SPRING (band)

Spring (also known as Anthem early on) is a Malaysian rock kapak band that was active since the late 80s to the early 2000s and comeback on 2019 to present. The band, which origin from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. Spring began to reach the peak of popularity when the single from their second album titled Sampai Hati topped the Malaysian music charts in 1993. In 2019 , they do comeback to entertain back their fans.

Spring
Origin	Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Genres	Heavy metal, hard rock, rock kapak
Years active	(Anthem) 1987 - 1989 (Spring) 1991 - 2003 2019 - now
Labels	Sony Music, Sony BMG
Members	Wan Aminuddin bin Wan Ismail(Ameng) Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar) Mohamad Riza bin Mahamad Amran(Empy) Acong
Past members	Amat Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (deceased) Yunus Ajis Ayim (deceased) Fauzi Kamis

Career

1987-1989- Early History

Spring was formed over 30 years ago in Seremban with its original name, Anthem . The group was founded by three young men who were passionate about music, namely Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (Iskandar) on guitar, Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof ( Zaha - guitar) and Ahmad Hafzan bin Abdullah (Amat - vocals). The three of them were the original members. The bass guitar and drum positions were later filled by members who alternated. Among the bass players who have joined Anthem are Ajis and the late Rahim (Ayim). Fauzi once filled the drummer position. Tengku Hanif Kong filled the turntable player position. In the early days, this group could be said to be active when they often received invitations to perform at parties, clubs, mini concerts and weddings throughout Malaysia. Among the early influences for Anthem at that time were heavy metal groups from abroad such as Iron Maiden and Accept .

Anthem had the opportunity to record a song in the compilation album War Rock 3 (1989). However,Iklim's lead guitarist , Umarul Mahdzar Embong, had spotted their talent and potential, and invited Anthem to become a recording artist. Feeling that this was the best opportunity for Spring to have their own album, they finally signed a contract as the first rock band to be under the CBS Records Label, which was later known as Sony Music Malaysia in 1990. At that time, Mohd. Yunus Mokhtar (Yunus - bass) and Rozly Yahya (Acong - drums) had already joined Anthem. Before recording their first album, Anthem's name was changed to Spring. ^{[citation needed]}

1990-1991: Ameng's entry and first album

During the recording process of Spring's first album, they received a tough test when their vocalist, Amat left the group due to serious health problems. This forced Spring to temporarily suspend recording work to give them time to find a new vocalist. In Spring's efforts to find a new vocalist, they traveled all over the place, between Melaka , Negeri Sembilan , Kuala Lumpur , Perak and even Terengganu .

After several months of wandering, they finally met a young man from Besut, Terengganu namely Wan Aminuddin bin Wan Ismail or known as Ameng who was looking to find a foothold in the country's music industry. Since then, Ameng was chosen as the new vocalist for Spring and Spring finally returned to the recording studio to continue recording their first album that had been delayed for so long.

In 1991, Spring released their first self-titled album under the Sony Music Malaysia label . This album, which had a rock / heavy metal concept , introduced their name with a single titled Sejiwa (composed by Adi Jagat & lyrics by Azida NS). Umarul acted as the producer and together with bandmate Mohalim (bass player Iklim) also contributed songs to the album. Zaha also showed her talent in songwriting by contributing two lively songs, namely Gubuk ( a hard rock smash ) and Kawah Berapi (a speed metal smash ). Unfortunately, Spring's first album received a less than encouraging response when it sold only 25,000 units due to competition with other rock bands that had already made a name for themselves at the time. However, Spring did not give up easily, instead they were given a second chance by Sony Music to begin the recording process for Spring's second album in 1992. ^{[citation needed]}

1992-2003: Member changes, Sampai Hati and the peak of glory

As happened during the recording process of the first album, Spring was once again tested when their bass player, Yunus, withdrew while the recording process of the second album was underway. This forced Spring to hire a temporary bass player, Lan, to speed up the completion process of the album, which was later titled Spring 2.. Sampai Hati at the end of 1992. This second album featured more solid songs, both ballads and lively songs with a cleaner sound quality. Their most popular song, Sampai Hati composed by M. Nasir, boosted Spring's name, alongside other ballads such as Sinar Abadi , Kemarau Kasih , Setitis Hujan Dalam Lautan and Rapuh . Famous composers such as Awang BPR and Saari Amri also contributed songs, as did Umarul and Mohalim. Zaha also created and wrote the lyrics for a heavy metal song titled Harimau Malaya , which was very solid and featured a harmonious guitar solo between her and Iskandar a la Iron Maiden , Judas Priest and Helloween . The lyrics of this song revolved around the struggle against the enemy. According to Zaha, the lyrics tell a protest against General Yamashita during the Second World War . Apart from that, like Kawah Berapi from the first album, the album also still features a speed metal song titled Haluan (created by the late Samad Lefthanded ).

Despite the trials that befell them, the single from the album, Sampai Hati , changed Spring's fortunes when the song became a hit and recorded impressive sales. In addition, the song also qualified for the final competition of Pujaan 10 Nescafe and the 8th Anugerah Juara Lagu in the Ballad category. This simultaneously inspired the members of Spring to produce the best works for their fans, which later led to the production of Spring's third album, Bourgenvilla in 1994, which exploded with the songs Bourgenvilla , Butakah Cinta and Sepi Tanpa Cinta . Starting with the third album, Spring began to change direction to a pop rock group, in line with the decreasing popularity of rock rhythms and 'soft' in the mid-1990s. Ballad songs were more prominent to suit Ameng's melodious vocals, while heavy songs were still present, but not as heavy as in previous albums. It was more towards light rock & roll and adapted to modern tastes.

