15/07/2025

LYFE TUESDAY | JULY 15, 2025

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Surf’s up!

I NDONESIAN surf-garage rock band The Panturas has returned with its latest maxi-single Knights of Jahannam/ Soma Gospel . The Panturas aspire to bring a more progressive edge to their sound. Serving as odes to its roots, the maxi-single is a fusion of 2000’s indie sleaze with hints of Sundanese leftovers from their past EP Galura Tropikalia. Hailing from Jatinangor, The Panturas are a four-member band consisting of Abyan Zaki aka Acin (vocals/guitar), Bagus Patria (bass), Surya Fikri (drums) and Rizal Taufik (guitar), known for its signature surf garage rock sound. Timed with the release, The Panturas has already embarked on its inaugural Asia Tour across six countries in the span of two weeks. Over the weekend, the band has performed in Singapore (July 12) and Malaysia (July 13). Its upcoming shows will be at Thailand (July 18), the Philippines (July 19) and Taiwan SINGER -SONGWRITER, multi instrumentalist and producer Jake Miller has launched a busy season with his fifth studio album Balance and is set to embark on an Asia headline tour this September, with stops in Singapore, Manila and Taipei. The album includes fan-favourite singles A Million Ways To Miss You, Mini You, Only Always, Dream You Up, If Heaven Could Share You, and How On Earth . These tracks have quickly become staples in Miller’s high-energy live shows, striking a chord with audiences worldwide and cementing their place in his evolving setlist. “With everything going on in my life, I need to start prioritising finding balance and seeing my parents as much as possible while I still can,” Miller shared. The album’s focus track Rock Bottom is a raw, hopeful collaboration with long-time creative partner Neriah. “This song is about being at your absolute lowest after a bad breakup. And to make matters even worse, the other person is out every Saturday night celebrating and drinking like they have already moved on. This was a hard song to write, but it is one of my favourites on the album,” Miller explained. In addition to the release of his new album, Jake is set to return to Asia this September for a string of

o Indonesian garage rock band The Panturas return with Knights of Jahannam / Soma Gospel

Playboy . The members are ready to present a setlist designed to adapt to the character of each stage and the local culture where they perform. “We want every stage to feel like a new experience, not just a repeated setlist,” said Abyan. While the preparation for the tour is quite complex, the spiritual aspect remains paramount for The Panturas. “The most important thing is health and family blessings. Because this is not just about performing, it is also about answering a calling,” Kuya concluded.

(July 20). The tour will culminate with three special performances at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival (July 25–27): the intimate party vibe at the Red Marquee, the exotic night filled with visuals at Crystal Palace and the magical open-air atmosphere at the Field of Heaven. With Knights of Jahannam / Soma Gospel at the heart of the tour’s setlist, The Panturas lean into a more experimental and spiritual sound while staying true to its surf-garage rock roots, creating a fresh contrast to old favourites such as Fisherman’s Slut and Arabian

Knights of Jahannam / Soma Gospel is available for streaming.

Jake Miller drops new album Balance

Heady stew of sound

played to steadily growing audiences to the point of becoming festival mainstays in their homeland. Seasons in Black’s fully-realised vision reflect an outfit that has confidently evolved across decades and is pretty much unperturbed by accusations of selling out. Like Cradle of Filth, who also rose from black metal origins to bestride the metal universe, this German outfit is also highly slick and polished with the sound more akin to more symphonic and melodic-death subgenres rather than its black metal roots. Anthropocene is the work of a finely tuned machine. For those who like their metal presented by a well-drilled unit with a healthy respect for melody, this album is near perfection. However, those who prefer their noise to be a bit more abrasive and have a bit of a raw, cutting edge, Antropocene may just be too polished a record. Competent and shiny, this album is very obviously the work of metal veterans. Dark Throne and Autopsy aside, few bands can or are willing to plough on with a singularly underground vision as the years and decades go by. Some form of polish and slickness is bound to weave its way into proceedings. Not for everyone but a very fine example of what well-produced metal can sound like when executed by musicians with decades of know how. Antropocene was released earlier this month via the Apostasy Records label and can be streamed on all major platforms.

ALBUM REVIEW

Ű BY R.BALA

WHAT does a well-known TV chef bring to a heavy metal album? Meaty hooks? Carnivorous vocals? Bad puns aside, this is Seasons in Black’s first album in a dozen years. Fronted by Lucki Maurer, who is well-known in his homeland Germany as popular TV chef, Seasons in Black started life as a pure unadulterated black metal outfit in 1996. Over the preceding years, the band has evolved its sound into something a lot more ambitious and grandeur in scope, incorporating elements of goth, hardcore and symphonic black metal. Suffice to say, this version of Seasons in Black is far removed from its original incarnation. With years of collective studio and live experience to call upon, Season in Black seeks to take its sound to new heights. Antropocene is very much the work of a veteran band – highly polished and executed with a fine precision by very skilled hands. Lest it be forgotten, Germany is one of the hotbeds of heavy metal and its many subgenres. Competition is fierce and intense with no place for bands that are not up to scratch. Just because German fans are diehards does not mean they are slouches when it comes to quality assurance. Having graduated from the dank, underground clubs of their native Bavaria, this quintet has over the years

Miller finds equilibrium in new album Balance .

Ghost (feat. Nikki Flores), followed by the 2015 EP Rumours , whose title track earned tens of millions of streams. Since then, he has continued his upward trajectory with projects including Overnight EP (2016), 2.00am in LA (2017), Silver Lining (2018), Based on a True Story EP (2019), Silver Lining II (2021) and Based on a True Story II (2022). Along the way, he has shared the stage with the likes of Mac Miller, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes and Fifth Harmony and made appearances on the MTV EMAs, NBC’s Today Show and Live with Kelly and Ryan . He closed out 2023 with his acting debut in the film Holiday Twist . Today, Miller maintains a strong presence as a content creator and recording artiste, with a loyal fan base across social media and streaming platforms. With hundreds of millions of streams, sold-out tours, and a digital footprint that includes over 250 million views and 25 million likes on TikTok alone, Miller’s influence shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to evolve while leaving a lasting impression on fans across the globe.

headline shows as part of his Balance tour. A seasoned live performer, Miller has built an impressive track record of headline and support tours across the region. This upcoming run will include stops in Singapore, Manila and Taipei – three cities that consistently rank among his strongest streaming markets. Currently, five Asian cities place in Jake’s top 10 streaming markets: Taipei (third), Singapore (fourth), Quezon City (fifth), Jakarta (seventh) and Kuala Lumpur (ninth), underscoring his strong and growing resonance with fans in Southeast and East Asia. With his Balance album offering a more personal and emotionally grounded sound, this tour marks not only a return, but a reconnection – with audiences that have played a vital role in his global rise. A versatile singer, songwriter and producer, Miller has steadily built a loyal fanbase – affectionately known as The Millertary – and carved out a space as a magnetic pop force on his own terms. He broke through with 2014’s Dazed and Confused EP, featuring popular tracks such as Dazed and Confused (feat. Travie McCoy) and

Kuala Lumpur is Miller’s ninth streaming market.

The quintet hails from Bavaria, Germany. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @SEASONSINBLACK