METAL AMAL [Vocalist/growler] - "I've been singing since I was a kid...Singing rock
classics everyday (laughs) then a few years later I found out I can growl like a demon.
It took me two years of practicing/growling. One day I got a gig and found myself
jamming professionally ever since."

FIZO [Lead Guitarist] - "When I was 12 years old, I started to play guitar and been
addicted to it ever since."

ZAYS [Rythm Guitarist] - "I started playing the guitar since I was 11 years old. I also
play acoustically."

ZAZ [Drummer] - "I've been hitting the drums since I was 10 years old."

Amil - [Bassist] - "Like all the other guys I started playing the thick strings since I
was a teenage kid."

MetalHeadRadio:
Whats the origin of your band name?

METAL AMAL: 'HEBIIMETARU' means Heavy Metal in Japanese. Don't get me
wrong, we're not Japanese though! Fizo thought of that name (laughs).

MetalHeadRadio: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet? METAL AMAL:Fizo and Zays are cousins they've known each other their whole lives, Zaz has been in the band for 4 years now, Me and Amil are new to the rest, we've known each other for a few months. We met at gigs and through mutual friends.

..

MetalHeadRadio:
When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

METAL AMAL: Fizo formed the band in 2004 after quitting his former band Dark
Omen. The inspiration comes from everything we feel,see and hear. We feel comfortable
working with each other, everybody's a maniac in this band, plus they really wanted me
to be their vocalist/growler (laughs). Besides that, we really wanted the metal scene to
be alive around here.

MetalHeadRadio:
What is your music background?

METAL AMAL: Hmm ... I'm the possessed girl with the mic in hand. I listen to a little
dose of punk, a handful of Rock N Roll and everything in Extreme Metal. The other guys
listen to pretty much the same kind of metal that I listen to, we've very romantic to extreme
metal but other influences are - 80's rock, Malay rock, Jazz(drummer), etc.

MetalHeadRadio:
Who are your musical influences?

METAL AMAL: The METAL ICONS - Angela Gossow, Otep Shamaya, James Hetfield,
Michael Amott, Kirk Hammet, Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne and so fuckin' much
more including the local metal heroes - Karacoma, Senjakala and Wan Long Kok.

MetalHeadRadio: What are your immediate music career goals? METAL AMAL: We hope to be able to cater to all the metalheads in this shithole we're We'd very much like to produce a proper album, play gigs (ALL THE TIME!), go on tour and go international! We dream BIG.

.....

MetalHeadRadio:
Who handles your daily business activities? (Bookings, promotions etc.)

METAL AMAL: Pretty much ourselves (laughs), we'll have some people working on
those things SOMEDAY.

MetalHeadRadio:
Do you think internet radio is a viable means to get your music "out there"?

METAL AMAL: HELL YEAH! it helps A LOT. MHR is doing a kickass job! People
from every fuckin' corner of the world can listen to our song anytime! The internet is
fucking amazing. It helps us communicate with a lot of people thus attracting more people
to our music, letting everybody know that HEBIIMETARU exists!

MetalHeadRadio:
You have mentioned to Pixie that you have been banned from being played in your homeland.
Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

METAL AMAL: I love this question! (laughs) Yes we were banned. The people here are very
conservative, religion also plays an important role here. Some radio stations were afraid to play
our song, afraid that it might upset the authorities. Metalheads live here but we're bored and
sick of being treated like nothing. We can't even play gigs without the police pissing us off,
confiscating our gears and doing all sorts of bigger mischiefs than us. If you're a metalhead
living in our country...you're totally going to be labeled as the devil worshiper(even if you're not),
they'll eye your every fucking move and interrogate you, that's what it's like for us. There are a
lot of people against the metalheads here, it's us against society just like in the GLOBAL METAL
documentary - it definitely shows a lot about how metalheads are being treated in Muslim countries.
We're dirtbags and we're very proud of that. Hell, we just want to play the music that we love,
we limit ourselves and BEHAVE in gigs yet they still BULLY us with the 'Arrest The
LONG-HAIRED-GUY-WITH-A-SATANIC-LOOKING-SHIRT policy'.

....BUT WE'LL STILL KEEP ON HEADBANGING AND KEEP MAKING BRUTAL MUSIC!

MetalHeadRadio:
Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have
any upcoming shows?

METAL AMAL: We've performed in small gigs, parties, FREE gigs (laughs), yes we've
been through those shitty gigs. I personally hate private home gigs, there are no proper
amps and the crowd sucks. A favorite would have to be the last gig we played last time
in Asma - I convinced the shy crowd to make a moshpit and bang their fuckin' heads off.
Upcoming shows? Outside the country maybe but unfortunately around here we'd have
to have a miracle to be playing in a gig.

MetalHeadRadio: Where would the "ultimate" venue for you to play be? METAL AMAL: THE BIG METAL festivals of course! Bloodstock, Ozzfest, Open Air Wacken fest and much much more...

......

MetalHeadRadio:
Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers?

METAL AMAL: The guys are into Metallica so much - it's an obligation to play
'MASTER OF PUPPETS' a LOT (laughs). We do cover songs from Arch Enemy
such as NEMESIS and BURNING ANGEL. Those two are high in the priority list.

MetalHeadRadio:
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
Who comes up with the most song ideas?

METAL AMAL: Everybody writes although Fizo comes up with the most ideas.
Fizo and Zays are in charge of the music foundation and I'm in charge of writing the
lyrics. Our guitarists will record the song and send it to me then I'll write the lyrics,
record the song with the vocals, send it to them, practice together, make some final
changes in the song then finally, we hit the studio. Each song has it's own story but all
of them are coated with hatred and anger 'cause I'm a very angry vocalist (laughs).

MetalHeadRadio:
What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which
you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

METAL AMAL: Rehearsals are spontaneous. We're busy with other things outside
the band. We have limited time with each other, rehearsals always happen in the afternoon.
There's a normal case like, some of us wouldn't be able to make it to band practice, a
bummer but we're trying to keep it together by doing individual practices at home on
weekdays instead of the weekend-crashing in our drummer's house. As for me,
growling/screaming isn't easy, I have to practice and do vocal warm-ups religiously.
I pretty much sound like a guy after vocal practice ..(laughs).

MetalHeadRadio: How has your music evolved since first began playing together? METAL AMAL: It's been very satisfying. We come up with new ideas for new songs almost everyday. We learn many mistakes including how to control and at the same time express ourselves in better ways than before.

....

The first single of our upcoming album really puts us on the spotlight. We feel so alive in the
music scene now. Looking back to those years with our first bands and old demos, we believe
that we're improving rapidly. We were no one before HEBIIMETARU was born, just young
musicians jamming around with friends on Saturday nights. It's different now, there are actually
people out there who know us, our names and stories. It's a crazy ride but a good one.

MetalHeadRadio:
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

METAL AMAL: Expect obstacles. Honestly, it's either you have real talent or you just
have to do other things, but if you have what it takes to stand up and fight then you're going
to be just fine. You'll find obstacles in every step that you make. There will be people out
there trying to take you down no matter what you do. Criticism will befriend you. Practice
is really important but there's also another thing - BELIEVE. GENDER is NOT IMPORTANT,
if you're a female death metal growler then keep on headbanging girl! It only takes one good
idea to take you to a lot of places.

MetalHeadRadio:
What is the name of your most current CD? Where can it be purchased?

METAL AMAL: We're still in the writing process so the CD is coming soon...

MetalHeadRadio:
Do you maintain a webpage or myspace page? If so what is the URL?

METAL AMAL: www.myspace.com/officialhebiimetaru and
www.leadingtorock.ning.com/group/hebiimetaru

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