Kingdom In Rock

Yes of course I had to Google-translate the 'Tidak di galakkan untuk siaran'-scribbling on the front sleeve of this insanely obscure radio promo and the result couldn't have been more heartwarming and encouraging. So I was already familiar with these Singaporean Metal trailblazers before acquiring the LP, but now everything fell into place...

Presenting their debut LP way back in 1982 (which is like the Singapore version of 1972) as a mere KINGDOM, they started flirting with the New Wave Of Heavy Metal already on the 1983 sophomore "Rupa Rupa Baru" LP. On this their 3rd album under the new KINGDOM IN ROCK-banner they broke the Steel Barrier and while domestic rockers may sing the praises of Search or Sweet Charity 'til the goats come home, I boldly proclaim this to be South-East Asia's First Proper Heavy Metal album. And The Corroseum is always right in these matters so sit down, shut up and keep reading!

Sure, they weren't amazing musicians and they didn't copy their Western idols enough to please the hipsters of the day but to an auslander with a sweet-tooth for the unique and the exotic, this album is Pure Treasure. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect opener than the mad Mad MAD Fastness-NWOHM-Attack of "Penunggang Maut", sounding like an upside-down madcap Asian version of worldwide sibling pioneers like V8, 99%, Loose Connection etc. The remaining 2 quirky hardrockers on side A don't really carry the same proto-Steel weight as this monstrum but they will keep you on your toes for the absolute destruction that is side B...

The first time I heard the lead riff to "Semuga Kau Sedar" it destroyed my soul and dragged me down to hell, screaming "This sounds like bloody Canadian Slaughter for fux' ache!!" all along the way. Intermingled with the corny, jangly Asian Hard Rock parts it's damn near perfect. The opening doomy chords to "Lupa Daratan" directly following this sweet punishment are like sugar in the wounds of a dying man and what an excellent, atmospheric Heavy Rock tune it is too. And the mayhem just keeps giving. "Mencari Ketenangan" could be the greatest Asian Witchfinder General song ever written and a strong contender for Best Track Of The LP, the way it combines all the strengths of the band into one song with both riffing, guitar- and vocal harmonies reaching their respective peaks. Right here at the end is where the experienced Malay HM collector would expect the wet blanket of a closer schmallad to end things on a commercial note but Praise Hail The Horned God Of The Witches for K.I.R. giving the finger to the unwritten laws of the Malay music biz. However simple in construction "Hati Batu" may be, it's the perfect ending for an aging Pentagram-fan/mom's-garage-fiend like yours truly.

In conclusion "Penunggang Maut" is everything we always dreamt would-be-überkult LPs like Northern Haze or The Devil's Anvil to be but weren't. And so much more. We all have our top-10's of Greatest Albums Ever and our top-10's of Most Rare in our collection, but this one sits perfectly safe in that twilight zone of truly special Top-10 Albums I'll Bring To My Grave.