SE BON KI RA [seh-bon-kih-ruh] is an old Haitian proverb that means “Good is rare”. It is traditionally used as a blessing when signing off in communications. We think of it as a reminder of the preciously unique nature of our human experiences and interactions and as a timely warning against complacency.

“It doesn’t take much of a look to find the good in SE BON KI RA.” - Rip It Up

Following on from a massive 2010 with a 6pm time slot at the Adelaide Big Day Out and an east coast trans Tasman tour with Australian metal contemporaries Dreadnaught, SE BON KI RA is working towards an abundance of metal goodness. Plans for a full length studio recording are underway that will provide an opportunity to record some current band favourites along with their brutal new material. This is an exciting time for the SE BON KI RA clan.

“SE BON KI RA are one of the more outstanding artists in South Australia at the moment… An amazing, intense almost brutal live show is one of the better ones I’ve seen in a long time.” – Sacha Sewell, Big Day Out organiser

SE BON KI RA live shows are an intense combination of energetic passion and fun. We believe that heavy metal can be powerful and carry meaning without being based on the negativity often stereotypically associated with the genre. We are performers and we take pride in bringing honesty to our craft. There’s no unnecessary gloss or polish here, but there is lots of sweat and the occasional drop of blood. Built on this primal foundation is a sense of sophistication and spiritual maturity, which is added to our song writing by previous involvement in a range of musical projects over a number of years. Members of SE BON KI RA have played in bands influential in the thriving Adelaide metal scene, including Truth Corroded, Sector III, Obdurate Seduction, Chakkra and Hammad. This rich history gives the band a good platform for creativity, enabling us to carve our sound with plenty of experiences to respectfully call on for inspiration. We call our style ‘groove metal’, but with a wealth of local and international influences, SE BON KI RA offers a tasty morsel for a wide range of consumers of the hard and the heavy.

“SE BON KI RA play an easily accessible style of heavy metal, simply described with a comparison with US band Lamb of God. Hard guitars and tough guy vocals laid over an infectious groove and downbeat” - Faster Louder

Since the band’s first gig in November 2007, SE BON KI RA has been blessed with enthusiastic crowd responses, enjoying communion with metal lovers wherever we play. In 2009 we launched our debut EP “One Thousand Ways To Be” to 350 people at a killer show in Adelaide. A highlight of this experience was achieving national air play of the title track when host of Triple J metal show, The Racket, Andrew Haug lifted it from the Unearthed website as his track of the week. One Thousand Ways To Be has gone on to be played further on The Racket, Melbourne metal radio and Adelaide community station Three D radio, where it reached number one on the Powersurge metal chart.

“…experience shines through on ‘One Thousand Ways To Be’, as this is a mature and very cohesive release… a really impressive debut.” -  dB   “…by far the best Adelaide metal release I have heard in quite some time” - Music SA.

SE BON KI RA has been privileged to share stages with Aussie thrash and metal legends like Mortal Sin, Alchemist, Double Dragon, Dreadnaught, Blood Duster, Psycroptic, The Amenta, Dyscord, Truth Corroded and Universum. Along with being on the Big Day Out line up in Adelaide 2010, another highlight for SE BON KI RA was picking up the main support spot for USA industrial metal merchants Static X at the Adelaide capacity show of their 2009 Australian tour.

“SE BON KI RA already has a well established fan base in their home town, clearly visible from the large (S) logo on the shirts of a dozen or so attendees” - Faster Louder of Against The Grain IV

In commencing their assault on the broader Australian metal market, SE BON KI RA was proud to join Melbourne metal legends Dreadnaught for the Live Oblivion tour to round out a huge 2010. Taking in a Sydney show with Lord for their launch of the Tyrant’s Return and gigs in Katoomba, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne and Adelaide, the tour was full of memorable moments for SE BON KI RA taking their tunes on the road, meeting new people and forging friendships along the way. The band sold copies of One Thousand Ways To Be at each destination and has received positive feedback in response to the release from crowds around the country.

“Se Bon Ki Ra has completely managed to capture their live sound in the studio. This recording has the depth and substance that so many other bands have missed when trying to capture such an organic sound in such a clinical environment” - Music SA 2009

The lyrics of debut EP title track One thousand ways to be invite the listener to think about choices and the myriad of opportunities that open and close in an instant. Sometimes this luxury of choice can be overwhelming. We tend to lack the strong guidance for being that is often present in more ancient cultures, and so we turn inward for direction and meaning. Regarding the fight to stay afloat on this sea of seemingly endless possibilities, SE BON KI RA suggests “Just suck it in, set your demons free. This is the pain of one thousand ways to be.”

“It’s rare to find a band – let alone a local independent band – with the same sense of spirituality.” - Rip It Up

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