Trading in the ‘utopian’ cosmopolitan (questionable) of Singapore with the overwhelming beauty and chaos of Cambodia, I found myself kicking off the second half of my Golden Week holiday in Siem Reap. My purpose – of course Angkor Wat, which has remained as mystic as I remembered it being ten years prior. By coincidence, my paths were to cross with Beijing’s own Nekroma, the masked post-doom outfit who were kicking off a tour in support of their second mind-bending, genre-tripping EP Asura. Holding up over at the chill as a cucumber (complete with a pool) city-centric venue Star Bar, the band was teaming up with Cambodian label Yab Moung Records, who in a second dosing of coincidence were managing Phnom Penh death metal group Doch Chkae, a band that up and coming subculture platform Subtropical Asia (which I’m apart of) has followed over the past couple years.
The band was returning from a monumental trip to WACKEN in Germany, which we were lucky enough to cover (stay tuned) and they were as exuberant as ever. Was a treat to finally meet them in person and see them work their magic. Young they may be, but they’ve got the fervor and the chops to back it up. I also got to meet Vanntin, the frontman for metal band Reign in Slumber who gave a somber solo set to ease in unsuspecting audience members. Sweat was spilt, beer was drunk, and hijinks ensued.
Yab Moung Records: https://yabmoung.com/
Reign in Slumber: https://reigninslumber.bandcamp.com/
Doch Chkae: https://yabmoung.bandcamp.com/track/chkut-doch-chkae
Star Bar: facebook.com/StarBarSiemReap/
Doch Chkae – Slumdog Metal Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8-A6gVBhKo
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