Starting with Spring's first compilation album, Pujaan Gemilang , released in 1995, they welcomed a new member, Mohamad Riza bin Mahamad Amran or Empy from the group Teja , as Spring's permanent bass player. Since then, a string of hits such as Cempaka Di Rembulan , Romantis , Persada Cintaku , Kerana Budi Ku Jatuh Hati and Pesanan Buat Kekasih have been frequently played on local radio stations. The group also popularized recordings through acoustic songs such as Butakah Cinta , Sejujur Mana Kata-Kata and Persada Cintaku , which influenced many pop rock groups of their time such as Exists , Slam , UK's and Umbrella . This phenomenon prompted Spring to re-record the song that introduced their name, Sejiwa, in an acoustic version in the compilation album Balada Gemilang . Although in the mid- and late 1990s many new music groups emerged in the Malaysian music industry with similar music genres, Spring remained intact as one of the popular music groups in Malaysia. The proof is that Spring returned to the peak of popularity in the late 1990s through their popular songs Kita Di Takdirkan Jatuh Cinta , Kerana Budi Ku Jatuh Hati and Pesanan Buat Kekasih while several contemporaries were no longer able to achieve impressive sales. In 1997-1998, Acong (Drummer) left Spring for a while, and he was replaced by drummer from Panji , namely Wan Roszi ( Rozzi Panji ). ^{[citation needed]}

Narcotics issues, breakups and reunions

Spring, especially its vocalist, Ameng, has not been shy about being linked to controversies related to drug abuse. He was sentenced to eight years in prison on 12 April 2011. He also was ordered to be given 10 strokes of the rotan. He spent time in Kluang prison before being released in 2016.^[1] The group had previously decided to split up in 2004 despite the sales of their last album Hati Mahu Baik being considered encouraging. Since then, Ameng has continued her career as a solo singer.

After 15 years of not performing as a group, they finally held a mini showcase where they reunited despite missing 2 members, Iskandar and Acong due to time and health demands. However, Acong was also present to support the Spring members who performed successfully, namely Ameng, Zaha and Empy. The mini showcase took place on 9 March 2018 at D'Saji Restaurant Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

After the breakup of Spring, only Zaha and Ameng are still active in music. Zaha has formed project groups such as Spring Slavemasters and most recently, AQSA . She is also active in busking and performing at certain venues. While Ameng continues her career as a singer and solo artist. Empy has participated in a reunion with her old group Teja and has also accompanied Ustaz Azhar Idrus as a guitarist in his series of talks. Acong has ventured into business, and Iskandar has retired from the music industry due to health problems. ^{[citation needed]}

Misunderstandings about Spring

There have been several controversies that have emerged throughout the life of the Spring. ^{[citation needed]}

Spring dan Spring's

This group is often confused with the group Spring's who were involved in the compilation album War Rock III (1989) released by Mutiara Records. Spring's is a different group and they come from Segamat , Johor . This is because at that time, Spring was still using the name Anthem and was rebranded to Spring in 1990 when they were about to record their first album. Anthem initially wanted to participate in the compilation album but was eventually offered to produce a full album. ^{[citation needed]}

Place of first establishment

Spring is also mistakenly considered a group from Terengganu . In reality, Spring @ Anthem was founded in Seremban , Negeri Sembilan by Zaha, Iskandar and Amat. According to Zaha in an interview on Youtube, this may have happened because a few entertainment journalists at the time did not do their research first and wrote Spring as a group from Terengganu just because of the vocalist/frontman, Ameng who was from there. Apart from Ameng, Iskandar is also from the same country but had already migrated to Seremban when Anthem was established. This also makes Spring one of the representatives of rock artists from the civilized state besides the groups Medicine , Loch , Fantasia , Bozz , DIA , Kejora , Olan , Laksamana and Stings , and solo artists such as the late Achik Spin , Hattan , Tomok and Zaiton Sameon , and others. ^{[citation needed]}

Later years

It was reported by Lifestyle Bernama on 7 January 2025 that veteran Malaysian rock vocalists, Datuk Nash, Zamani, Ameng Spring and Jatt Ali were to perform in Singapore the following month.^[2]

Deaths

Guitarist Tengku Raden Iskandar Tengku Ismail aka Iskandar Spring died at his residence in Miri, Sarawak on 24 June 2025. He was 53 years old.^[3]

Members by era

Spring 1987-1989:

1. Ahmad Hafzan bin Abdullah (Amat) - vocal
2. Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (Iskandar)- guitar
3. Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar)- guitar
4. Ajis - bass (later replaced by Ayim)
5. Fauzi - drums (later replaced by Acong)

Spring 1990:

1. Ahmad Hafzan bin Abdullah (Amat) - vocal
2. Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (Iskandar) - guitar
3. Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar) - guitar
4. Yunus - bass
5. Acong - drum

Spring 1990-1991:

1. Wan Aminuddin bin Wan Ismail (Ameng) - vocal
2. Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (Iskandar) - guitar
3. Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar) - guitar
4. Yunus - bass
5. Acong - drum

Spring 1992-1994:

1. Wan Aminuddin bin Wan Ismail (Ameng) - vocal
2. Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (Iskandar) - guitar
3. Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar) - guitar
4. Acong - drum
5. Lan - bass

Spring 1995-2003:

1. Wan Aminuddin bin Wan Ismail (Ameng) - vocal
2. Tengku Raden Iskandar bin Tengku Ismail (Iskandar) - guitar
3. Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar) - guitar
4. Mohamad Riza Mahamad Amran (Empy) - bass
5. Acong - drum

Spring (2019–present):

1. Wan Aminuddin bin Wan Ismail (Ameng) - vocal
2. Mohd Azhar bin Mohd Yusof (Zahar) - guitar
3. Mohamad Riza Mahamad Amran (Empy) - bass
4. Acong - drum ^{[citation needed]}