C.T. Cinta Kenangan Silam

This band needs no introduction. It is no secret that XPDC is devoted in their worship of American then thrash powerhouse Metallica, a fact that highly influenced their sound ever since the beginning to the point that XPDC might as well stand guilty for plagiarism especially on their formative works. With their sophomore record Timur Barat (I like to separate the two words, which simply mean East West, instead of the album’s default typography. No disrespect intended), the band continued their brand of hard rock with a few doses of heavy metal. Tis an album that I also grew up with and truth be told, I haven’t listened to it for over a decade. Now, I am going to analyse this record for what it is beyond the obvious nostalgic value.

Often the case with bands playing this type of music from this side of the world, XPDC is no less restricted to the usual ultimatum; play fast, thrashing heavy metal and risk losing mainstream appeal and subsequently record sales, or, play safe, stick to the ‘rock kapak / jiwang’ template, securing airplays with guaranteed commercial success. Due to this, XPDC is often torn between the two ideals. In order to please the normal mainstream audience while at the same time catering to the regional metal fans alike, tracks on Timur Barat can be seen as having two unspoken rules; the first batch being hard rock love ballads and the second being the supposed heavier tracks. Such a concept is considered a permanent fixture throughout the band’s discography. With that being said, let’s start with the heavier side first; Hamba Abdi, Penyakit Gatal, Hairan bin Ajaib and Talam Dua Muka.

Hamba Abdi consisted of galloping riff picked at a relatively slow tempo that gives off this barbaric feel to it. The drums are doing the riff justice by complementing it with multiple batters on the floor tom before entering the verse, which carries the galloping riff throughout. The chorus sees the mood transition to uplifting yet wicked melodies while still maintaining the same tempo. This is repeated twice before the riff hangs to a tempo much slower than the previous bars, where we can hear some gang shouts going in the background having this kind of ‘uga buga’ thing. Similar kind of concept is repeated in Penyakit Gatal but instead of using galloping riffs, the song uses syncopated rhythms for the main verse section with tempos a step above Hamba Abdi and repetitive lead lines to accentuate the bridge section. When it comes to lead solos, Izo does a short burst of shredding that is quite impressive. It is not overdone and he put it to good use without any excesses, perhaps to keep up with the short running time of each song, focusing mostly on the rhythms just like its follow up Hairan bin Ajaib; about the only humorous song on the entire album due to its equally hilarious lyrical theme. Here, the guitars have some flanger effect throughout its chugging pickings and it’s a song known for using some cowbells especially on the post-chorus part and lead solo section to complement yet another gang shouts. Unsurprisingly enough, Hairan bin Ajaib has become a mainstay on the band live setlist because of its catch riff and lyric.

It is not until we get to Talam Dua Muka that XPDC began to take their gloves off. This is about the only heaviest song on this album, and like many other fan favorites, has become somewhat of a signature song for the band and is also another live staple for obvious reasons. Now, the song opens up with drum rolls on the snare going around the toms before the riff and bass kick in ala Hit the Lights. For a few bars, the breakdown is repeated before the drums and bass are paused to give way to the thrashing power chords that will characterize the entire song. Here, the bass guitar is also amplified in such a way that it gives the song hell a lot more punch in the lower end, something that should have been engineered for the other tracks on this record as well. The tempo, while not exactly the fastest, is still worthy of a headbang especially throughout the verse, bridge and chorus sections. Around 02:25 into the song, XPDC downshifted the gear for a few bars of clean guitar that is definitely inspired by the E5 from Harvester of Sorrow before going all out with the shredding solo. The chorus is repeated until it transitions to the final mid-paced thrash riff that eventually concludes the song on a rather satisfying note. This is the type of song that a lot of metal fans wished to hear more. Izo, Zuar and Amy are more than capable of playing even heavier, faster stuff. However, for the reasons mentioned before (primarily the commercial success), XPDC had no choice but to agree with what the terms and conditions given in their contract. The late Mael, born Syed Ismael Syed Ibrahim, was also a capable vocalist. He can sing in a harsher tone when needed and nailed it every single time. He was equally competent on the slower love ballads too.

When it comes to ballads, five of the tracks on this album are much slower with one being the instrumental of the opening track C.T. Cinta Kenangan Silam. Four of these songs including C.T. Cinta Kenangan Silam have a rather uplifting and conclusively optimistic sound. Ikatan, Lagu dari Aku, and Cekal are guaranteed to secure the band the much coveted airplays and wider exposure. With the exception of Impian Seroja, I can’t positively say that these ballads are absolutely enjoyable. On their own, the songs aren’t too bad either. It is this underlying connotation that the band was forced to perform the songs out of contractual obligation renders the listening experience somewhat of a letdown. Musicianship ticks all the right boxes in terms of performance but those songs are slowly losing its souls after a few repeated listens. Between this sophomore and the debut, the follow up Kita Peng-Yu has stronger tracks. However, Talam Dua Muka is a standalone saving grace for this album. Impian Seroja has more of an edge to it and is a good example of rock ballad done right reminiscent of Aku dan Sesuatu from the band’s debut Darjah Satu (the latter which was thought to be taken from or a rendition of a song by Whitesnake. Alas, I forgot which song it was).

Timur Barat is sufficiently enjoyable in its own right. Unfortunately, the ballad-to-heavy ratio is underwhelmingly uneven. We have four bangers and five slow tracks that show some inopportune waste of potential. The production is crystal clear, thankfully. Amy did a good job on the drums and the mixing does his performance justice. Each tom, snare, bass drum and cymbals are sharp. For most part, Zuar’s bass follows each and every song on the album but he truly shines the most on Talam Dua Muka. Izo pens four songs on this record and his guitar skills are noteworthy. After all, he is considered one of the better guitarists along with the likes of Man Kidal, except that Izo focused more on heavier riffing whenever a song calls for it. This is another historical record that guaranteed the band a special place in every one of their fans’ memories despite the compromises made. Looking forward to reviewing some more materials from XPDC while I still can. Get this album on CD or tape, whichever format you preferred. It is recommended that you listen to this album throughout the working days especially in the afternoon.