Soloevent.id – 2018 left happy for Down For Life. Having twenty years of career in rock music, finally, they can reach their dream. Performing at Wacken Open Air, the biggest metal music festival in the world, is probably the highest dream and they make it happen.
They can fly to Germany, the Wacken Open Air venue, after winning the Wacken Metal Battle Indonesia. In the final round, they competed with nine bands from other cities: Angel of Death (Sukabumi), Bersimbah Darah (Bali), Dead Vertical (Jakarta), Humiliation (Bandung), Kaluman (Bandung), Karat (Malang), Monoserus (Pekanbaru), Trojan (Bali), and Valerian (Surabaya).
Even they have great skill, Down For Life was combining Javanese culture with metal music in that competition. Stephanus Adjie et al. costumed batik when they are performing. Four judges: Dadan Ruskandar (Burgerkill band management), Samack (music journalist), John Resbon (The Metal Rebel), and Sascha Jan (Metal Rebel Headquarter, Germany) attracted.
In Germany, a band consisting of Stephanus Adjie (vocalist), Rio Baskara (guitarist), Isa Mahendra Jati (guitarist), Ahmad “Jojo” Ashar (base), and Muhammad Abdoel Latief (drummer) performed on two stages, W: E: T Stage and Headbangers Stage. They wore batik and displayed masks.
In Bavaria country, they assessed by judges. At Wacken Metal Battle, they compete with 30 bands from 30 countries and gets the 13th positions.
“Hi, Indonesian hardcore! We have tried our best. We got the 13th out of 30 countries. Hopefully, there will be a band that will bring glory to Indonesia at Wacken Metal Battle,” wrote the Instagram account @downforlifesolo. The post shows a photo Down For Life with the audience. They also marked the Indonesian flag.
Performing in front of foreign people who might be the first time listening to them is a mission to make Indonesia famous, Adjie could felt the national team when they competed. “After we landed and brought Indonesian flag. Maybe, Boas Solossa and his friends felt when they have competed. There was that feeling [a sense of nationalism],” Adjie said quoted from Kumparan.