By Niki Bruce
Online Editor, herworld.com
niki@sph.com.sg

 

A COUPLE of weeks ago I was invited to check out something a little different from my usual weekend entertainment.

Tel Megiddo 2009, was wall-to-wall skinny jeans, black t-shirts and floppy hair, as nine local metal bands took to Home Club's stage to do their thing.

I have to say, this isn't my usual choice for listening pleasure, but the spice of uniqueness always adds to a good night out.

Kicking off with Barcodes for Breakfast, punters were ambushed with a wall of sound as the group did their best to blow the venue's speakers.

The line-up included Stampede, The Persians – who apparently got their name because the play too much Prince of Persia – Shotgun Start, Dante's Theory, Death Warrant, Deus Ex Machina, Thambi K Seaow and finished up with Vermillion.

Organiser Kristian Kirkwood, 18, subtitled the gig with "you asked for the best, we got you the cheapest" but the crowd didn't seem to care.

Most of these bands are young, really young, and many of them are made up of students from Temasek Polytechnic.

Christian is also the bass player for Death Warrant, which boasts two brothers - Hanshen Sudderuddin, 21, and Hanwei Sudderuddin, 19, - alongside lead singer Nicholas Han, 18. Although the band formed in 2006 – they proudly say they sometimes sound like they formed yesterday.

The group was obviously a crowd favourite with a set list of Motorhead, Iron Maiden, AIC, Pantera and their own original song – Death War Rant.

According to Kristian, the boys met at school (St Patricks) and all have a love for metal and hard rock music. On a whim last year, they decided to organise a gig, since they loved performing but didn't often have a chance to do so.

After rounding up all their friends who were in bands and putting the feelers out for like-minded metal music lovers, Tel Megiddo 2008 came together and every one had a blast.

And the name? Well, according to Kristian, it's the name of the hill in Israel where Armageddon is going to begin.

As a band, Death Warrant, aren't short on musical ability or theatrical flair. Nicholas Han comes across as much older than his tender 18 years, especially on tracks like Number of the Beast and Would from AIC.

That the guys know each other really well is clear in the tightness of their set and ability to swing into an extra number when given more time at the end of their set.

Kristian says that metal music isn't very popular in Singapore, despite the large number of bands performing the genre. Which is a shame, as all of the bands on the night looked like they could play for much more than the 40 minutes they were given.

Another band, Stampede threw down a full-metal punk gauntlet during their set with tracks from – Nine Inch Nails and Pantera – but it was their original tracks that really stood out.

The guys – Shahrin, Ashraf, Dhany and 'Matno' – have been together since 1994 and play old school hardcore, rap, metal and rock. Their longevity shows in both the fact that the bulk of their set was made up of original tracks and their very tight set.

Local band Stampede rock out at Tel Megiddo 2009, held at Home Club.
PHOTO: Stampede

Listeners outside of the metal/punk scene might think that it's all just noise and doesn't take much skill, but the speed of play and the variety of sounds these guys can produce can't be replicated without an awful lot of skill.

All in all, Tel Megiddo 2009 was an interesting night out. It was great to see a wider range of sounds and punters than the usual crowds at Clarke Quay.

While not all the bands were perfect, the range of hard music genre's meant there was something for everyone. It's a real shame that there aren't more live music venues in Singapore offering a wider variety of sounds.

Kudos must also go to Kelvin Tan from Home Club for opening up a Saturday night to something interesting with a bit of bite.