Lingüa Brütallica - Episode 19: Karina Utomo of High Tension and Rinuwat (Melbourne)

In this episode, we speak with Karina Utomo about her longstanding work with extreme metal band High Tension, and her more recent undertakings with experimental project Rinuwat. While these projects may appear to discuss distinct contexts at first glance, Karina explains how both are vehicles for her exploration of different aspects of her Indonesian cultural heritage and research of Indonesian historical events. Lyrics from High Tension begin to reflect on revelations drawn from Karina's engagement with survivors of Indonesia's 1965-1966 anti-communist purge. Her compositions for Rinuwat then bring further focus to Indonesian history and cultural knowledge via a combination of traditional gamelan notation and Javanese cultural references written in Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and Old Javanese (Bahasa Kawi). Ultimately, Karina views both projects as methods of decolonizing metal and tapping into the sonic power that ancient languages and cultures offer. To see more from High Tension and Rinuwat go to https://hightensionband.bandcamp.com/ and https://rinuwat.bandcamp.com/.