Band: xDEFIANCEx
From: Malang, Indonesia
Their formation story:
(Din, guitar): "It started in 2022, when I met Alfin, Hikam, and Farrel in a long-standing straight edge band called Compassion, which we wanted to revive. At that time, the four of us in Compassion were new members, assisting Niko (an original member of Compassion) and playing hardcore music like Champion, In My Eyes, Project X, and other Youth Crew and straight edge bands with a hardcore/punk feel. Then, Alfin realized we wanted something more intense and solid.
"Thus, xDEFIANCEx was formed, with the last member to join and become our frontman on vocals, Dhana. We had decided to make music exactly like Carry On, but Dhana, who already had his previous band project, Better Chance, really wanted something different, so we decided to play in the metallic/hardcore or edge-metal corridor."
Their sound in their own words:
"Initially, during the process of creating the single "Strong Will" (2024), released by Set the Fire Records and Trueside Records (Jakarta), we wanted the band to sound close to our favorite trident: Envision, Ecostrike, and Magnitude. Our desire and love for the sounds of these three bands ultimately brought us together. We didn't stop there; we weren't satisfied with that.
"We explored chords and expanded our musical references, ultimately creating 'Strong Will' in a hardcore style similar to the trident I mentioned above, with a few added chords that add a dark nuance, like metal bands, while still retaining the clarity of '90s hardcore like One King Down and Spawn. So, our FFO at that time was Envision, Ecostrike, Magnitude, One King Down, and Spawn."
Latest release info:
"Our new EP, Purgatory, is still being released by Set The Fire Records (Jakarta) and contains five tracks. It draws its theme from the Catholic belief that it is a final purification process for souls who die in God's grace but are not yet completely cleansed of venial sin or have not yet paid the temporal punishment for sin. We interpret 'Purgatory' as a means of self-reflection to purify our souls and minds, which are often tempted by worldly, negative things, and straight edge seems to purify us."
"This EP broadens our musical exploration, extending beyond H8000 edge-metal bands like Congress, Liar, and Deformity to include new wave bands like Mourning, Hellbound, Demonstration of Power, and Revolve, which are all part of Northern Unrest (Scotland hardcore). In this EP, we also provide space for rest in track number 4 entitled 'Interlude' where the track contains a sample of religious speech that we modified and added elements of ethnic vocal sounds from Banyuwangi, a city in our province that is famous for its magical elements and the uniqueness of its ethnic music as a representation of our "eastern soul and body.'"
Future plans:
"Our band will probably go on a few weekend tours to promote our latest EP in several cities, either on the same island or on other islands."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Last Dayz, Rectify, P90, One Minute, and Demain of Sorrow."
xDEFIANCEx on social media: Instagram
Tagged: xdefiancex
