format: LP
year: 1988
country: Malaysia
label: Philips
#: 836 753-1
info: -
style: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Side A:
Side B:
While ROCKERS will always remain my #1 Heavy Metal Vanguards of the Singapore and Malaysian scene combined, I think the captivating LOVINGBORN will rate as my favourite Metal band from Malaysia specifically. One of the reasons is that all 3 of their albums are, at the very least, Great. Sure, there's acts like Desire, Febians and even May where the almost-same could be said, but then you'd have to replace the 'Great' with a mere 'good' and the world does have its share of those type of bands. The other reason is that they sound like no other band in the Heavy Metal universe - at least not on this Mighty debut.
With such a suspicious monicker you really would expect something more along the lines of the Malay mainstream a la XPDC, Wings, Bloodshed, Search etc, but NO - this is some special foreign shit right here! You can find subtle strains of Asian vibes & harmonies in selective songs of many of the top-tier Malaysian Heavy Metal releases of this period, but LovingBorn were the only ones that managed to produce a full album that genuinely feels like a product of an Exotic Metal Band From A Far-away Land. "Kekalkan" is the perfect sountrack while sitting on the roof of a Marrakesh riad, sipping on a hookah and watching the sunset.
The only other band that I could think of with a vaguely, occasionally similar vibe would be Belantara, but while those guys had highter "highs", LovingBorn were the more consistent of the 2.
This is an exceptionally moodfilled, haunting and atmospheric record, and it manages to keep up this mood practically from start to finish. Now how does that add up with the Malaysian mandatory 50% ballads phenomenon you ask?
Well, LovingBorn might be the only Malaysian act who managed to beat the system here. "50% ballads they say? Fuck 'em. We'll give them something to choke on." You see, "Kekalkan" does not contain one single cheesy 80's hair-rock schmallad(!).
Allow me to explain:
The opening title track does not lend itself to comparisons easily. It's certainly warped and original, but also compellingly melodic in the way of the finest and most captivating NWOBHM-bands. And so comes the first ballad, "Kau Hancurkan Cinta", and now it becomes clear that this will be a very different trip from what we're used to, as it has more in common with the kind of exotic crooners that you'd stumble across
while randomly twisting that radio dial in
the middle of the night and suddenly recieving a signal of some weird, local immigrant station. "Berdamailah Anak Adam" follows, is full-throttle "Kashmir"-Doom on camelback and the greatest song of the album. The second 'ballad' is once again like nothing we've ever heard from an Asian Metal band - sooooo much darkness and with a chorus so mournful it will scorch those goosebumps right off your skin. It's possibly my 2nd fave track. "Semarak" is in a way the strangest tune they ever wrote, but in a very subtle way. At first it sounds like the label-pleasing, mellow sellout-rocker, but listen closely to those chords in the background of the chorus... They simply CANNOT put on that smiley-face, however hard they try. While hardly a fave in their repertoir, It's pure syntax error mindfuck.
2nd side starts off with the atmospheric
hightlight "Tanjung Puteri" - 4 1/2 minutes of pure Eastern pomp and drama and by now you'll almost forget that you're actually still listening to a Heavy Metal record. Ballad #3, "Maafkan Aku Kekasih" accentuates this feeling as it has a completely different mix than the rest of the record and more resembles something you'd hear out of the speakers of an Arabian harem on slow-dance nights. "Akhir Zaman" drags us out of this feverish opium dream with some excellent melodic Metal crammed with both traditional NWOBHM riffing as well as some crazy catchy vocal melodies and did I really forgot to mention Abu probably has the greatest voice in Malay rock? Shame on me.
So what about the flaws then? Only one: Its missing just one more Heavy tune to be 100% perfect, but there is some consolation in the fact that the 2 final slow songs follow the same
excellent path as the previous 3 (or at least, the A-side slowpokes) as they simply shred through the schmallad garbage heap of the world by being 1. original 2. VERY melancholic 3. simply great, proper tunes.
Hunt down all their albums (even greater things will follow!) but start with this one to get the mood right.