Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo — not exactly a city that shows up in metal press. Kolbenfaust have been operating out of that city's underground circuit since 2010, building a reputation the hard way: opening slots for Carcass and Aborted, grinding regional scenes, and developing a sound that doesn't apologize for where it comes from.

Their new music video, "Pusara Di Awan Biru" (featuring Joel Gilsdorf), dropped March 13 and serves as the lead single from their upcoming debut EP, Cycle of Perpetual Suffering, out via Punkcaroba Records. The song is performed in Malay — a deliberate choice that reflects the band's Bornean identity rather than defaulting to English for reach.

Directed by Aldo of Horizon Pictures, the video is cinematic and controlled, letting the weight of the track carry instead of compensating with cuts. The song itself lands in the alternative metal / death metal space the band has always occupied: textured, deliberate, harder than it looks from the outside.

The band's history carries some weight worth acknowledging. Co-founder Greg Bajien passed away in 2022. Kolbenfaust kept going. Cycle of Perpetual Suffering is partly the product of that decision.

Southeast Asian metal has been building quietly for decades — Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines all have real underground infrastructure that Western press almost never acknowledges. Kolbenfaust are working within that tradition. Fifteen years in a circuit that offers no shortcuts is a different credential than a Spotify playlist placement. Recording in Malay isn't a marketing angle. It's just honest about where the band comes from and who they're making music for.

No official date yet on the full EP, but based on what "Pusara Di Awan Biru" delivers — controlled production, a hook that earns its weight, a band that sounds like it has something to prove — Cycle of Perpetual Suffering is worth tracking when it lands. Keep an eye on Punkcaroba Records.

Watch the video below.