circle, the goal was to spread the evil ethos of black metal far and wide without compromising the extreme nature of black metal.

In this context, Nebiras's star continued to rise. Their connection with global black metal made them underground legends, and this culminated in the release of a proper studio album, 1998's The Great Rites.

"Cultes des Morts" is off of The Great Rites

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Another band that was a member of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle was Raub's BAZZAH. Formed around 1990, Bazzah drew heavy inspiration from not just the Norwegian scene, but you can hear Von and Sarcofago as well in the raw brutal black metal they played in their early years. Their 1993 demo, Necromancy, is testimony to this:

Bazzah, like many other extreme metal bands in Malaysia, often struggled to get their music to the masses because of government oppression. Death is All I See was their first full-length studio album, and they released it in 1996. However, they only managed to sell 300 copies before the Malaysian government destroyed the rest. This has made original copies of this album extremely difficult to find--it can now only mostly be found as a reprint or a bootleg.

"Prince of Darkness" comes from 1996's Death is All I See

By the time of Death is All I See's release, Bazzah's sound had matured. The dark brutality of bands such as Von, Sarcofago, Demoncy had receded in favor of the cold iciness of the classic Norwegian sound--the sharp guitar tone and shrieking vocals are reminiscent of early Emperor. Listen to "Prince of Darkness", above, to hear an example of what I mean.

 Their second studio album--1998's Kingdom of the Dead--features more of the same in terms of sound, but the extremely lo-fi production changed their sound pretty radically. As a result, their style on the second album could be described as early 90s Norway fused with Beherit's Drawing Down the Moon.

From Kingdom of the Dead, this is "Abyss"

Since the late nineties, not much has happened with Bazzah. Both Kingdom and Death were re-released on one album by From Beyond Productions in 2004 (with the Kingdom songs being entirely re-recorded versions), and they put out a new demo in 2006, but I don't know what the status of the band is today.

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CONQUEROR is one of the lesser lights of Malaysian black metal in comparison with Nebiras and Bazzah, but, as a member of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle, bears investigating. They formed around 1994, and within a year, had recorded what would be their only release--the Cries of the Wolf demo. But it didn't see the light of day until 1997.

Here is the Cries of the Wolf demo in its entirety

As can be heard on the demo, the template for Conqueror's sound was the cold, necro style of classic Norwegian black metal. With a guitar tone and production sound that one might find on a Darkthrone or Burzum album, Conqueror were not shy about wearing their influences on their sleeve. Even the band member's stage names made it obvious---their bassist/vocalist's adopted stage name was Emperor Demysteriis.

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Beyond these bands, Malaysia truly did have a thriving extreme metal scene. Other bands worth noting include Ungodly Death, Vulga, and Misanthrope, and since the days of the Watchtower Fraternity Circle's peak popularity, extreme metal has grown by leaps and bounds----depite severe government repression and censorship. Without the groundwork laid by Rator, Nebiras, and the like, bands like Neftaraka, Hayagriva, Mantak, and Filsufatia may never have gotten their start. 

Select Discography of early Malaysian Black Metal:

Rator:

Evil Symphony (demo) (1989)

Nebiras:

Rehearsal #1 (demo) (1990) (as Necrofist)

Demo #1 (demo) (1991) (as Necrofist)

Demo '92 (demo) (1992)

As the Sky Turns Black (demo) (1993)
Dark Live Collection (compilation) (1993)

Our Blood for His Glory (demo) (1994)
Into the Medieval Cults (demo) (1996)
The Great Rites... EP (1998)

Bazzah:

Necromancy (demo) (1993)

Death is All I See... (full-length) (1996)

Kingdom of the Dead (full-length) (1998)

Conqueror:

Cries of the Wolf (demo) (recorded 1995, released 1997)

Next time: STRID