One of the reasons that we've chosen Incarnation as our band to be interviewed is their relentless pursuit of their passion. It's not uncommon that bands do break up after a good 2-3 years of playing music together. Incarnation defied all odds in maintaining a good progression for a local metal band ... from difficult jamming session schedules to line-up changes to playing international shows.
Below is the interview we had with them (online) which touches on their music making to their best gig performances.
Interview Questions
Post A Gig : Introduce
yourselves. So who plays what instrument?
Yadd on vocals, me
(Najmi) on 1st guitar, Udey on 2nd guitar, Areef on
bass and Arab on drums.
Post A Gig : What
kind of music do you describe Incarnation? Who are your influences?
We play metal music with
a hint of trash and hardcore. Our influences are like Soilwork, Dimension Zero,
Children of Bodom, Pantera, Unearth, As I Lay Dying and a lot more.
Post A Gig : When did
you form your band? How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
What inspired you to make music together?
Incarnation was formed in 2005. Basically we hangout a lot
at rehearsal studios, jamming metal tunes and stuff even though we’re in
different bands back then, that’s how we knew each other. We just wanted to
play our own metal music that we feel it’s cool.
Post A Gig : As a
band, how often does Incarnation practice?
What are your jamming sessions generally like?
It’s really hard for us
to practice as Yadd and Udey are based in Kedah while Areef and Arab are based
in Negeri Sembilan. Only me (Najmi) lives in KL. So we practice at home and
will jam one time before we play a show.
Post A Gig : Who
write the songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
Azim (ex drummer) laid
down most of the tunes and I filled in where it’s necessary on our 1st album,
The Stainless Perfect Murder. He even wrote some of the songs for our 2nd album
(coming out soon) before he left the band. Yadd wrote all the lyrics. He likes
to talk about life experiences, mostly.
Post A Gig : Could
you briefly describe the music-making process? Do you start with a guitar riff
or other ways? Are the songs done at home or the studio?
It’s really simple. We
always start with a riff and take it from there. Go with the flow, y’know? I
have a simple recording setup where we can record pre-production with a decent
sound so that we can arrange the song nicely.
Post A Gig : How has
your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
I supposed we are
getting heavier and more melodic than the last record.
Post A Gig : What has
been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that
challenge? If so, how? Did you get any objections from your family or friends?
At any one point, any member thought of quitting?
Our biggest challenge is
communication as each band members live far from each other. Luckily we have
the internet so we could communicate and update each other better. Family and
friends have been very supportive so far. Talk about quitting the band, well,
actually we already had a few lineup changes due to lack of commitment and
creativity differences. But we had to move forward because we put too much
effort in the band and it’s a shame to quit now.
Post A Gig : What do
you think of the perception or feedback from the music fans in Malaysia in
regards to your music?
So far, they’ve been
nothing but great. Thanks guys!!
Post A Gig : What do you think of our local radio stations?
Have you tried submitting your songs to the local stations? Any response?
I don’t think we have
submitted anything to radio stations cos’ they’re not gonna play metal music
anyway except for XFM that has gone kaput. Too heavy for our pakciks and
makciks, I guess. I’d rather play a lot of shows.
Post A Gig : What's
your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune? Or
both? How do you plan to achieve that?
Well, logically, with
fame comes fortune. With fortune comes a lot of tours which means we can go out
of Malaysia and play more shows. To achieve it is by promoting our music
endlessly to new people every single day.
Post A Gig : Do you have a band manager? How do you manage
your band’s activities? Any plans to bring your music further in the market?
No, we manage the band
ourselves. Every member has their own roles. For example, I handle most of the
production sides while Udey handle merchandise and stuff.
Post A Gig : Did you try to get your materials promoted
overseas? Is it well received?
Yes, and that’s why we get to play a number of shows in
Indonesia including Macbeth x Crooz Tour
in 2009 and the response was beyond our expectations thanks to our Crooz
family. We are also well received in the Philippines.
Post A Gig : Do you
have any materials out yet? Album? If no, are there plans to get it done? If
yes, where can your fans get it? Any merchandise?
Yes, we released our 1st
album, The Stainless Perfect Murder in 2008. You can stream the whole album on
our Youtube channel since it’s already sold out. Currently we’re recording our
2nd album coming out hopefully this year or the next. Hahaha.
Post A Gig : What do
you think of the local music scene? Active/inactive? What do you think can be
improved?
It is the most active
scene compared to other mainstream scene. The one thing can improve the scene
is participation from media people be it TV or radio.
Post A Gig : What is your day job? Can a local band make a
living out of playing music?
I’m an executive at a
top secret agency (like CIA, FBI and stuff) while the Udey is a teacher, Areef
is still in school, Arab work with RISDA and Yadd is with Intel.
Post A Gig : Who are
your top 5 favourite local bands?
Plague of Happiness, Symbiotic in Theory, Cassandra,
Creamson and The Eightyfour
Post A Gig : Which
are your top 3 gigs that you’ve played? Any reasons behind that?
Parkway Drive live in KL
2009, Macbeth x Crooz Tour 2009 and I think recently Northern Music Fest 2012.
The reason is because we headbang a lot with the crowd until we got a major
bang-over (a hangover from too much headbanging)
Post A Gig : What can
you tell me about your instruments? Why the brand and model? Any dream
instruments that you want?
Udey plays an ESP
Eclipse, Areef HAMER bass, Arab plays TAMA drums with Axis pedals and a number
cymbals and I play an LTD H-1000. Why we bought them is merely because they’re
good. Dream intruments? Too much to list down here, man. It’s endless!!
Post A Gig : Any
plans for Incarnation to have songs in the Malay language? Why?
Hell no. It’ll be too
weird.
Post A Gig : Any
advice for your fans who wants to form a band in Malaysia?
Do it for the passion.
Do not stop practice, play shows (even if it’s a small gig) and promote
your band.
Post A Gig : Anyone you would like to
thank for supporting you in your musical journey?
We
would like to thank our families, Studioq crew for supporting us in our early
days, Crooz Cloth Indonesia, friends and bands alike. It has been a wonderful
journey and there is more to come. Stay tuned!
Post A Gig : How can the fans
contact you? FB? Email? Website?
