ANOTHER is a newer band from Jakarta, Indonesia, with a taste for the darker side of metallic hardcore.
The quintet formed in 2022 when Febio, Adit, and Rappay, who had previously played in Burning Flame, decided to pursue something heavier and more aggressive. Vocalist Arga Hermann and drummer Ryan joined a few months later, completing ANOTHER’s original lineup. “We wanted to create something different, exploring a darker, heavier, and more aggressive direction beyond what they had done before,” Hermann told me via email.
ANOTHER introduced themselves with the single “AKUMA” in February 2023. Following another lineup change earlier this year, Galih joined on drums in April, rounding out the current lineup alongside Hermann, guitarists Febio and Rappay, and bassist Adit.
That lineup can now be heard on NOROI, ANOTHER’s brand-new EP, released in the States through Kingside Records, the label co-owned by Gabe “Biggz” Saldivar and Merauder’s Jorge Rosado. “We try to create something that feels intense not only musically, but emotionally as well, channeling anger, frustration, despair, and the darker side of human emotions into our sound,” wrote Hermann.
The vocalist points to END, SECT, Cult Leader, Trap Them, and Knocked Loose as reference points for what ANOTHER are doing. “Lyrically, NOROI reflects personal struggles, emotional wounds, and the frustration of witnessing injustice and the same destructive patterns happening over and over again,” Hermann explained.
The title translates to “curse” in Japanese, an idea the band use to explore pain, despair, hatred, and vengeance throughout the record. “The central idea behind the record is simple: ‘Every pain becomes a wound, every wound becomes a curse,’” Hermann said in his email. “For us, NOROI represents everything we’ve been building toward since the band started. It’s our way of turning those negative emotions into something raw, aggressive, and meaningful.”
With the EP now out, ANOTHER are looking beyond Jakarta. The band are planning shows around Indonesia in support of NOROI, with hopes of eventually taking their music elsewhere in Southeast Asia and Japan.
Back at home, Hermann also pointed to a healthy underground music scene, recommending Violentia, Anti Major Society, Heidegger, Wasteland, Mouthless, A Thousand Punches, Sunne, Domestik, Lurruh, and Hallimun as names worth investigating.
“There are a lot of great bands coming out of Jakarta and the Indonesian underground scene. It’s a diverse community with so many talented bands doing their own thing.”
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NOROI is out now via Kingside Records in the US, with Fever Joint Records handling the Indonesian cassette edition.
Another on social media: Instagram
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