Heavy Metal in the Middle East?

Over the years, heavy metal has become worldwide. Many different bands have come from many different countries all around the world. Massive metal festivals are held all over the world where thousands of metalheads gather to see their favorite bands perform live. It's common to hear about bands that come from America, Germany, Sweden, England, and Finland. These are all common locales for heavy metal bands to rise from, but how often do you hear about heavy metal in the Middle East?

In Jordan and Saudi Arabia, a new kind of music is starting to get some mainstream attention. Heavy metal is becoming very popular in these countries. These two country still thrive from rich, traditional and strict culture from years ago. These countries are not accustom to change, but with the rise of heavy metal, they are experiencing some astonishing changes.

In Jordan, the band Tyrant Throne is getting a lot of attention world wide for their unique style of brutal death metal. When asked about the meaning of their lyrics, singer Mohanned Bursheh said, "the lyrics in the song, they are about the relation between the human mind and body, where you exceed the limits of sanity...but I mean insane in a sophisticated way." Also, in heavy metal past, just as Black Sabbath, Tyrant Throne is largely misunderstood in the Middle East. "There is a misconception about the music; that it's the devil's music. And I think this misconception isn't just in the Middle East; it's worldwide, but especially in like third world countries." So as in the long history of metal, they are fighting to get any support they can.

Saudi Arabia is also a location of another up and coming heavy metal act, Wasted Land. Through friends, teachers and the internet, this band was able to form. "Revolution, in this conservative kingdom, that prohibits public gigs, is underground in every since" (Nic Robertson). To help get their music out world wide, the band uses their Myspace page. Guitarist Ayman Al Ghamdi stated, "When we upload our songs, we found out a lot people liked what we did." And as in Tyrant Throne in Jordan, Wasted Land is misunderstood in Saudi Arabia. Singer Emad Mujallid believes that some people may get the idea that they are like Bin Laden, but they are not. "We are normal people. We are living our life and enjoying our life, music and work." With the help of the internet to spread their music, they've been asked to play in other countries, such as the U.S. and Europe.

As stated before, heavy metal is worldwide. It's found all around the world, even in countries that you wouldn't expect to find it, such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. With the power of the internet and the ability to upload music to spread to listeners far, it won't be surprising to see more bands appear in small, third world countries. As long as theres a medium to get music to the masses, it will continue to be a worldwide tradition.

To view more of the interview and thoughts of the bands, follow the link below to the video.


- CNN: "Mid-East metal" (Online Video Clip) http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2008/02/29/ime.gorani.mid.east.heavy.metal.bk.a.cnn

- http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=73284385&albumID=1853013&imageID=6506756

Women and Heavy Metal

In it's 30+ years of existence, heavy metal has been a very male dominated genre of music. It's a very strong, very masculine form of sonic aggression. Heavy metal was considered to be for men only. But in the 1980, women became more of a prominent role in heavy metal both directly and indirectly. During the 80's glam metal scene, women were indirectly influencing heavy metal. But also in the 80's, women were directly influencing heavy metal by starting all girl bands, whose influence is more prominent that ever today.

In the 1980s, when glam metal became a very popular form of heavy metal, there were women who wanted to be with the band; they were called groupies. "A groupie is a girl, usually, that wants to hang around with groups" (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). The idea of a groupie has been around for years, but the idea that women would go to extremes to be with the bands started with Led Zeppelin, believes Pamela Des Barres, a former groupie. On the topic of women being objectified and powerless, she believes that to be wrong. "They are exactly where they want to be....they're not being dragged or coerced....they're doing exactly what they want to do" (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). Lemmy, front man of Motorhead, quips, "I love women. I think they should be naked backstage all the time, I love looking at them" (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). They are living the life of excess with the bands that they want to be with.

Along with women wanting to be with the bands in the 1980s, there were also the girls that were going out and forming their own bands. One of the first all girl bands of the 1980s was Girlschool. They came out and performed the same, loud, fast, abrasive music that all the other bands were playing, except they were all girls. While they did get respect on stage, they also dealt with patronizing comments. Jackie Chambers of Girlschool states, "People are asking me if I'm tuning the guitar for the guitarist...because they don't expect a female to get up and play guitar" (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey).

With the influence from Girlschool, many metal bands today feature female members, most of which are fronting some metal's biggest acts. "Not only are they fronting some of the world's biggest metal bands, but they are now mastering the once male-dominated technique of extreme gutteral vocals" (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). One the more well-known users of this technique is Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy. As a female fronting a metal band, it's all about feeling strong and powerful. Anglea says, "I am tough on stage...I feel very strong on stage and I want to give it to the people" (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey).

Women have definitely proven to be a viable part of heavy metal. The ones that take action and join and form bands have proven they have what it takes. They've shown they have the skill and strength to be part of what was considered to be a "boy's club." Women have broken the barrier and proved that metal isn't just a club for the guys anymore.


- "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey." Dir. Sam Dunn. Banger Productions, Inc. 2005.

