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Myanmar has over the past few decades seen a rise of really good metal bands, with the likes of The Book of Death (although sadly short-lived) releasing their sole EP via South Korean label BVT Records) and Last Days of Beethoven leading the metalcore front, but with the new wave emerging and a veteran of the scene in Freddy Asura keeping the Burmese flag flying for metal music, the attention turns towards the latest export - Naga Wave, who dropped their debut EP "Token of Peace" 19th October 2025. We spoke to the trio about their emergence, their debut EP, the challenges of touring and touched upon the topic of spirituality.  "Our lyrics are strongly influenced by spirituality and inner reflection. “Karma Loka” is a clear example, drawing inspiration from Buddhist and Hindu teachings that are deeply rooted in our region.Please tell us how Naga Wave formed as a band, it's history and how you all got into playing metal music? Naga Wave was formed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic time, and was founded by guitarist Freddy Asura and vocalist Hazel Wave. Freddy Asura has been active in Myanmar’s extreme metal scene since 2011. Over the years, he has played in several local metal bands such as Athurakel, Asura Land, Senanga Privuta, and Mait Sar. His long experience in extreme metal strongly shaped the heavy and aggressive foundation of Naga Wave’s music. Hazel Wave has had a great passion for singing from a young age and was deeply inspired by symphonic metal music early on. This influence is reflected in her vocal style and song writing, which emphasizes melodies, emotions, and dramatic expressions. Her musical vision guided the band towards blending orchestral music with metal. You released your debut EP "Token of Peace" in 2025, talk to us through the recording process, the challenges and the feedback you received? The recording process for "Token of Peace" took place over an extended period, from 2022 to 2024. Due to work commitments and other responsibilities, progress was slower than expected. We were fortunate to work with August Dila from the Thai death metal band Naraka, who recorded the drums and bass for the EP. After Hazel and Freddy completed the song writing and arrangements, August helped with the recording process as well as the mixing of the tracks. From pre-production to the final mastering, the entire process required patience and careful coordination. In terms of feedback, the EP received encouraging support from locals and we gained new listeners after its release. For a debut release, this response meant a lot to us and motivated us to continue moving forward. Hailing from Myanmar, tell us more about the metal scene there - do most Burmese bands play in Myanmar or travel to neighbouring Laos and Thailand for shows, have you had offers to perform outside of Myanmar? Compared to neighbouring countries, Myanmar’s metal scene is relatively small, with only a limited number of active bands. While there are local shows and gigs, they usually take place only a few times a year. Some Burmese bands do occasionally tour or perform in other parts of Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand. As a relatively new band, we have not yet received invitations to perform yet but it is something we hope to experience in the future. You play Symphonic Metal which seems to be against the usual styles found Myanmar, what encouraged you to play this style of metal? We may sound different from many local bands, but our intention was never to stand apart deliberately. We simply want to create music that truly represents what we love. Symphonic metal allows us to combine the aggression of metal with orchestral arrangments. It also gives us the opportunity to express our culture through music in a way that feels natural to us, similar to how symphonic metal bands around the world incorporate their own identities into the genre.  Expanding on the last question, are your lyrics based on spirituality - especially with 'Karma Loka' which is to do with the six paths of Buddhism. Yes, our lyrics are strongly influenced by spirituality and inner reflection. We grew up in a deeply spiritual society and family environment, and those values naturally find their way into our music. “Karma Loka” is a clear example, drawing inspiration from Buddhist and Hindu teachings that are deeply rooted in our region. Reflecting on the Burmese culture, what guidance could you offer metalheads for the year ahead? Our message to metal heads is simple: be honest and authentic. We believe it is more meaningful to express who we truly are than to imitate the bands we admire. What plans do you have for the year ahead in 2026, any final comments? Thank you very much for the interview and for taking an interest in our band. We are currently working on our first full-length album and hope to complete it soon.There will be new songs and live performances coming in 2026, and we hope everyone will enjoy what’s ahead. Stay tuned, and thank you for all the support. https://www.facebook.com/people/NAGA-WAVE/61562776424267/
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 "Maybe they will think metal music is so dope, just kidding. They'll think this kind of music is so noisy." [Bhone on their parents thoughts of metal music] When you think of metal music from Asia, Burma (Myanmar) is probably one of those countries that does not come to mind as having an active metal scene. In truth it does... just a very small and underground one, one that has not had a great deal of international coverage by the mass metal media. It just seems that this corner of Asia is often largely ignored, or not explored by the Western metal media thus leaving metal scenes, like Burma (Myanmar), often in the shadows and confined to only regional, if not continental press. Flying the flag for the Burmese Metal scene is A Letter From Caeser among other bands, whose unapologetic style of Metalcore may be seen as run-of-the-mill for the hardcore fans of the genre, but would that thought ever stop this quintet? No chance. In fact, back in March they released their latest music video in 'Pyan Lar Mae Nay' and having checked it, GMA thought it would be only appropriate to give the band an interrogation... guitarist Bhone Zay Yar elected himself as spokesman for the band.  For those who have not heard of A Letter From Caesar, could you give us a brief history of the band? What does the band name mean? "We started our band in September 2011, in the beginning it was Soe Pyae Han on vocals and myself on guitars. Later we found another guitarist and bassist, but lacked a drummer and keyboardist. In 2013, we found both a drummer (who played in the band Last Will) and a keyboardist. We had a few line-up changes and settled on our new bassist, Zin Mg Thant. Towards the end of 2014, our former drummer quit and we recruited a new drummer. Like other bands, we tried to come up with a band name - there were so many names that we discovered and were so confused at the whole issue, we didn't know which name to choose! Funny times. Finally our former guitarist (Tu Tu) chose one name and we all thought that it would be cool for us, so we chose the band name A Letter From Caesar. However, in 2016 Tu Tu quit and we brought in our new guitarist Kyaw Gyie, establishing our current line-up." Back in March you released your new music video 'Pyan Lar Mae Nay', what does the song mean? Are all of your songs in Burmese? "It's about a soldier who is missing his family & home, whilst he is away on a battlefield. All of the other soldiers are dead & he is the only one left, he is wounded and found a way to come back home. Yes, all of our songs are written in Burmese." Check out their music video "Pyan Lar Mae Nay" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3lhbiGzEak What do your parents think of your music? What is the public opinion on metal music? "They don't say a lot about our music. I think maybe they are used to it, we have been listening to this kind of music since we were young, they heard what we listen to & I think it's OK for them. Maybe they will think metal music is so dope, just kidding. They'll think this kind of music is so noisy." Have you had people outside of Burma (Myanmar) listen to your music? Have you played outside of Burma? "Some of our Burmese friends who travel and live abroad listen to our music. No we haven't played outside of Burma."  Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon / Source: Tripsavvy What was it like growing up as metalheads in Burma (Myanmar)? What are the challenges that Burmese Metal bands face? "I think that there is nothing different from other people. We do what we want and that's it." For metalheads visiting Yangon, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? "Well, there's a lot of places that you can go and see / do in Yangon, I don't know which places to recommend for metalheads. Maybe you should do a Google search or use social media to search for things, I think that both options will work." What plans do you have towards late 2020 and into early 2021? "For 2021, we are preparing for our new album." Do you have any greetings or thanks you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc? "We would like to thank our fans, family and friends but also yourself for interviewing us." https://www.facebook.com/ALetterFromCaesar/ |
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