The Habit of Fire is a 2007 album by the Canadian/Indonesian band Kekal. Released on May 15 in North America, Japan & Australia and March 15 in Europe & South America, it is their 6th full-length album. The album was nominated for The Best Avantgarde Metal Album of 2007 award by the members of the Metal Storm website. The album was "one of the main competitors" in that category, competing with 10 other nominees, such as Ulver. Out of 412 votes, the album received 33, ranked at fifth place, and lost to Cadaveria's In Your Blood.

References

Category:2007 albums

Category:Kekal albums

Artist/Band Information

Kekal is a post-metal/avant-garde metal band from Jakarta, Indonesia.

History

They started in 1995 as a more straightforward extreme metal band. According to Allmusic, Kekal were one of the first heavy metal bands from Jakarta, Indonesia, to make international inroads.Rivadavia, Eduardo. Allmusic. Throughout the first 5 years, they developed their style by incorporating many diverse elements from outside metal. This distinct style become most prominent in the third album The Painful Experience, which marked as a starting point for the band to step more and more into the progressive metal and avant-garde metal and made further experiments with their music.

In 2003, they released 1000 Thoughts of Violence and received positive media reviews which led to their first mini-European tour. Not long after a successful mini-European Tour in 2004, they were back to the studio to record their 5th album Acidity, which was released in 2005. They made even further experiments on their sixth album, The Habit of Fire, which found the band decreasing their early metal sound to give more room for jazz, avant-garde and electronic elements; hence the term 'post-metal' is brought to describe the music.

In 2006, right after the recording of The Habit of Fire, founding member Jeff Arwadi moved to Canada while the rest of the members are in Indonesia, leaving the band unable to play shows and do touring. At the same time they left their longtime record label Fear Dark and status of the band was in question. After few months of uncertainty and rumours of break-up went around among their fans, they all decided to remain together and to keep the band only as a studio project. They quickly signed licensing deals with two record labels to release The Habit of Fire in 2007. The album received very well and it was nominated as The Best Avantgarde Metal Album in 2007 by Metal Storm Metal Storm: , as well as CD of The Month by UK's music technology magazine Sound on Sound Sound on Sound .

Later in 2007, Jeff announced on the band's Blog that the new Kekal album is on the way, which he has been working it all by himself. Myspace.com Blogs:

It was revealed later on, that the new album is entitled Audible Minority, and it was released officially in December 25, 2008 as 2 versions: A free download version and a limited edition CD version with total 11 songs including an A-ha cover song.

On August 12, 2009, Jeff announced that he left Kekal, and that the name would continue but without active members. He said that, as well as unspecified personal reasons, he decided to leave the band because, after being closer to nature and in a less densely populated city in Canada, he felt more at peace, and that he was unable to continue to make dark and angry metal music which he did in the past with Kekal. myspace.com. 2009-08-12. Retrieved on 2009-08-13. Shortly after, Kekal started to offer 3 albums for free download, including their most-selling 2003 album "1000 Thoughts of Violence", all are available on their official website.

Many of their fans perceived that Kekal has technically split-up/disbanded at the moment band leader Jeff announced his departure from the band, despite the fact that Kekal as an institution still exists and the institution itself does not affected by any founding member leaving. To end the confusions among their fans, the band issued a statement posted on their official Facebook Page: "KEKAL IS NOT DEAD!!!! When Jeff left Kekal it doesn't mean the band is dead!". Kekal Facebook Page: The band's MySpace and Facebook Pages are still active and currently being managed by volunteers from the band's Street Team members.

Line-up until August 2009

*Jeff Arwadi - guitar, vocals, programming, drums

*Azhar Levi Sianturi - bass, vocals

*Leo Setiawan - guitar

Discography (full-length albums)

* Beyond The Glimpse of Dreams - 1998

* Embrace The Dead - 1999

* The Painful Experience - 2001

* 1000 Thoughts of Violence - 2003

* Acidity - 2005

* The Habit of Fire - 2007

* Audible Minority - 2008

See also

* List of Indonesian rock bands

References