- http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/archenemyangela.jpg

The Nature of Live Shows

As stated in the previous blog, heavy metal and violence have gone hand in hand over the years. Violence has appeared as topics of heavy metal songs and has been used as album art work to help records sales. Heavy metal as also been criticized for having violence in live shows. Although this includes violence in stage shows, it also includes acts that are seen as violent by the crowd. These “violent” acts include, moshing and headbanging. These acts are seen as being violent, but really they are just the energetic expression of the individuals.

Moshing at a heavy metal show has become a common tradition over the years. It’s when “audience members at live music performances aggressively push or slam into each other” (Wikipedia). The whole idea of a pit is to show appreciation and enjoyment of the performer’s music. Although it appears to be a violent place, the participants follow a set of unwritten rules, some times referred to as “mosh etiquette.” The main rule in a mosh pit is “immediately helping fallen audience members back to their feet to avoid them being trampled” (Wikipedia). Another rule would be to give people around the pit they’re space if they do not wish to be involved.

A pit is supposed to be a place of excitement and enjoyment, but there has been some controversy. Injury and even deaths have been reported from mosh pits. The deaths are usually caused by the victim being trampled or asphyxiation. No one is trying to cause injury to others in a pit, these accidents are purely incidental. Because of violence in mosh pits, many bands stand against mosh pits at shows and even some venues don’t allow moshing at live shows.

Another live show act that is seen as being violent is headbanging. Headbanging, like moshing, is an act carried out to show appreciation of the music being played. It typically follows the “tempo and aggressiveness of the music” (Wikipedia). It usually only proves to be dangerous to the one committing the act. The dangerous part of headbanging is usually getting a headache, neck cramps, or even whiplash.

I myself am a strong supporter of mosh pits and headbanging. I believe it’s a great form of release and expression at a heavy metal show. I believe that as long as the rules of the pit are followed and headbangers are courteous to those around them, I believe it to be perfectly acceptable to engage in these acts at a show.



- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshing"

- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headbanging"

- "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/3021508818_ab6199d864.jpg"

Heavy Metal and Violence

While heavy metal has heavily dealt with incorporating religious themes, another theme has also been very prominent in the genre and that would be themes of violence. Violence has always sold in movies, literature, and art, so naturally it was a good selling point in music; namely heavy metal. Bands sing about topics such as violence, death, suicide, mutilation, and horror. So naturally, if some one not into the genre sees this, they feel it is a negative force and having a negative effect on its listener. Many people have tried to argue that the violent lyrics and artwork are inspiring listeners to commits acts of violence, mutilation, and even suicide.

For many years now, heavy metal has been under attack for inciting listeners to commit murder and suicide. "I think people look at heavy metal and label it for all sorts of things because we need easy answers to complex questions," says Sam Dunn, anthropologist and creator of Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. "I think that it's easy to target a heavy metal band for inciting violence or making kids turn to a cult than it is to actually look at real problems in the real world." (Heavy metal and violence: More than a myth? -CNN.com)

Bands like Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, and Slipknot have all come under attack for allegedly encouraging their listeners to commit suicide. For instance, in 1985, two teenagers committed suicide while listening to a Judas Priest record. "Judas Priest were taken to court in 1990 and the parents claimed that there were 'subliminal messages' in the music that encouraged the boys to commit suicide; such as 'Try suicide,' 'Let's be dead,' 'do it, do it, do it.'" (BBC - Seven Ages of Rock). First of all, people don't listen to music for a sense helplessness and loneliness. They listen to it for a sense of hope and empowerment. It's supposed to be a positive art form for the artist and the listener. Judas Priest themselves "made a point of testifying in person at the proceedings, where they merely pointed that if they wanted to use subliminal messages in their music it would be tell the kids to buy more records." (BBC - Seven Ages of Rock).

Aside from accusations of subliminal messages, heavy metal has a background with violent subject matter in the lyrics, album artwork and stage shows. In Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Sam Dunn quotes one of his favorite lyrics from the band Autopsy: "Burning from the inside out, bloody foam spews from your mouth, smell the putrid stench of flesh, as it burns you to your death." While the lyrics are grotesque, they are just words. As stated before, extreme sells, so what's more extreme than violent imagery?

Aside from violence in lyrics, many bands use violent artwork to help sell their music. A key group in this area would be Cannibal Corpse. They are infamous for their shockingly gruesome albums covers since they formed in the early 90s and for this, many of their albums have been banned around the world or released with different cover art. Lead singer George Fisher sees it as art. "Just look at it as art. Yeah, it's disgusting, but there's a lot of things. Go to the Vatican. That's real. That's representing something that could happen....Monsters aren't going to rip out of people bodies any time soon, I don't think." It's all just a shocking art form. They're not trying to encourage violence to others, it's just something interesting to write about and visualize.

