Biography

After 10 years of existence as a band, KEKAL decided to move forward and to come deep into musical territories yet unexplored by the band. Throughout the year 2006, KEKAL was busy recording and shaping their 6th full-length album entitled "The Habit of Fire", an ambitious project which marks a new statement for the band. "The Habit of Fire" is an experimental (but yet accessible) 70-minute epic concept album with a liberal use of electronic elements and mix of countless musical sub-genres to accompany their trademark guitar-driven soundscapes. The album is licensed to 2 record labels: Whirlwind Records (Germany) for Europe and some South America, and Open Grave Records for the USA, Canada, Australia & Japan.

Kekal has matured themselves throughout the last decade and they already released 5 full-length albums within the extreme metal realm, but now they have been moving far beyond their metal roots, only to find freedom to explore a lot more musical possibilities.

Originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, Kekal formed back in August 1995 by 2 friends. Their first official demo "Contra spiritualia Nequitiae" released in 1996 and got a good response from the underground as it contains totally extreme and unique musical structures that have become influential.

Some changes and addition in line-up appeared. With Harry on Vocals, Leo on Guitar, Jeff on Guitar/Vocals, and Azhar Levi on Bass/Vocals, Kekal continued to write new material. Early in 1998, the first full-length album entitled "Beyond The Glimpse of Dreams" was recorded independently and licensed to various indie labels. "Beyond The Glimpse of Dreams" has got very good reviews from publications around the world and being considered as one of the best extreme metal albums ever coming from Asian bands. The response has also been very good since it has been sold for over 5000 copies without an aid of any major distribution.

At the end of 1998 Harry left the band due to other commitments outside music. Kekal remains as a three-piece band with Jeff and Azhar Levi handle all the vocal duties. Their 2nd full-length album called "Embrace The Dead" was finally recorded and without a doubt shows every extreme metal lover once again, about the strength and uniqueness of Kekal's music. Early 2001 Kekal entered the studio to record songs for next full-length project entitled "The Painful Experience" with better production. This album is released on CD format by 4 independent labels in USA, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and South East Asia. Musically, Kekal is in the continual process of shaping and progressing, without abandoning the band's trademark style.

In 2003, they released "1000 Thoughts of Violence", an album that has gained a lot of attention even beyond the Asian region due to the uniqueness of their music, combining elements of jazz-fusion, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, trip-hop, experimental electronic and ambient music, and blend them together into their own distinct style. Critics then started to cite Kekal among the finest independent avant-garde metal bands.

In March 2004, Kekal did their first mini European Tour and played some shows in Holland, Germany, and Sweden, sponsored by their record label at that time, Fear Dark. This makes Kekal as the first independent band from Indonesia who played shows outside Asian territory.

Earlier in 2005, Kekal released a full-length album called "Acidity", the band's 5th full-length album. 'Acidity" then marked as the final album from Kekal in the extreme heavy-metal territory, and they continue to work on music beyond the limits of musical genres.

Kekal is an example of hard-working independent band which dedicated itself to the music beyond the limits of industry.