Metro Classifieds View all

Metal to the ears

It’s usually taken as a given that certain areas are associated with certain types of music. For example, the deep south of the USA is embedded with the sounds of country and western, while Bristol, in the west of England, hums to the beats of dubstep and drum and bass. Much of Europe is caricatured by cheesy, dance pop music, while Los Angeles bops to West Coast hip-hop. Everywhere, it seems, has its signature style.

But what of the Middle East, and the UAE, in particular? On the face it, one would assume that the residents like nothing more than to simply boogie on down to whatever’s hitting the top 40 charts at any given moment. But it would be a mistake to assume this, given that the people who actually make music over here are part of another musical group entirely.

The region is shot through with a love for heavy metal and hard rock. From when the local music scene first took off 10 or 15 years ago, there has always been a steady stream of heavy bands looking to rock out playing low-tuned riffs through cruchy sounding amps, while their long-haired brethren head-bang in the crowds below-stage. And while various genres have come and gone with whatever’s in fashion, the region’s metal scene has stayed pretty much a constant among lovers of locally produced music.

Take, for example, Dubai-based heavyweights Nervecell, arguably the most successful band to have ever come out of the UAE. Due to begin a Middle Eastern tour this month, the death metal band have four albums and EPs to their name, plus an early demo CD. For years, they have been touring various parts of the world, and have gained serious international acclaim, perhaps more than any other UAE band. What’s more, they opened for what was possibly the biggest Abu Dhabi music show of 2011 - rock legends Metallica live in concert.

But they certainly aren’t the only metal band hailing from the UAE. Projects such as Private Government have been making popular local music since around 2006, while newer outfits, such as Anuryzm, have proved to be just as much of a hit with local music lovers. Such bands can often be seen rocking out at old-school Dubai bar Aussie Legends, where there are routinely live music nights dedicated to heavy metal.

Last week also saw a number of metalheads across Dubai calling for the return of a community web site that focused plenty on local metal music, Phride.com, which shut down several years ago. The site contained a forum featuring irreverent discussions, gig reviews and it hosted local music. Many of the users would use it as their go-to place for local metal news, and since it has been gone, nothing has really taken its place.

Tweeting with the hashtag #BringBackPhride, users such as @PaulAmzer recounted stories of how the web site helped them to develop their love for metal music. “Phride was also how i met my beloved MOOSE. We would later go on to do a metal 'radio' show in some guys room. #BringBackPhride,” he tweeted.

This campaign caused quite a stir on Twitter last week, and it illustrates just how strong the local metal scene still is. Other sites such as Metality are now extremely popular, featuring interviews with local metal artists and all of the gig listings. One thing is for sure, then, metal is here to stay, just as it always has done.

Comments

• Review
  • Metro Life |
  • Misc. |
  • Facebook chatter |
• People
  • Profile |
• The City
  • Dining |
  • Nightlife, the arts and music |
  • Listings |
  • Community |
• Life
  • Travel |
  • Home |
  • Gadgets, cars and tech |
• You
  • Fashion |
  • Health and Fitness |
  • Sport |
  • Well-being |
• News
  • Local News |
  • RTA News |