Band Burgerkill (Courtesy of Angga Bagja)

Prominent Indonesian metal bands Deadsquad and Burgerkill are currently in Europe touring under the 2018 Superinvasion banner.

Held as part of the tobacco giant Djarum’s Supermusic program, the respective tours aim to promote the best of the Indonesian metal scene abroad and gain each band a new, global audience.

Both the Bandung-based Burgerkill and the Jakarta-based Deadsquad have built their reputations as two of the most celebrated metal acts in Indonesia.

Burgerkill has already impressed audiences worldwide, having performed overseas several times, including at Australia’s defunct Big Day Out and Soundwave festivals. The band has also won various international metal awards.

Deadsquad has yet to reach that level of international acclaim, but has already established a loyal and rabid fanbase in Indonesia and is known for the number of acclaimed musicians it once had as members: Ricky Siahaan of Seringai, guitar virtuoso Prisa Adinda and Netral guitarist Coki. Deadsquad’s current lead guitarist, Stevie Item, is also part of Andra and the Backbone.

Both bands have departed for Europe already, with Burgerkill leaving for France on Monday and Deadsquad leaving for Austria on Wednesday.

Burgerkill’s itinerary will take the Bandung band through France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Poland, while Deadsquad will travel through Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands.

The Superinvasion tour is not the first opportunity Burgerkill has had to play on European stages, having played Germany’s prestigious Wacken Open Air festival in 2015. However, this tour will be Deadsquad’s first time performing on the continent.

Burgerkill guitarist Aris “Eben” Tanto explained that while the band had played in Europe before, the Superinvasion tour would offer a different vibe because it would mainly cover small venues and clubs rather than festival stages.

The two bands will eventually meet up with each other during their stop in Amsterdam on Oct. 25, where they will share a stage for the only time on the tour.

Band Deadsquad (Courtesy of Stevie Item)

Burgerkill vocalist Vicky Mono said that in order to accommodate this vision, he wanted to show European audiences the essence of what made Indonesian metal so great by not only performing together with Deadsquad but also making their music (and merchandise) reflective of Indonesia.

“[This collaboration in Amsterdam] is a way for us to really show what Indonesia is all about. Collaborating with Deadsquad for us isn’t going to be too hard because we already click when it comes to music, but we’ll just see where the music takes us,” Vicky explained.

Merchandise-wise, Deadsquad vocalist Daniel Mardhany added that his band’s wares would be modified in the spirit of the theme, featuring many Indonesian elements that could serve as a point of interest for the unfamiliar European crowd.

Vicky Mono observed that because of the efforts of Indonesian metal bands in getting their names out there in the world, European audiences were becoming more familiar with the Indonesian metal scene.

“And we hope Burgerkill and Deadsquad can become the gateway for them to explore [the scene] further,” he added.

Djarum Supermusic has a history of supporting Indonesian rock bands with tours abroad. In 2016 and 2017, the program succeeded in bringing bands such as The Hydrant, Kelompok Penerbang Roket, The SIGIT and Mooner to select cities in Australia and the United States.  

“Through Superinvasion, we want to show our consistency in our willingness to bring Indonesian musical names to the global music [scene]. That is why we are sending such bands abroad for the third year in a row,” said Supermusic representative Adjie Aditya Purwaka.