3 former key members are Jeff Arwadi (guitars, vocals, programming, drums), Azhar Levi Sianturi (bass, vocals), and Leo Setiawan (guitars), all have left the band in 2009.
They started in 1995 as a more straightforward black metal band. Throughout the first 5 years, they developed their own 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. This led to their first European mini-tour in 2004, playing a string of shows in countries such as Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden. After that tour, they released their 5th album, "Acidity", in 2005. They made even further experiments on their 6th album, "The Habit of Fire", which found the band decreasing their early metal sound to give more room for jazz, avantgarde and electronic elements.
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 rumors 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 2 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, as well as CD of The Month by UK’s music technology magazine 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. It was revealed later on, that the new album is entitled "Audible Minority", and it was released officially in December 25, 2008 with a total of 11 songs including an A-ha cover song.
On August 12th, 2009, Jeff decided to leave Kekal, citing a plethora of reasons including but not limited to lack of inspiration. As Leo has also agreed to leave if Jeff leaves, and that Levi has already left earlier, Kekal effectively has no members remaining. The band, however, will continue to “exist” as an institution, albeit with no active members.
In January 2010, Jeff announced that he has been working on a new material with a possibility to be released under the Kekal name. It came to surface shortly after, that all 3 former members have also contributed in working the new album titled 8, officially released in December 2010. But however, there is no sign that they will rejoin the band as members, leaving Kekal as a zero-member band.
With no official members, Kekal is still active to this date, limited only to make and release new studio material (albums, EPs). In 2012 another full-length album entitled Autonomy was released on CD as well as free digital download, followed by a 5-track EP called Unsung Division EP.
"Kekal" means "eternal" in Indonesian.
www.kekal.org
www.facebook.com/kekalofficial
www.twitter.com/kekalofficial
Spirits
Kekal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bathe in blood of Christ, Holy Spirit inside
Spirits of the unblack, rising to eternity
Living in the wholeness, obedience to Christ
Praise him who conquer death!
Praise him who defeat Satan!
Jesus Christ destroyed Satan's head
Show the light to the dark
Unblack heart, unblack mind
Spread the word to the world
Unblack heart, unblack mind
Praise him who conquer death!
Praise him who defeat Satan!
Jesus Christ destroyed Satan's head
Crushed his ugly head...victory!
Spirits of the unblack, exist in forgiveness
Bathe in blood of Christ, Holy Spirit inside
Spirits of the unblack, rising to eternity
Living in the wholeness, obedience to Christ
Praise him who conquer death!
Praise him who defeat Satan!
Jesus Christ destroyed Satan's head
Crushed his ugly head...victory!
No more enslavery by the darkness
We have chosen to follow Jesus
The lyrics of Kekal's song "Spirits" convey a message of spiritual redemption and rebirth through faith in Jesus Christ. The term "unblack" refers to a subgenre of black metal music that seeks to express Christian themes and values within the typically nihilistic context of the genre. The spirits referred to in the lyrics are those of individuals who have been forgiven and renewed through the power of Christ's sacrifice, represented by his blood and the Holy Spirit residing within them.
The song celebrates the victory of Christ over death and Satan, using vivid imagery to convey the destruction of Satan's influence and the freedom of those who have chosen to embrace the light of Christ. The call to "show the light to the dark" and "spread the word to the world" encourages listeners to share their faith with others and help others find the same freedom and redemption they have found.
Overall, the lyrics of "Spirits" are a powerful expression of faith and a call to action for those who share that faith to work toward the spiritual liberation of others. The use of black metal imagery and conventions gives the song a subversive edge, challenging the assumptions of the genre and demonstrating the transformative power of faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Spirits of the unblack exist in forgiveness
Forgiveness is the essence of unblack spirits
Bathe in blood of Christ, Holy Spirit inside
The Holy Spirit resides in those who cleanse themselves with Christ's blood
Spirits of the unblack, rising to eternity
Unblack spirits are destined to reach eternity
Living in the wholeness, obedience to Christ
Wholeness and obedience to Christ are the way of life for unblack spirits
Praise him who conquer death!
Jesus Christ conquered death and deserves our praise
Praise him who defeat Satan!
Jesus Christ defeated Satan and deserves our praise
Jesus Christ destroyed Satan's head
Jesus Christ completely defeated Satan
Crushed his ugly head...victory!
Jesus Christ's victory over Satan was decisive and complete
Show the light to the dark
We must bring light to the darkness
Unblack heart, unblack mind
We must have unblack hearts and minds
Spread the word to the world
We must share the message with the world
No more enslavery by the darkness
We have been freed from the darkness
We have chosen to follow Jesus
We have made the choice to follow Jesus
Contributed by Bella O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Immanuel Siregar
(LYRICS)
Spirits of the unblack exist in forgiveness
Bathe in blood of CHRIST, Holy Spirit inside
Spirits of the unblack, rising to eternity
Living in the wholeness, obedience to CHRIST
Praise Him who conquer death!
Praise Him who defeat satan!
JESUS CHRIST destroyed satan's head
Crushed his ugly head...victory!
Show the light to the dark
Unblack heart, unblack mind
Spread the word to the world
Unblack heart, unblack mind
Praise Him who conquer death!
Praise Him who defeat satan!
JESUS CHRIST destroyed satan's head
Crushed his ugly head...victory!
Spirits of the unblack exist in forgiveness
Bathe in blood of CHRIST, Holy Spirit inside
Spirits of the unblack, rising to eternity
Living in the wholeness, obedience to CHRIST
Praise Him who conquer death!
Praise Him who defeat satan!
JESUS CHRIST destroyed satan's head
Crushed his ugly head...victory!
No more enslavery by the darkness
We have chosen to follow JESUS
Devaan Ozzman
"Semangats"