PURE WRATH were formed 2014 in West Java, Indonesia as the anguished, atmospheric and affecting Black Metal project of multi-instrumentalist Januaryo Hardy.
Year-on-year the raw, visceral and tangible have seeped further into the band’s music, culminating in fourth full-length “Bleak Days Ahead“, recorded together in Bekasi with drummer Yurii Ciel (ex-WHITE WARD) for the first time. The result is a stridently modern and characteristically emotive record exploring the despair of living under uncertain conditions in dismal industrialised environments.
Tracklist:
01. Bleak Days Ahead, Pt. I
02. Bleak Days Ahead, Pt. II
03. Haven of Echoes
04. Spectral Insomnia
05. Opaque Mist
Mastermind Ryo had this to say regarding “Bleak Days Ahead“:
“Four years. I hadn’t planned for it to take this long, but the songwriting became very difficult due to my drained energy from daily life matters and the lack of inspiring input from what I would call the dark times we are currently living in. In the end, every hour of phone calls with Yurii, not only as fellow musicians but also as best friends, was truly meaningful in shaping this album, both musically and philosophically. This time, I am deeply grateful that we were able to share the same air, laughter, and voices in the same studio while recording the album together.“
PURE WRATH offer ‘Spectral Insomnia‘ as an intense first impression of the new album – atmospheric Black Metal collides with raw emotional force, as panoramic melodies rise over a relentless rhythmic attack. Check out the song and video via DMP’s YouTube channel and via Bandcamp.
Moving images captured by Kareem Nararya and Januaryo Hardy.
Manipulated and assembled by Dimas Tirta Arwana.
Ryo comments:
“Apart from how important the entire album is, ‘Spectral Insomnia‘ has always given the most straightforward answers to my personal questions about the album itself. I feel that this song connects deeply with me and with Yurii after we have listened to the album so many times. The lyrics are as meaningful as the others, since they are all connected to each other. Perhaps this song, in particular, carries the essence of everything we do on the album.
I chose to shape the video as a short film drawn from the album’s lyrics, rather than a conventional performance over playback. The lyrics carry the core of the album, and the message deserves to be delivered in full through the medium we consume most intimately, audio-image intertwined. In today’s music zeitgeist, I tried to step away from what the “big brother” dictates as the visual standard of music presentation. I have felt a deep connection to the work of Peter Tscherkassky, whose approach to film has quietly influenced my own way of seeing. To realize this vision, I was fortunate to borrow the free times of the talented Kareem Nararya and Dimas Tirta Arwana, whose sensitivity and skill helped transform my ideas into something distressing and beautiful at the same time.“
“Bleak Days Ahead” will be released on CD and vinyl (including an exclusive DMP vinyl version), alongside an exclusive t-shirt, on April 24th. Pre-orders are possible via DMP’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.
Indonesian band PURE WRATH began in mid-2014 as the solo primitive Black Metal project of multi-instrumentalist Ryo. In 2016, Ryo began to shift the lyrical and thematic content of PURE WRATH towards his own life and family history. This paradigm-shift resulted in 2017 debut record, “Ascetic Eventide“, released via Indonesian label Hitam Kelam Records andselling out within four months.
Following the debut’s success, Ryo was contacted by Mexican label Throats Productions for the vinyl re-release of “Ascetic Eventide“. Soon after, “Endless Journey“, a split release between PURE WRATH and French symphonic black metal project ONIRISM was issued at the end of 2017.
In mid-2018, Ryo began writing what would become the second PURE WRATH album, “Sempiternal Wisdom“. It was released in October 2018 through Pest Productions in China and Hitam Kelam Records in Indonesia.
In 2019, Ryo readied PURE WRATH for live performances and created new EP “The Forlorn Soldier“. Released in 2020 via new label Debemur Morti Productions, the EP featured Yurii Ciiel (ex-WHITE WARD) as a session drummer and served as a bridge to the next PURE WRATH full-length. “Hymn To The Woeful Hearts“, the band’s critically acclaimed, next-level third album, was unleashed by DMP in February 2022.
After an intense period composing new material and performing select live shows across Asia, PURE WRATH entered the studio in September 2025 to record new album “Bleak Days Ahead“. For the first time, mastermind Ryo and drummer Yurii were able to record together in person in Bekasi, Indonesia. Further heightening anticipation for this new work, in January 2025 PURE WRATH unveiled a standalone digital composition ‘Flowers And Walls‘ – a compelling rendition of Wiji Thukul‘s poem “Bunga dan Tembok“. “Bleak Days Ahead” will be released on April 24th, 2026.
Click image to watch the video
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