Based out of Malang, a city in the Indonesian province of East Java, comes Dazzle a crossover hardcore band I think many No Echo readers will dig.
Formed in early 2021 by El Tria Raffi (guitar) and M Ardyan Firmansyah (drums), the pair soon brought in bassist Syahidan Khafila and began solidifing their first batch of Dazzle songs. The lineup grew with the addition of Agan Juniar Iksar, who also handles vocal duties in the band Roots of Earth. The band released a demo later that summer, showcasing their catchy yet thrash-tastic style, which has been influenced by everyone from Red Death to Iron Age to Municipal Waste.
Greedy Dust Records loved what they heard and soon signed Dazzle onto their growing roster. Two new tracks were added to the demo and Dazzle's debut EP, Vanity and Void, finally hit in late 2021:
Since the recording of Vanity and Void, Dazzle has been joined by guitarist M Charis Hidayat, which makes complete sense when you hear the riff interplay featured throughout the EP.
This is what the Dazzle dudes had to say about the scene in their country when I reached out them: "The hardcore punk scene in Indonesia, especially in Malang, has been very active for few years. During the pandemic, many bands are dealing with the absence of gigs by releasing new albums, EPs or singles.
"Some bands around Malang that are worth listening to include Devil Despize, LASF, Keep It Real, Noose Bound, Interadd, Break the Lock, and Bizarre."
With shows coming back at home, Dazzle has been booking tour dates in support of Vanity and Void, so check out their Instagram page if you're in that part of the world.
***
Help Support What No Echo Does via Patreon:
***
Tagged: dazzle, international hardcore bands