Reflecting On Indonesia's Anti-Communist Purge Through Song

As we chat to the delicately spoken Karina Utomo, it's almost hard to believe this is the same voice that leads Melbourne's heavy metal quartet High Tension. Her family would perhaps tell you a different story, though. "My mum was reflecting on my birth a while ago and was like, 'When you were born you came out with a lot of hair and a big mouth screaming really loud.' So not much has changed!" Utomo laughs.

Forming six years ago and experiencing several line-up changes since, it seems like High Tension have found their feet in recent years. Power duo Mike Deslandes and Fear Like Us' Lauren Hammel joined the band on guitar and drums respectively following their last album, 2015's Bully, and Utomo explains that it's brought on a welcome change of style as they delve further into metal than ever before on that album's follow-up, Purge. The change of direction was inevitable on their latest record, says Utomo, who is fuelled with excitement and curiosity as to how fans might react to their new sound.

"We have different methods of style and taste in music," she says, "so all of those things are going to fundamentally change the way we write music together and it's [a change] that we've really welcomed. It feels like playing in a new band. At times I feel like this record feels like more of a reset than Bully." Utomo tells us all four members went into their latest recording with ample confidence, a much stronger focus and the ability to experiment more, making the progression all the more stimulating. "There are elements that will always be a part of who we are musically, but I'm excited about the realm we've entered for this album."

There's a serious theme to Purge, one that is near to Utomo's heart. "The particular music that we're writing - it requires sort of delving deep down into that realm of rage and reflecting on where that comes from. And for me personally, it comes down to that era." The era Utomo speaks of is 1965 and 1966 in Indonesia, a time where hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of people were killed during the anti-communist purge. This subject weighs heavily on the Indonesian born and raised singer.

Ultimately, that weight and rage were channelled into poignant songs like Purge's opening track Red White Shame, during which she screams powerful lines such as, "I am ashamed/How we were fooled/Cannot pull the trigger/No weapon would suffice".

"It's a reflection of being exposed to the sort of patriotism - growing up in Indonesia and attending flag ceremonies," explains Utomo, "and also building this love for the country that I was born, and grew up, in. Also knowing - later down the track - the deeply negative influence of people like [former Indonesian president] Suharto and other people in power… It's somewhat abstract in a couple of verses, but I remember when Suharto died. I was really annoyed, because he hadn't been brought to justice for all the crimes he had committed; all the money he's taken from the people and the genocide he was responsible for.

"It's much easier for me to write about that particular era and also to have High Tension as a medium to talk about it without any sort of real consequence in terms of risk," Utomo points out. "The fact that we exist, the fact that our music is just kind of in Australia means I don't have to be afraid of speaking out on that issue. A lot of Indonesians at present day are not able to speak openly about that particular era, so I think that there is definitely importance [in] covering topics that should be talked about... And for this particular record, I couldn't get my head out of that realm."

Utomo moved to Australia when she was seven years old then lived in Indonesia again in 1997 as a tween before settling down in Australia in her teenage years. Still learning about the implications of such a prominent time, Utomo speaks of her home delicately, despite the ever-arising wrath she feels about a time that still has so many present-day consequences.

"I haven't lived in Indonesia for a number of years, so I also feel a bit out of touch with the present-day implications, but people are still being silenced who speak about that particular era," says Utomo. "For example, if the government knew you had any affiliation with the Indonesian communist party, or you were a socialist sympathiser, or even against the government - like, really just basic kind of political views or what have you; if there was any history of you being involved in that era, it would stop you from being part of Indonesian society. So you would not be able to be a shadow-puppet master or work for the government, or be a teacher. I'm not sure if they still do it, but there used to be a box you'd have to tick to make sure that it didn't apply to you. There are all these little things that I didn't know about until recently, that are still in place, that stop a big chunk of society [from being able] to participate in certain things and just silencing them."

High Tension hit the road in June/July to celebrate the release of Purge, debuting at Hobart's Dark Mofo and touring around the country before finishing up in their hometown of Melbourne. It's on stage where Utomo feels like she's most present and where all her senses are magnified. Despite the many years of doing this, she tells us that the thrill hasn't died down for her. "I still think, 'Woah, who are these people? Why are they here!? I can't believe they came here to see us!' It still astounds me that people are listening and coming to shows."