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Eben of ‘Burgerkill’ passes away
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The late Burgerkill guitarist Eben, also called 'Ebenz', pictured with his guitar on August 28, 2021. (Instagram/Courtesy of @ebenbkhc on Instagram)
A
ries Tanto, better known as Eben the guitarist of Indonesian heavy metal band Burgerkill, passed away on Friday at Bungsu Hospital, Bandung, West Java.
The news was broken by the metal festival Hellprint through its Instagram account and was later confirmed on Burgerkill’s Instagram account.
“Mr. Aries Tanto aka Eben Burgerkill has left us all today, September 3, 2021, at 16:15. The deceased died peacefully in Bandung,” Burgerkill’s Instagram caption wrote.
“We also ask for prayers for the deceased so that his faith and deeds are accepted by His side, and that all those left behind are given fortitude.”
Senior music observer Adib Hidayat previously confirmed the news to online publications.
"He was shooting before he suddenly fainted. He was then taken to the hospital, but Eben died there," Adib Hidayat told Indonesian music publication Hai Grid.
Eben, sometimes called “Ebenz”, was the only Burgerkill founder who had remained with the band since it was founded in 1995. Burgerkill was formed when Eben, originally from Jakarta, moved to Bandung and met Kimung at SMA 1 Ujung Berung state high school. Eben came up with the band’s name by playing on the name of the fast-food chain Burger King.
The two founded Burgerkill by recruiting Ivan “Scumbag” Firmansyah as vocalist and Kudung as drummer. It has since experienced numerous changes in line-ups, with Ugum as a guitarist and “Abah” Andris as bassist, who later became the band’s drummer.
In 2000, Burgerkill released its debut album, Dua Sisi, through local indie label Riotic Records and sold 2,000 copies. Burgerkill would later release legendary singles such as “Homeless Crew”, “Tiga Titik Hitam” and “An Elegy”.
Burgerkill is one of the best known and respected acts in Indonesia’s metal scene. It has toured across continents and played at international venues. Burgerkill has also won prestigious awards, from the Best Metal Production category at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI) awards in 2004 for its second album, Berkarat, to the Metal As F*ck category awarded by the United Kingdom’s music magazine Metal Hammer.
Eben was known to be a fan of heavy metal bands like Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, which were the foundation of his music. With his death, Eben follows Burgerkill’s first vocalist Ivan Firmansyah who died in 2006.
Musicians and public figures bade farewell to the late guitarist on social media.
“Too soon, Ben, too soon. 25 years of friendship. Rest well, dear friend, I love you. See you on the other side. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family,” Arian Arifin, vocalist of metal band Seringai, wrote on Instagram.
