Jeremy Wallach on Religion and Heavy Metal Music in Indonesia

Jeremy Wallach, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, discusses his research on religion and heavy metal music in Indonesia.

Religion in Indonesia

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, with over 225 million Muslims living in the archipelago. Islam is the official religion of Indonesia, and Muslims make up around 13% of the world’s Muslim population. The country’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right.

Islam

Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with approximately 87.2% of the population identifying as Muslim. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, with approximately 213 million Muslims. Islam was introduced to Indonesia in the 13th century by Arab traders, and has since become deeply ingrained in Indonesian culture.

Indonesian Muslims largely follow the Sunni tradition of Islam, although there is a small Shia minority. Sunni Islam is characterized by adherence to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions (known as the sunnah), as well as acceptance of the four orthodox juridical schools ( Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali). Shia Islam, on the other hand, emphasizes adherence to the teachings of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law.

There are a number of different Islamic organizations and groups in Indonesia, including Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiya. NU is Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, with approximately 40 million members. It was founded in 1926 with the aim of promoting a more moderate form of Islam. Muhammadiya, meanwhile, was founded in 1912 and has around 2 million members. It promotes a more progressive form of Islam that is more open to modernity and democracy.

Christianity

Christianity is the largest religion in Indonesia, with around 37 million Christians in the country. Indonesia is a majority Muslim country, but Christians make up a significant minority. Christians are found all over Indonesia, but they are most concentrated in the provinces of North Sumatra, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku.

Christians in Indonesia have been subjected to persecution from both the government and Islamic extremists. In 2006, three Christian girls were beheaded by Islamic militants in Sulawesi. In 2016, riots broke out in Jakarta after a Christian governor was accused of blasphemy. Despite these incidents, Christianity continues to grow in Indonesia.

Hinduism

Though only around 3% of the population of Indonesia adheres to Hinduism, it is nonetheless the country’s second-largest religion. Hinduism first came to Indonesia in the 1st century CE via traders from India and had a profound impact on local cultures. The Indonesian version of Hinduism is heavily syncretic, incorporating elements of Buddhism and animism.

Shiva is one of the most popular deities in Indonesia. Balinese Hindus worship a unique form of Shiva known as Sanghyang Widhi Wasa, while Javanese Hindus worship a form known as Batara Guru. Other popular Hindu deities include Vishnu, Brahma, and Ganesha.

Hinduism has been declining in recent years due to heavy Islamization, but there are still pockets of strong Hindu communities throughout Indonesia, particularly on the islands of Bali and Java.

Heavy Metal Music in Indonesia

Jeremy Wallach is an anthropologist who has done extensive research on religion and heavy metal music in Indonesia. In this article, he discusses his findings on the subject. Wallach argues that the popularity of heavy metal music in Indonesia is due to the fact that it allows people to express their dissatisfaction with the government and social norms.

The Metal Scene

In Indonesia, the metal scene is deeply intertwined with the country’s strong Sufi traditions. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasizes personal spiritual growth over rigid adherence to religious law. It’s not surprising, then, that many Indonesian metal bands sing about religious themes, often using metal as a way to explore and express their Sufi beliefs.

This is not to say that all Indonesian metal is religious in nature. There are plenty of bands that sing about more secular topics, like politics and social issues. But even these bands often incorporate Sufi themes into their music. For example, the band Mata Hari Antika sings about the unjust treatment of women in Indonesia, but they also make references to Sufi saints and mystics in their lyrics.

So what’s it like to be a metalhead in Indonesia? In general, it’s a pretty tolerant scene. There are Christian metal bands, Muslim metal bands, and even some Hindu metal bands. And while there is some competition between different groups, most Indonesian metalheads are united by their love of heavy music.

The Bands

There are currently between fifty and seventy metal bands in Indonesia, most of whom are concentrated in the major cities of Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya. While some Indonesian metal bands play a unique brand of music that blends together traditional Indonesian sounds with metal, the vast majority of bands play a more conventional brand of heavy metal, such as death metal, black metal, or thrash metal.

One of the most popular Indonesian metal bands is Godsgarden, which was formed in Jakarta in 1991. Godsgarden is currently signed to the American record label Roadrunner Records, and has released three albums: Prayers for a Transitory Age (1995), The Silent Scream (1997), and From Ashes to Eden (1999). Godsgarden is not only popular in Indonesia, but has also gained a large following in other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Another popular Indonesian metal band is Battered, which was formed in Bandung in 1992. Battered has released four albums: Battered (1992), Beyond Recognition (1994), Bloodied but Unbowed (1996), and Painkiller (1998). Battered is one of the few Indonesian metal bands that sings entirely in English, which has helped them to gain a wider audience both inside and outside of Indonesia.

The Fans

There are a number of reasons why heavy metal music has found such a large and devoted following in Indonesia. For one, the music speaks to the sense of alienation and displacement that many young Indonesians feel. In a society that can be quite rigid and stratified, heavy metal provides a way for young people to express their dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Moreover, the aggressive and often dark nature of heavy metal music provides an outlet for young people who may be struggling with personal issues like depression or anxiety. The music can be cathartic, helping listeners to process and release difficult emotions.

Finally, heavy metal fans in Indonesia have found community and support through the shared love of this type of music. In a country where there can be significant social barriers between different religious and ethnic groups, heavy metal fans have found common ground in their love of this intense and powerful musical genre.

Jeremy Wallach on Religion and Heavy Metal Music in Indonesia

Jeremy Wallach is an anthropologist who has studied religion and heavy metal music in Indonesia. He’s the author of the book “To Live Outside the Law: Crossover from Punk to Metal in Indonesia.” In this interview, he discusses how metal music is a form of resistance against religious oppression.

His Research

From 2006 to 2010, Jeremy Wallach conducted research on religion and heavy metal music in Indonesia. Specifically, he examined how Indonesian youth use heavy metal music to expresses their religious and spiritual beliefs, as well as their social and political concerns. He is the author of “Blood, Metal, and Spirituals: Indonesian Hard Music and its Fans” (Lexington Books, 2013) and “Indonesian Hardcore: Scenes of Religious Violence” (University of California Press, 2016).

His Findings

During his time in Indonesia, Jeremy Wallach conducted research on the country’s unique take on religion and heavy metal music. He found that, despite the fact that most Indonesians are Muslim, there is a significant minority who practice a more syncretic form of Islam that combines elements of both Christianity and Islam. This minority often turns to heavy metal music as a way to express their defiance of the majority.

Wallach also found that heavy metal music is generally tolerated by the Indonesian government, as it is seen as a form of cultural expression. However, there have been some crackdowns on metal concerts in recent years, as the government has grown concerned about the potential for violence at these events.

His Conclusions

Wallach’s research has led him to some interesting conclusions about the relationships between religion and heavy metal music in Indonesia. He argues that there is a connection between the two, but it is not always a positive one. In some cases, he says, religious leaders have actually used heavy metal music to spread their message of hate and intolerance.

In other cases, though, he says that metal music can be a force for good. He points to the example of a metal band called Kekal, which is made up of Christian and Muslim members. The band’s music promotes understanding and tolerance between different religions.

Wallach believes that metal music can be a powerful tool for promoting peace and understanding in Indonesia. He hopes that his research will help people to see the positive side of metal music and to appreciate its potential for promoting inter-religious dialogue.