MALAPETAKA is a Malaysian Thrash / Death Metal band hailing from the darkest, noisiest part of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur. Old school Metal is what drives these four passionate dudes, and the resulting sound that they have honed is particularly attuned to that vein, with stylistic consciousness and pointed intent that makes their music driven and focused.

'Malapetaka' is a Malay word of which the direct translation is 'disaster'. However, its Sanskrit origins are probably more applicable to their lyrical themes and sound, with a more specific definition that goes so far as to say that it is "the resultant actions of greatly sinful activities'. The musicians of MALAPETAKA thus follow their namesake loyally, coming out with a five-song demo that lives up to their enigma.

The intro track, "Purity in Calamity" itself defines MALAPETAKA's sound with no holds barred. The band states that their influences include SLAYER, KREATOR, CANNIBAL CORPSE, and NAPALM DEATH. This selection of highly diverse musical influences pays off, because despite it just being a demo, MALAPETAKA have managed to sound like they have had their sound primed and planned for ten years. The vocals have CANNIBAL CORPSE in them while the riffs sound perfectly on par with any veteran German Thrash band out there.

The catchiest track for me was "Malapetaka", perhaps the band's rallying anthem. The lyrics of the tracks are all in English save for "Kejahilan Minda" and a few lines in the chorus of "Malapetaka". The duet of styles between Thrash and Death Metal that can be heard in the demo blends perfectly together. The feel of the music is overall very Thrash Metal in the sense that it is highly energized and has undertones of Punk floating about. But everything else is distinctly Death Metal, especially the vocals which are gratifyingly guttural and low, fittingly suited for the type of music it is supposed to embellish. In this way, MALAPETAKA have once again emulated one of their influences: SLAYER. SLAYER is well-known for blurring the borders between Thrash and Death, and to see this style built on so well across the globe is yet another encouraging step forward for the Metal scene.

A demo's primary purpose is to introduce new audiences to a band's sound and MALAPETAKA does a perfect job of this. Some people might wonder about the sound quality, but I think its crustiness is very reminiscent of early Metallica. It is a nostalgic and raw sound that invokes the best memories of the old school, which sounds like exactly what the band is striving for.