Indonesia's hijab-wearing, headbanging VOB count some of rock music's biggest stars among their fans, but the all-female heavy metal band faced a tougher battle in winning over their parents.
The diminutive trio behind Voice of Baceprot ("Noisy Voice" in English) have spent years honing their skills at music festivals around the world's biggest Muslim majority nation after forming VOB as young teens in 2014.
It is a long way from the conservative town in West Java province where they grew up, shrugging off a hostile reaction from neighbours and family members to pursue their passion.
"Because of metal music, I have the courage to speak my mind and the confidence to be different," 19-year-old bassist Widi Rahmawati told AFP during a recent jam session.
"When I'm on stage, I can express myself without worrying about the norms that people expect from me".
Obeying those norms would have compelled the three women to marry right after high school.
"My parents told me that reading was useless, let alone playing music," said the band's bespectacled singer and lead guitarist Firda Marsya Kurnia, 20.
"They said that once I got married, my future husband wouldn't tell me to read books, but to cook or clean the house instead."
The trio's stubborn determination eventually won over their sceptical parents and they moved to the capital Jakarta last year to hone their talents.
"Music is a place for us to gain happiness and share that with other people," Kurnia said.
"We're just grateful if the audience gets something, like a message, from our music."
- 'Tough ladies' -
The move to the big city comes after their popular 2018 single "School Revolution", which took aim at Indonesia's strict education system.
Much of their songwriting these days now focuses on the role of women and environmental issues.
VOB's critiques of conservative social values resonate across borders and could win them a bigger international audience, said music expert Yuka Dian Narendra.
"The band are a reflection of mainstream Muslim girls in Indonesia," he added.
VOB first attracted international attention when online videos of them pumping out song covers caught the eyes of Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
"We never expected" that kind of attention, said Kurnia. "It felt like a dream."
The band has played several online concerts since the pandemic shut down most cross-border travel, including the WOW UK Festival in England and the Global Just Recovery Gathering.
They hope their hard-driving tunes will land them a spot at top-tier US music festival Coachella one day, and the chance to collaborate with idols System of a Down.
In the meantime, VOB say they'll keep drawing inspiration from the women in their hometown, where many do back-breaking farm work.
"The women there are treated like second-class citizens," said drummer Euis Siti Aisah.
"But there are lot of tough ladies in our village."
ETX Studio
Sun Jun 06 2021
Members of the Indonesian heavy metal band Voice of Baceprot. ETXStudiopic
Lubnan kemuka aduan terhadap Israel di PBB susulan pencerobohan darat
Aduan terbabit mengecam pencerobohan terhadap kedaulatan Lubnan dan kemasukan pasukan Israel ke dalam sempadan Lubnan sejak malam 1 Okt.
KRI: Bagaimana pandemik COVID-19 mengubah perbelanjaan dompet rakyat Malaysia?
Analisis ini meneroka perubahan ketara dalam pola perbelanjaan isi rumah selepas pandemik. Walaupun pertumbuhan pendapatan adalah perlahan, isi rumah telah menyaksikan peningkatan yang ketara dalam perbelanjaan berbanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Bersama Felo Kehormat, Institut Masa Depan MalaysiaDatuk Dr Madeline Berma membincangkan lebih mendalam tentang landskap kewangan yang semakin berubah dan ketidaksamaan yang wujud di antara pelbagai kumpulan pendapatan.
Banjir Kedah: Tujuh PPS diaktifkan di Baling, tempatkan 199 mangsa
Seramai 199 mangsa daripada 66 keluarga dipindahkan ke pusat pemindahan sementara di Baling sejak malam tadi.
Asas ekonomi kukuh, petunjuk pertumbuhan mampan
Pakar Ekonomi, MIDF Research, Abdul Mui’zz Morhalim mengupas berkenaan situasi ekonomi negara ketika ini, termasuk pengukuhan ringgit serta faktor yang bakal mempengaruhi pertumbuhan pada masa akan datang.
Data & Statistik KRI: Perubahan perbelanjaan isi rumah di Malaysia (2019 - 2022)
Pola perbelanjaan isi rumah berubah ketara selepas pandemik, berdasarkan kajian Khazanah Research Institute. Dapatan ini memberikan gambaran mengenai ketidaksamaan kewangan antara kumpulan pendapatan.
AWANI Ringkas: Fatwa GISBH di Selangor
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Ringgit dbuka tinggi berbanding dolar AS
Pada 8 pagi, unit tempatan berada pada 4.2160/2240 berbanding dolar AS daripada paras penutup 4.2185/2250 pada Khamis.
Konflik Asia Barat: Harga minyak lonjak lebih 5 peratus dalam tempoh sehari
Niaga hadapan minyak mentah Brent menokok 5.03 peratus pada AS$77.62 setong.
[TERKINI] Harga minyak melonjak lebih 5 peratus akibat konflik di Asia Barat
Harga minyak mentah global melonjak selepas konflik di Asia Barat semakin meruncing. Pada Khamis, minyak mentah Brent naik 5.03%, menokok kepada $77.62 setong, manakala U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) turut meningkat 5.15% kepada $73.71 setong. Kenaikan ini membawa jumlah peningkatan harga minyak minggu ini melebihi 8%, yang tertinggi sejak Januari lalu.
[TERKINI] Perkembangan terkini evakuasi rakyat Malaysia dari Lubnan
Kementerian Luar Negeri mengesahkan bahawa seramai empat (4) orang rakyat Malaysia telah
selamat tiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) dari Lubnan pada pagi ini,
4 Oktober 2024. Seorang lagi rakyat Malaysia dijadualkan tiba pada petang hari yang sama.
selamat tiba di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) dari Lubnan pada pagi ini,
4 Oktober 2024. Seorang lagi rakyat Malaysia dijadualkan tiba pada petang hari yang sama.