Heavy metal oldies still going strong
Every first and third Wednesday of the month, Yahoo! MusicScene shines the spotlight on talented, up-and-coming Singaporean bands or musicians. This week, in conjunction with BayBeats 2011, we speak to veteran metal heads Ossuary.
Many local bands would allow age or new trends to dictate what they can or cannot do, but not Ossuary.
Having been in the local music scene for more than 20 years, the heavy metal band are headlining Baybeats 2011, Singapore's biggest music festival.
By local standards, the band members — Shahril, 37; Aim, 36; Naz, 38; and Razak, 40 — are considered grand-daddies of Singapore's metal scene, but they do not see themselves as obsolete.
In an interview with Yahoo! Singapore, Shahril, the only member of the band to have been around since its formation in 1990, said, "The music stays the same, but with the different players (we have had) we have evolved to become better over the years. The roots (in heavy metal) are still there."
Still actively gigging in their free time, the metal heads are seeking to improve their music and to reach new heights, though their approach to the metal genre will remain the same.
"We have yet to satisfy ourselves. Over the years we still play the same style — metal music — even though the metal trend now has changed with so many mixtures of metal," said Shahril, the band's drummer.
"There is still a lot to conquer, and it (the music) is a big passion for us," added Aim, guitarist and member of the band since 1997.
The musicians admire "old school" metal bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden for their longevity.
Now, the band are in the process of coming up with new material and are hoping to use their new songs as a way to get more gigs in the region, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. They recently had a concert in Jakarta.
"With quite a few metal bands coming up in Singapore, I think the response is good. But as you know, Singapore is very small and sometimes gigs are just a small gathering of friends," Aim pointed out.
They did note, however, positive developments in the local music scene.
"Nowadays the musicians are quite lucky. Last time, we had to learn everything ourselves, but now there are schools and the Internet, where musicians can learn how to play, and they can play better at a younger age," said Naz, who plays the bass guitar.
Some of the members also light-heartedly added that the fans who have been following them down the years now do not have much time to attend their gigs; what the supporters do now is simply click the "like" button on their Facebook page.
"We do have some newer generation people coming to watch us, that is also why we want to get as many shows now as we can, so that we can make ourselves known to the younger crowd," said Shahril.
Watch them in action:
Catch Ossuary in action at Baybeats 2011 at the Powerhouse stage on Sunday, 21 August at 9.45pm.
