siLLy puPPy Indonesian metal is truly coming of age with new bands simply killing it in terms of creativity, quality and delivery of kick ass head banging splendor! PURE WRATH is just one example of how various regions of the world that have been suppressed due to political stagnation, foreign interference and the like have been roadblocked in so many ways. Well no longer! Creative souls lurking in every nook and cranny of the globe are sallying forth to claim their stake in the larger metal universe and catching the attention of the larger metal world at large. Yay!

PURE WRATH comes from Bekasi which is a suburb of sort of the Indonesian capital city Jakarta. This is basically the solo project of the one-man band Januaryo Hardy better known as Ryo who has played in other “real” bands like Cadavoracity, Omnivorous, Perverted Dexterity and Vomit Larynx! While completely in control of the project, like many so-called solo artists, Ryo is actually accompanied by other musicians and in this case in addition to his vocal, guitar, bass and synthesizer performances recruits the efforts of drummer Yuril Kononov, pianist / cellist Dice Midyanti and guest guitarist Nick Kushnir.

Despite the help on board, basically Ryo himself has crafted his own black metal universe where he steers his own existential angst into musical form mostly resulting form the the tumultuous history of his own homeland that resulted in the mass killings that took place in 1965-66. HYMN TO THE WOEFUL WORLDS is PURE WRATH’s third full-length and is somewhat of a concept one revolving around a single woman who survived the massacres and the ultimate demise of her son. Of course this is black metal and you can’t really hear the lyrics but i’m sure there’s transcripts out there somewhere!

Lyrically PURE WRATH delivers some hard pills to swallow in terms of truth telling regarding the locality of the horrors and atrocities that many would prefer to bury and be done with. Musically Ryo displays his competence in the world of metal music by not only delivering a beaut of atmospheric black metal but showcases a diverse palette in layering melodies over black metal bleakness and atmospheric ambience. Despite the atmospheric and ambient qualities that this album exudes in abundance, the black metal sounds are in pure raging form as in the spirit of 90s second wave classic from Mayhem, Darkthrone, Immortal and Satyricon but in the slower more contemplative moments, PURE WRATH can be quite beautiful with cello laced symphonic ecstasy showcasing the come down moments when rage becomes exhausted.

As far as subject matter is concerned, this is a hard hitting album indeed with references to true events from Indonesia’s checkered history but as far as musical performances are concerned this one isn’t really anything out of the ordinary as far as the by now well established mix of atmospheres and second wave black metal are concerned. Truly a competent album if not taking the genre into any new pastures but there is a raw emotional tug to this album that beckons unlike many others these days and dare i say that it is from the fact that this is from Indonesia rather than from Norway? I mean come guys, what the fuck does someone from Norway really have to complain about despite the frigid temperatures that exist outside of the saunas? This is truly emotive black metal rage from the heart. Bravo!

adg211288 Indonesia musician Januaryo Hardy is not someone whose music I have personally encountered before, but it seems that even at just twenty-three years old at the time of writing that he's already built up a quite impressive CV within the scene of brutal death metal. He is a member of the groups Cadavoracity (playing bass and doing drum programming) and Omnivorous (doing vocals) and has a solo project within the style as well, Perverted Dexterity. He also has a number of mixing and mastering credits to his name, mostly for fellow Indonesian artists (he is the owner of Insidious Soundlab).

Hardy's latest musical venture of his own is a second solo project. It may carry the rather corny and angry sounding moniker of Pure Wrath, a name that kinda implies something in the ballpark of his other work, or at least something quite violent sounding, but the cover art of debut album Ascetic Eventide (2017) alone should be enough to tell prospective listeners that this project marks a departure from the brutal death metal pastures of his other groups. The artwork brings mind to nature themed black metal acts such as Winterfylleth and Saor and that's exactly the kind of music the album contains: Januaryo Hardy has released his first attempt at an atmospheric black metal album.

I say attempt, but really that sells what Januaryo Hardy has created a bit short, as Ascetic Eventide is quick to show that it's a stunning debut record for the Pure Wrath project. Hardy shows that he's very adept at creating excellent atmospheric black metal right off the bat with the opening Colourless Grassland and then continues to deliver across a further five tracks. Expect in addition to traditional atmospheric black metal guitar rhythms some use of folk elements, haunting piano parts and ambient sound effects that really promote the whole naturalistic vibe. The formula isn't changed up all that much across the six tracks but at forty-three minutes the total length of the album is about right for it to work very well at being something the listener can lose themselves in for a time. The highpoint for me personally though is the closing track, Between Water and Winds. Here, Pure Wrath goes all out and ends up creating a mini-masterpiece of the genre.

You'd think that Hardy had spent all his time creating atmospheric black metal rather than the very different style of brutal death metal based on Ascetic Eventide. The album sees me coming away with the thought that it's one of 2017's most surprising gems of the atmospheric black metal genre. I'm definitely eager to hear more from this project now.