KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 — It is safe to say that Malaysian post hardcore group Sekumpulan Orang Gila (SOG) has left their mark at South‑east Asia’s largest heavy music festival, Hammersonic Festival 2026.

This also marks SOG’s debut show at the festival which took place at the Nusantara International Convention Exhibition (NICE) at PIK 2 in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 2 and May 3.

SOG, currently made up of three key members — Raja Nazrin Shah (vocals, lead guitar, flute), Raja Nazmin Shah (drums) and Buck Hakimi (bass) — made waves at Hammersonic Festival 2026, especially after their performance went viral online.

Awesome soundman

This comes after clips of their performance on the first day made its way online, with one clip shared by Indonesia’s heavy metal portal Paling Berisik on Instagram showing one of SOG’s sound engineers lending his voice in the performance of their song Kudrat from his station.

As it turns out, the sound engineer in question is Amirul Hazmie, who is also the frontman of another local modern rock band called Nemesys.

“We’re a band that believes in taking care of our own.

“Our crew are our friends, and we live like a family — sharing the work, the home and the rewards.

“It’s that ‘all-for-one’ brotherhood that keeps the energy high and the bond real,” Nazrin said.

Nazrin added that this is not the first time they have pulled off the ‘soundman-hypeman antics’ as they have done it at several of their shows previously, including at Baybeats 2025 in Singapore and Rock The World 2023.

“We’ve had him jump in on Kudrat before at shows like Baybeats and Rock the World, but for some reason, the Hammersonic performance just blew up.

“It went viral because Amirul’s voice is just on another level. If he couldn’t sing, this wouldn’t work, but he killed it.

“Shout out to Amirul from Nemesys. He’s a killer engineer, a powerhouse vocalist, and a great friend,” Nazrin said.

SOG’s frontman Raja Nazrin Shah and the whole band was impressed by the production setup of Hammersonic Festival. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

No soundchecks

Sharing more about their debut experience at Hammersonic Festival 2026, which is also celebrating its 10th year anniversary this year, Nazrin said that they were also surprised by the production setup of the festival, which is far more advanced compared to festivals he experienced in Malaysia.

One of the stark differences, according to Nazrin, is the absence of physical soundchecks at the festival where most of the setups were done via a ‘plug and play’ model.

“We still rely heavily on physical soundchecks, whereas over there, they don’t do them at all, you get on stage and you play.

“Even as the biggest metal festival in South-east Asia, with global acts performing together, everyone — from SOG to the major headliners — is treated equally.

“You have a 30-minute changeover where you aren’t allowed to make a sound. The first note you strike is the ‘real’ sound,” he said.

The ‘plug-and-play’ model enables bands to bypass traditional soundchecks and start performing within minutes.

This efficiency relies on a “silent stage” setup using digital modelers, In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) for custom audio delivery and automation software like Ableton Live.

These tools handle backing tracks and sound transitions, allowing the artists to prioritise their stage presence over technical logistics.

“Bringing our Malaysian crew to Hammersonic was a revelation for them.

“They saw how a professional stage is run: minimal gear, no amps and total automation via presets we built back home.

“SOG has adopted this ‘plug-and-play’ system for years, yet we still face pushback locally from those who insist on the old ways,” he said.

He added that traditional soundchecks are naturally draining in terms of energy and logistics, as they previously spent three days waiting to do a soundcheck for a festival but kept getting postponed due to rain and power outages.

“We need to stop these ‘bad habits’ and embrace modern tech.

“This isn’t just for bands; the entire crew and engineers need this expertise so we aren’t left behind,” he said.

Hammersonic Festival 2026

Although the two-day Hammersonic Festival 2026: Decade of Dominion went on as scheduled, the festival, which was organised by Ravel Entertainment, actually had a lineup crisis where several acts including their main headliner My Chemical Romance, had withdrawn from the event.

Most of the acts, such as New Found Glory, The Story So Far and The Haunted, withdrew due to global geopolitical disruptions affecting flight schedules.

Despite the cancellation, new performers were added including bands such as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Senses Fail, Lich King and Dashboard Confessional.

According to Indonesian news portal Tempo English, the lineup crisis also resulted in the organisers offering refunds to concertgoers while changing the festival format to a ‘private festival’ where tickets were only available via invitation.

Ravel Entertainment also adjusted ticket prices from from Rp1,099,000 to Rp550,000 (RM246 to RM123) for a two-day pass while early-bird ticket holders received a special policy allowing entry for two people with one ticket.

Since their inception in 2012, Hammersonic Festival has made a name for itself as the largest heavy metal music festival in Southeast Asia, having hosted several global heavy metal icons including acts such as Slipknot, Megadeth and Lamb of God.

Despite this year’s festival hiccups, Hammersonic’s founder, Ravel Junardy, apologised for the setbacks in an Instagram post and revealed that the festival will return for another instalment.