Altera Enigma is a

Christian metal Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...

band formed by

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia-based

Jason De Ron Jason De Ron (born 1973) is a musician from Melbourne, Australia, most notable for being the former guitarist for the death/doom band Paramaecium and co founder and guitarist of the avant garde/progressive metal band Altera Enigma. Biograp ...

, the former guitarist and front man of Paramaecium, and Jakarta,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

native Jefray Arwadi, former guitarist, vocalist, and front man of

Kekal Kekal (sometimes stylized as KEKAL) is a heavy metal and electronic music band formed in 1995 in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to AllMusic, Kekal was one of the first heavy metal bands from Indonesia to make international inroads, and accordin ...

. Both of these musicians have a career that has seen them record and release nearly 20 albums between them. According to Jason De Ron, the name Altera Enigma was chosen because it represents something mysterious and unique. Kenny Cheong, a jazz fusion bassist, joined the project in 2005, and Altera Enigma's first album was released in 2006.

Jayson Sherlock Jayson Sherlock (born 1970) is a Christian metal musician from Australia. He began his career in the Australian death metal band Mortification, which was considered to be a major pioneer in the genre. Sherlock was the founder of the one-man p ...

, a former band-mate of De Ron in Paramecium and also a former member of the band Mortification and the sole member of Horde, joined on drums in 2007. In 2009, Jeff Arwadi, having relocated from Indonesia to Canada in 2007, decided to step down from the project.

Biography

Altera Enigma was formed as an outlet for Jason and Jeff to work together on music that would push their boundaries and challenge them musically. While both Jason and Jeff are more well known for playing metal music, both musicians claim a heavy influence from

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and progressive music in all its forms. In an interview with NekroBlog, Jason said that, generally, metal has very limited emotional range, and that Altera Enigma is an attempt to break that mold. Kenny Cheong, a jazz fusion bassist who plays a five string fretless, joined the band in 2005 and allowed Altera Enigma to further develop their signature sound. The band released its first album, '' Alteration'', in 2006. 2007 saw the addition of drummer

, formerly of Mortification, Paramaecium, and Horde. The band is in the process of creating a new album, but progress on the record has been slow due to various events in the band members lives. As of March, 2010, Jeff, who now resides in Calgary,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, decided that he needed to step away from Altera Enigma, and his contribution to the project is now minimal, although according to Jason DeRon the band will continue to take advantage of his creativity and inventiveness. As of May 2011, the band have announced that work on their second album is almost complete, with bass, keys, guitars done, and only drums left to record.

Lineup

;Current members *

(2004–present) -

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, bass,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

( Paramaecium/ inExordium, Soundscape) *

(2007–present) - Drums ( Paramaecium, inExordium, Mortification, Horde, Soundscape, Revulsed) * Kenny Cheong (2005–present) - Bass (Soundscape) ;Former members * Jefray Arwadi (2004-2010) -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

(

, Doctor D,

Armageddon Holocaust Armageddon Holocaust was an Indonesian black metal band formed by two musicians known by the pseudonyms Doctor Dark and Dark Thriller. History Armageddon Holocaust originally conceived of by original members Doctor Dark and Dark Thriller in 199 ...

, Excision, Inner Warfare)

Discography

*'' Alteration'' (2006)

References

External links

Official Altera Enigma website

Reverbnation
Altera Enigma on Reverbnation {{DEFAULTSORT:Altera Enigma Australian progressive metal musical groups Australian Christian metal musical groups Australian death metal musical groups Victoria (Australia) musical groups Australian musical trios Jazz fusion ensembles Musical groups established in 2004