About Me
"Shock System is one hell of a misunderstood band. I've heard some kids dismissing them as a posey Korn-wannabe or something equally dire. I find that really unfortunate, if not preposterous. Shock System is a powerful band through and through, and if you know the people in the band like I do, you'll dismiss the talk immediately.
Granted, I'm not into their style of music at all but credits are due to the band for forging ahead with a nary a thought to what some people are saying behind their backs. They just move on away from the negative noise and do their own thing.
Playing a mixture of metallic hardcore, heavy but groovy breakdowns, slight rap-rock elements and soaring modern rock/grunge bits, Shock System is pretty hard to pin down. The band not only mixes it all up but also very progressive in its collective vision, always working for something a bit different from the rest of the herd.
Not only that, but the band also plays and sings well, singer Xumb has huge pair of lungs and he can roar with the best of them. In short, the band delivers, tight and full of might. It's not like a bunch of talentless airhead dudes trying to ape MTV's hardcore.
One thing which is always forgotten in the juvenile melee of the local scene politics, is the fact that Shock System is a political band with members that were and are involved with the more activist end of the scene's spectrum. These are dudes with conscience and thoughts, always applied hands-on." - Joe Kidd of Ricecooker Webzine
SHOCK SYSTEM: The Shocking System Subject
(ROTTW Magazine May'07 Issue)
They were known as XII Psyded Dyce(12 sided-dice) back in 1998 when all of them were 17. Started out playing Punk Rock and performing at their high school, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Bangi for an SPM Farewell Party. In 2000, they changed their name to Shock System with Zam, Fairuz, Shariz and Dali preserving the line-up. In the same year, they played their first show at Colours Pub, Uptown Damansara. Through this formation, they've been actively gigging around town. The 2001 Food Not Bombs Kuala Lumpur Benefit Show at Blue Planet in KL was their most memorable(and it was shot for their debut video). "Our music received good response from the crowd, and we fully support the group's(FNBKL) causes", Zam said.
In 2003, they released a CD-R EP entitled, Peaceful Demonstration. The self-produced 2-track EP includes Aksi Now and Damn The Man, recorded in Pro Sound Studio, Bangi(for those interested, you can still getit for RM3 or RM5 by post). And in 2005, Stagnantation Disorder was released. The 5-track EP also includes Damn The Man music video, a song from their prior release. Recorded in Artrax Studio, Bangi the EP is also self-produced.
To elaborate on the releases, Zam explained, "On Peaceful Demonstration, the first song, Aksi Now was inspired after reading Aksi Write, a book/journal from Kamal and Nadiah Bamadhaj. Kamal was a Malaysian student activist killed in East Timur in the Dili Massacre on November 12, 1991. I dedicate this song to him and the student activism movement. The second song, Damn The Man is a straight-up rebel song against corrupt authorities. The Stagnantation Disorder EP on the other hand, delivers some diversified topics; Killing Machines - a call for unity to fight global injustices, The Silencer - the concept of enforcement of youth for national security, Point Of No Return - the feeling and fear of losing loved ones, Angel Falls - about escapists who submit to conformity and giving up hope and fight for a better world, and Drugs Of A Nation - the bombardment of one-sided propagandas in the media on the universal theme of war".
In 2005, Dali went off to Melbourne, Australia to continue his studies and was replaced by Shahlan. Since then Shock System is consist of Fairuz(guitar), Azlan(guitar), Shahlan(bass), Zam(vocals) and Shahriz(drums). After getting a new member, does the music change too? "No, the music stays the same… we just add another layer of guitar", Zam added. Plans of recording the third release in 2007 looks promising as ROTTW was told that they have abundance of materials. When talking about the development of song ideas, Zam explained, "Ideas come from everyone and we usually work it out together jamming at our favorite studios, Artrax, Pro Sound and Metallizer.
"We aim for a bigger, varied scope of audience… we want our music to be heard, to tour and play more. The situation now is that we may have some connection of organizers, but I feel our music style is slow in acceptance. However, we don't feel there is a need to change it for now. Probably, this is the reason we weren't approached enough to play." Zam expressed. Shock System only hope people will be more accepting of their music especially their messages.
Shock System plan to release a proper full length studio album. "For the album, we'll probably work it out at Pro Sound Studio", said Zam ending the interview. OK, we've read about Shock System, now let us wake up our senses, go to their official website www.shcksystm.com or their MySpace at www.myspace.com/shocksystem.
Interview by KATALYST of ROTTW
Translation and Additional Infos by Wallis & Futuna
AMP Recommends: SHOCK SYSTEM
( JUNK Magazine June '07 Issue)
Shock System do the rock/rap thing, they do the hardcore thing, the alternative grunge thing - and they do it all in their own inimitable style. Their consistent rise up the AMP charts is proof that people are listening and coming back for more. Even more noteworthy though is that it’s not just about music with them, it’s the message through music. Lando, Xumb, Luncai, Scravius and Stixx are not only politically aware, though responsibly active with it too. They certainly have something important to say, which amidst the meaningless tripe that takes up most of the spaces on record shelves these days, is worthy endeavor indeed.
With exclusive songs only on AMP, there’s never been a better time to learn about Shock System’s message: amp.channelv.com/shocksystem
