interview: Aestees

Aestees (Indonesia)

Aestees is an extreme metal band from Indonesia. As you will read in this interview, they don’t care too much for genres with their groovy, heavy extreme sounds and growling vocals. Their older material was a bit more typical death metal, but their newer sounds point to a groovier sound. Even though they are not a new band, they are a new band to this publication. Rizal, the drummer, answered questions from this publication in order to shed some light on Aestees.

Greetings! You are in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Tell about the life of your metal band in Indonesia.

Greetings, sir/ma'am! Thanks for interviewing us Metal Bulletin Zine! It's been fun and exciting! In Indonesia metal is not only a music, it's a cult! And as a band we really enjoy the process, not just the result. We cannot reveal what we did. That’s not the point. We just believe that process is a point. Not the result. Just do something that we want to do. As a human being you know? Human always expressing something conscious or unconscious. And life seems so empty without expressing what their passion. Sometimes people can't express their expression with talking, cooking, doing something 9 to 5, doing something weird & etc. So we expressing it in music. We are just doing it without agenda, just doing it for live! Why I do this? Why I do that? No agenda. Yes, you're right! My lovely Jakarta! Metal had changed our life. In the past we believed that metal is only a music if you are a listener or playing your show perfectly if you have a band. But that's not the point. Hanging out, socializing, making something (song, craft, art), and etc. Having fun is the point!

Tell us about the beginnings of your band.

Aestees is formed in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 28, 2010 with the first name "Another Sword To Slain" and changed to Aestees. Consisting Ainu Ropiq - vocals, Bebby Fisher - guitars, Krisnanda Yusuf - guitars, Ahmad Zulfikar - bass, & Rizal Arifin - drums. “Galactic Reborn” was our mini album in 2012. And now we are still in process searching the material for new album in end of 2016. I am Rizal the drummer.

How would you describe your metal music?

We are just expressing something that we want to show. We don't want to be trapped in words. We don't care about the genre label. This is tech metal, this is prog, this is jazz, this is rock or this is blues. Whatever they say. We are just making music and expressing it. Because explaining music with words is wrong. Word cannot explain the consciousness. Word is only a tool. You know, music is a language that can't be interpreted into words. It's kind of mystery language. Language of the gods lol If we want to consider it. We will say "Unknownable Psychedelock Death Metal" LOL

How many recordings do you have and where can people hear your music and what can they expect?

9 songs. You can listen it in our SoundCloud or ReverbNation.

Our works:

Demo album "Fatalisme Hari Mati". Self Released (2011) Recorded at Helter Skelter

-Mini album "Galactic Reborn". 404Records (2012) Recorded at A4 Studio

-Indonesia Underground#4 by Edelweiss Production (2013)

-Single "Elixir" By self-released (2014)

-Promo album 2016 By Self Released (2016) Recorded at Plug Studio

What I expect is so simple just make our listener happy every time. LOL

How did you start your adventures in the life of rock and roll in Indonesia?

In my childhood I inspired to playing guitars by Guns N Roses. Slash rocks! LOL and introduced to metal music by Metallica. I remember that, as a 13 y.o. boy when I was going to market store. I was looking into the cover and the name makes me interested "Metallica'. I buy the mp3 album in illegal CD store in there. Yeah. It's like hell! Trapped in cage. But it's a fun process when you want to socializing and promote yourself that moments. I love it!

What type of support do you want?

Buy the our merch, listen to it, know what the meaning of our album, and enjoying life. We want to make people inspired to do something that passionate him/her and to be conscious.

Do you plan to play shows?

Yes, after we finish the album records. We will touring to other cities and playing show as many as we can.

Why do you devote yourself to making music? What is “success” for Aestees?

I think we just expressing our inner soul to the world, making art and not just in locked metal music scene, but general terms it's a music and it's life! To make life so meaningful! To be inspired living our life! It's a boring life to do 9 to 5 and spending all day in the bedroom with phone. There’s so many ways to do. Not just being musician. I really don't think about. Money? Maybe yes, maybe no. I know I really care about it but for me, the most important thing, I’ll say it over and over and over until I die or quit creating music or things that people inspired about. Process is the point. Nothing else matters! The end result is neither here nor there. That’s why it doesn’t matter if someone thinks of me or us it’s good or not. Get money or not. What came out of it isn’t the point; the point is the process, the journey from here to get there, and that’s why I go through. because I love going intensely through the process. I have a hypermad mind; I love learning about life, and that’s only one ways that I do it is through the process. We don't really care whether we are success or not. We are just having fun and enjoy living fully.

Tell us about the lyrical concepts in your music. How does living in Indonesia affect your lyrics?

About consciousness, mystery of the universe, scientific term and pseudoscience, spiritual, tragedy, history, religion, and ideology. Terms that not everyday lunch. What I want is to remembering the human essence. How to be a human? And how see life in many perspective. Why am I alive? Why I exist? How universe was created? Yes, I have. Our mission is to destroy the people ideology, bigotry, racist, and fanatic to realizing people that we are one. I really love Indonesia very much. I dont have any opinion! I can't say anything. You must come here! It's fun! LOL

What other Aestees news do you have?

We will release the album in the end of 2016 under East Breath Records. It's called Lex Talionis! So be aware of it!

www.facebook.com/AESTEES

www.SoundCloud.com/aestees

www.reverbnation.com/aestees

THE END