Another way violence and heavy metal are entwined are live shows. Bands like GWAR and Alice Cooper have been making a career out of over-the-top theatrical live shows. In the early days, Alice Cooper was being banned from country because there was blood in his show. As a reply to his banning because of the blood, Alice Cooper states, "There's more blood in 'Macbeth' than in my shows and that's required school reading." (Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). He's enhancing the content of his music. If he's singing about a nightmare, he gives you the nightmare.

On the other hand, GWAR just goes over the top with on-stage violence, with tongue placed firmly in cheek. They "execute" celebrities, world leaders and terrorist on stage, while spewing "blood" and "entrails" into the crowd. It's all for the purpose of entertainment. It's not promoting real violence.

Violence is very prominent in popular culture, and it takes its place in heavy metal. Heavy, aggressive needs an extreme topic to follow the music. It's not used in the music to promote or condone violence, it's just a fascinating topic to write about. I do not believe violence in music gives the listener violent tendencies. These tendencies come from a deeper, more repressed part of their life. The music is just an outlet.


- Donkin, James. (May 12, 2008.) "Heavy metal and violence: More than a myth?" Retrieved from "http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/09/metal.violence/index.html#cnnSTCText"

- "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey." Dir. Sam Dunn. Banger Productions, Inc. 2005.

- http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/28012/2487617350100752951S500x500Q85.jpg

- http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/a/album_covers_naughty/flipbook_102307/cannibalcorpse.jpg

Heavy Metal and Religion

Since the earliest days of heavy metal, when Black Sabbath first played their sinister riffs and sung about evil and darkness, the music's lyrics have dealt heavily with religious topics.

Black Sabbath sung about evil, demons, darkness and Satan, but it didn't mean they were devil worshipers. Guitarist Tony Iommi never performs on stage without wearing a cross and most of the band's props on stage are crosses. "Black Sabbath sung principally about Satan being something to be scared of. Some of this stuff could almost be described as a Christian sentiment." (Gavin Baddeley, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey).

Evil, dark, Satanic themes are a huge part of heavy metal. Of course, most of these bands that sing about this stuff don't truly believe in it. It's an extreme concept to sing about the darker side of things in the world. It shocks people and "extremes always sell." (Monte Conner, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey). Of course, there are the bands that do believe in evil and directly attack religion. These extreme thinkers primarily come from Norway and attack Christianity. Musician Varg Vikernes was implicated in a series of arsons that destroyed some of Norway's most historic churches. On the topic of the attacks on Christianity, Enslaved member Grutle Kjellson believes, historically, "Christianity deserved it...it was not something the Norwegians chose, it was forced upon them." There are also those who believe Satan is the savior. Gorgoroth's singer Gaahl believes that Satan fuels their music and that he represents freedom. Although these bands have serious dedications to their beliefs and music, and commit acts of violence, their following will be small. "It is, in fact, an elitist religion...And so by that virtue alone, it will not have a large following." (Rolf Rasmussen, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey)


Aside from the dark side of heavy metal, there is a lighter side. In Italy, Friar Cesare Bonizzi, a former missionary in Ivory Coast, is the front man of his own heavy metal band. He sings about very Christian topics, but also has no problem singing about sex, alcohol or drugs. He finds heavy metal to be" the most energetic, most alive music." The friar also state that “I am religious and I am a priest but I am not doing this to convert people to Christ, to faith or the Church, but for them to try to understand life, to be able to enjoy it. Nothing more."

Whether religion is mentioned in a good or bad way, it is still a very prominent topic in heavy metal. Religion is primarily used as an extreme, interesting topic to write songs about. Usually the artists do not believe in what they write about, and the same usually goes for the fans. I myself listen to a lot of different artists with a lot of different religious overtones, and they do not affect my beliefs. I listen to the music for its sonic power and feeling and I'm sure the same goes for most of metal fans.


- Gumuchian, Marie-Louise. (July 18th, 2008.) "He ain't heavy...Italy's metal brother" Reuters UK. Retrieved from "http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL1466485620080718"

- http://media.photobucket.com/image/tony%20iommi/kcokies/tn_TonyIommi158A-LisaSharken-1.jpg

- http://musicametal.blogosfere.it/images/god2008/gods4.jpg

A Brief Explanation

Being brought up on all types of heavy music, I’ve become a fan of heavy metal music. My parents used to play Van Halen, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, and Judas Priest all the time. I, in turn, explored the genre and began to listen to all different types of heavy metal bands. Heavy metal has always had a positive impact on me and helped me through a lot of tough situations. All music is a positive form of self-expression, yet the general public looks down upon heavy metal and says it is having a negative influence on its fans these days. It is said to be the cause of social disorder and violence, it provokes negative thoughts and behavior from listeners and contains subliminal messages. I am here to defend heavy metal and prove that it is not the negative force society makes it out to be. I will be using reports from popular news sites, such as CNN and MSNBC. I will also take citations from heavy metal artist themselves from the documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey to support my cause.

-http://www.birminghamuk.com/wikipedia/images/judas.jpg

John Cleaton