format: LP
year: 1990
country: Malaysia
label: Kuzam Record Enterprise
#: 9001
info: -
style: Heavy Metal
Side A:
Side B:
Would you believe me if I told you that part of the reason I hunted down this LP was because of its cover? Rhetorical question obviously, but Yes I do have a certian kink for Metal albums (or at least albums w/ Metal content) with ridiculously un-Metal sleeves, and this one is a bloody archetype of unmetallistic design! I've had 60's Gamelan field recordings and Swedish christian outsider-artists in my collection with more Steelclad aestetics than this uggggly minimal anti-atrocity. This was probably the first and last time ever that I was disappointed that the sleeve was in EX+ condition when the album finally arrived at my doorstep after years of searching for it. It so deserved to have been enhanced with a flea-market/bargain-bin, stained, wrinkled and filthy G+.
Ok, so I actually had a faint idea of what
to expect musically, but I think my 2nd justification was just "oh it has more heavy songs than ballads? Welcome to wantlist." Once it had taken its first ride on the ol' 12" roundabout it did however not disappoint.
This is straight-up the most NWOBHM-sounding if the olde Malaysian
HM lp's I've heard (and I dare say I've heard the majority of 'em). One fact making it so is that, while there is the usual large part of ballad content, they are unusually well integrated into the heavier material and the melancholic atmosphere of those interludes never quite breaks the flow of the album as much as is more common on the majority of Malaysia's more mainstream HR/HM releases.
Another contributing fact to its superiority is that
there aren't any pop-hr fluff or or other mellow/glammy aberrations featured - they remain consistently Hard, Heavy or at the very least, Somber. In short: Purnama never gets SAPPY.
They create the same warm, unprocessed sound as the Dinamik LP, and while it may not have quite as many rippers in their repertoir as that classic, there are at least 2 stand-out tracks here: "Destinasi" is a proud, broad-legged, pounding piece of Headbanger's heaven, not astronomically original but with some purely ecstatic riffs inside. On side B "Ragam Manusia" shows how you can create a killer Hard Rock tune that is both upbeat and stupid catchy without mellowing out. Another must-hear for sure.
There's more goodness to be found: The metallic
"Perang Saraf" is tailor-made for displaying the talent of the vocalist and the cozy, subtle reverb of the vocal track is everything you ever loved about those old NWOBHM gems whithout even realizing it. The slow but epic "Buta Dua Alam" carries plenty of light, shade and surprises, and we couldn't have asked for a better and more representative opener than the Olde-'79-HM-sounding, hammond-infused "Materialisma". In fact, if it weren't for the year of recording printed on the sleeve, I would have wagered this to be one of the first - if not the first - Heavy album of the country.