Recent reports state that cults and other such sinister organisations seem to be having a growing influence on our youth. The authorities now say action must be taken to prevent a further spread. But as Rubin Khoo and Clarence Chua discover, it is just one of the many problems our youth face today.
DEATH surrounds the room. Lucifer, the prince of darkness, stands at the door to welcome visitors while the serpent who lured mankind into rebelling against God stares at your every move.
When the music comes on, it's pure assault and battery. Angry blitzkrieg guitars, hyper-fast double pounding drums and the patented demonic growl pierces the atmosphere.
To the unwilling ears of the uninitiated, it is noise that is almost blasphemous. Welcome to Nebiula Heavy Metal Shop, one of several stores in downtown KL that specialises in selling only heavy metal tapes and gory satanic merchandise.
Amid the scenes of ungodliness stands 32-year-old Abdul Ramzee (popularly known as Ayaie), who looks like a man out of place in this bizarre backdrop. He is, however, the front man for local black metal outfit Sil Khannaz. This diminutive gentleman from Perlis also happens to be one of the founders of Nebiula Productions and the Nebiula Heavy Metal Shop.
Happily married, and with a three-year-old son named Darwish, Ayaie is today nevertheless a worried man. The recent crackdown by the authorities on a "Black Metal occult group that worships Satan" has affected both his business and reputation.
At the time of the interview, five officers from the Home Ministry raided his store, taking tapes, CDs and shirts for "testing."
"I think the authorities have got it all wrong. There is no such thing as a Black Metal occult group," said Ayaie.
"Black metal is another genre of music. References to Satan have nothing to do with devil-worship. Satan is the highest degree of evil. He exists in history books, story books, movies, magazines and almost everywhere.
"For example, people who don't know the song Slayer's Angel of Death would relate it to Satan but the lyrics are actually about Hitler and his cruelty towards humanity and the Jews.
"If you listen carefully to our lyrics, you'll find that we sing about myths, legends and society's problems. There is no Satanic element in the music."
Ayaie confessed that some bands in the West may truly be Satanists and are spreading the message through their music but they are a rarity. In Malaysia, those involved in this type of music are aware of its limitations," he added.
In cases where they do preach about Satan, the demonic incantations are instead often used as a shock tactic, hinging more on blatant bad taste rather than promoting actual worship.
Furthermore, when a black metal band sings, the words often are not distinctive. The death growl renders them impotent. Like opera, it's all in the delivery and not the meaning.
To Ayaie, many of the so-called "Satan rituals" like drinking blood and biting off the heads of pigeons on stage are just gimmicks that accompany the music.
The group KISS painted their faces like voodoo dolls but sang about Rock 'n Roll All Night while Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden had "Death" and skullface "Eddie" on its album covers to sell records.
"When Michael Jackson was popular in the 80s everyone wanted to imitate him, look like him and dress like him," Ayaie pointed out. "Some people who like heavy metal would think that it is cool to dress in black. Such is the evolution of heavy metal music that, like other forms of music, changes in style and fashion develop according to the needs of consumers who don't necessarily absorb the ideas quite so literally.
"Jazz was dirty music when it first came into the scene and so was the Blues which was considered slave music. Rock 'n Roll was devil music although it was popularised by the likes of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Now they are regarded as pioneers and legends of their own genre of music, not Satanists."
Ayaie adds that the metal scene isn't as bad as it appears to be. Elaborate hairdos and leather outfits have led to negative perceptions by those who have not taken the trouble to understand the music. It is instead labelled as being anti-social.
"The music becomes an outlet of aggression. But outsiders see the piercing and the tats and the long hair and they make assumptions."
In fact, the crowd at heavy metal gigs was probably one of the best behaved as there was no energy left after the concert, he said.
"If there is Satan-worshipping and deviant practices, do you think the police and local authorities would issue the permits?
"As musicians we just play music. Bands are not responsible for the actions of the fans.
"Other forms of music also influence their audience but why should black metal be blamed for the moral decadence and social ills of today's youth?" said Ayaie.
He points out that black metal music has been around for more than a decade. "I feel that the authorities are barking up the wrong tree. We have been made the scapegoat," he said.
Ajoy, the lead vocalist of another metal band FTG (Freedom That Is Gone) said black metal music was sometimes a form of protest against the ills of the world.
"It is only a gimmick when they use lyrics related to Satan. But they are not devil-worshippers. I have known Muslim black metal band members who still pray five times a day.
"It is a big joke to all of us in the industry that there are people who think you have to drink goat's blood to become a fan," he added.
International College of Music (Icom) vice-president of academic affairs Valerie Ross explains that some forms of music, like heavy metal, have a lot of negative social connotations attached to them.
"The social image for heavy metal music and classical music, for example, are packaged differently. If you package music in a posh environment, a man with dirty shoes would feel embarrassed; but if he steps into a public transport, its okay!" she said.
From the musical perspective, Ross said it was important to understand the different styles of music to appreciate them according to their genre.
But the fact that today's youth seems fixated on finding some sort of outlet is perhaps a sign of a wider issue. Professor of Social Psychology at Universiti Malaya, Chiam Heng Keng, said that social problems among youth was not a recent phenomenon.
Previously, it manifested itself in the form of gangsterism, then the bohsia emerged and soon after we were confronted with the rapid growth of Ecstasy users.
"Findings have shown that all these are related. It all boils down to the fact that our youth and adolescents are in a predicament whereby they are exposed to all sorts of information that come in a variety of forms. Yet, they are not equipped with protective measures that teach them how to process and select this information, whether by parents, schools or society."
Youth, she says, are often enticed by phenomenon that project a sense of adventure and experimentation. As most of them are generally impulsive at this age, they often act without thinking of the consequences.
That youth problems seem to be emerging in a variety of forms is perhaps a sign that many of them have needs that are not met. Schools, for example, place too much emphasis on academic excellence, notes Prof Chiam. Those who have talents in other areas are deemed as being useless with little possibility for a bright future.
Such individuals who have not cultivated a sense of belonging are then drawn into seeking out groups who will accept them.
"If you look at cults and so on, you will find that all these groups have a common element in that there are certain rituals all members have to adhere to: signs, codenames and a similar sense of style.
"All these are basically ways of reinforcing to the members that you belong to a group."
That many of these groups also appear to be anti-social points to another problem plaguing our youth today.
Resentment against authority is common. In the case of the Black Metal phenomenon, the involvement of youth may be their way of rejecting how religion is taught to them.
"All societies must have a certain set of moral standards that we adhere to. However, if religion is taught merely as a set of commandments to be followed, the rebellious ones will not accept. In some cases, they will go the opposite direction," said Prof Chiam.
"In the Black Metal situation, this seems to be the case as the groups have chosen to be involved in something that rejects religion."
Dealing with these problems, said Prof Chiam, will mean going beyond current efforts. Taking a persecutory stand is a short-term fix and will result in another manifestation in time to come.
"The underlying problem has never been dealt with effectively and until it is addressed, issues surrounding youth will never be solved. What we need is a blueprint, one that details how the entire community can play a role in helping youth become productive members of society."