Barbarism - Interview 2026

Barbarism is an international act; Indonesia/Ecuador Brutal Death Metal.  The band's debut album, Predetermined Extinction, is slated for an August 10th release via Grave Island Records.  Grave Island is a young label, owned and operated out of the country of Cyprus.  One to watch for sure, with a small but strong roster, great website, and great communication.  I'll be supporting for sure!

As far as Barbarism and the album, it is relentless BDM full of memorable riffs and punishing drums, topped off with Ardian's nasty thick wet gross gutturals!

I will include the advance-track below, but the album as a whole is really well written and addictive!

Enjoy the track and the interview below!

 Hello!  How are you?

First of all, thank you for having us. It's a pleasure to be part of this interview, and we really appreciate your support.

Hi, man! We're doing great over here. How about you?

Also doing great over here!

Who are you? what do you do in Barbarism?

I'm Ardian, the vocalist and lyricist of Barbarism. I also handle the band's layouts and visual/video production.

Can you tell us all the members?  What other projects are you all a part of?

Barbarism consists of Ardian (vocals/lyrics), Roby (guitar/bass), and Claudio (drums). Outside of Barbarism, I'm also active in Deserter and Devastrosity, where Roby also plays guitar in Devastrosity. Roby is also the drummer for Decaying Human, among other projects. Claudio is active in Huesa Cadaver, Infected Humans, and Nephropexy.

Can you talk a little bit about of the band started? 

Barbarism originally started as a duo between Roby and me. We wanted a separate outlet to write music outside of our main bands, so we began writing and recording the demo in late 2023. We like to keep each of our bands focused on its own identity, so every project has its own musical direction and vision. Later, Claudio offered to record the drums, and he immediately understood the material and brought it to life. We never expected that this project would eventually become an international band between Indonesia and Ecuador. Haha!

How did you name the band?

Actually, the band had two different names before we settled on Barbarism. We even had logos made for them, but none of them really felt right. While discussing our demo with Jesse Denton, I asked if he had any suggestions for a band name. He sent me a list of ideas, and "Barbarism" instantly stood out. It perfectly captured the chaotic, savage atmosphere of our early material, so the choice was obvious. Then I sketched the Barbarism logo and asked Guntur to revamp it into the version we use today.

What bands inspire you?

Without a doubt, Almighty Disgorge is our biggest influence. Their music had a massive impact on us and helped shape the way we approach brutal death metal. That said, we didn't want to simply recreate the past. Predetermined Extinction is our tribute to the era of brutal death metal that shaped us while forging our own identity, rooted in structured violence, anti-creation, and the inevitable collapse of existence.

Now, you said "We like to keep each of our bands focused on its own identity, so every project has its own musical direction and vision."  

Then you said;  "Predetermined Extinction is our tribute to the era of brutal death metal that shaped us while forging our own identity, rooted in structured violence, anti-creation, and the inevitable collapse of existence."  Can you give any advice for bands that are also paying tribute to the more old school bdm sound, but are struggling in the 'forging their own identity' department?  I think you guys do this pretty well, with Devastrosity also, but I can't really explain it.  Can you?

Honestly, it's difficult to explain because developing a band's personality and identity is probably one of the hardest parts of making brutal death metal. It's such a dense genre, and sometimes your riffs or song structures will naturally resemble your influences or even other bands. That's completely normal, and it shouldn't become something that discourages you.  The important thing is to keep pushing until your own musical character begins to emerge. You don't have to reinvent the genre or force yourself to sound completely unique just for the sake of being different. What matters is creating the best version of your own style and developing it with conviction and consistency.

Our advice is simple: don't hold back. If you're going to do something, do it with passion and give it everything you've got. Your identity will develop naturally over time.

What sort of direction, if any, did you give to Andik to end up with the crazy cover art?

The instructions were actually quite simple, but translating the ideas into artwork was definitely the challenging part! Haha.

I wanted the artwork to combine angelic and demonic elements with fractal-like entities, following the concept of "chaos on the surface, but built with technique and precise patterns.  It reflects our philosophy of "chaos in order" or "structured violence."  Andik did an incredible job translating those ideas into the final artwork, and I really appreciate his ability to understand the vision.

Conceptually, the artwork portrays the collapse of creation as a carefully orchestrated process rather than a random catastrophe. It represents a universe moving toward a predetermined extinction, where demonic entities serve as instruments of a greater force. What appears to be complete chaos is actually part of a calculated design. Every creature, every ruined structure, and every act of violence exists for a reason, reflecting Barbarism's central philosophy that beneath apparent chaos lies hidden order.

How did working with Grave Island start?  How is that going?

Our collaboration with Grave Island Records actually began when the band was still called Fraktal. As the project evolved, we mutually agreed that changing the name would better represent the band's concept and artistic direction.

So far, it's been an excellent experience. Pavel is a visionary who truly understands what we're trying to achieve. He immediately connected with our vision.  

We're very proud to be part of the Grave Island Records roster.

Well, I am absolutely loving the album, and I am sure fans of this sort of brutality will have no complaints!  A wonderful slab of brutal death!!!  Ardy thanks again for answering some questions!  Your vocals rule!  Anything you'd like to say to the worldwide brutal fans?

Thank you so much! We really appreciate your kind words and your support.  We'll continue learning, experimenting, and pushing ourselves to create music that we're proud of and that brutal death metal fans can truly enjoy.

To everyone around the world who supports Barbarism and underground extreme music, thank you for keeping this scene alive. Your support means everything to bands like us.

Stay brutal... and don't stop the madness!

GRAVE ISLAND RECORDS