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(Note: This is my seventh entry in my series on Middle Eastern black metal. Previous posts have centered on Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Oman and the UAE.)
When I was first thinking about writing this series about a year ago, I searched on the Encyclopaedia Metallum for black metal bands in Saudi Arabia. None came up, and I wondered if, like Syria, the strict Islamic kingdom had banned black metal outright. Well, it looks like that’s not the case, as three black metal bands have cropped up since that initial search.
And guess what? They’re pretty good!
Hailing from Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, Al-Namrood combine mystical Arabian folk music with atmospheric black metal for a truly unique sound that is to the Arabian peninsula what Viking metal is to Scandinavia. Well-produced, ethereal and magical, this is the perfect soundtrack to accompany ABDUL ALHAZRED, the “mad Arab” of the Necronomicon, in his wanderings. Surprisingly, they take an anti-religious stance, which is not to be taken lightly in a nation steadfastly ruled by Islamic law. Three excellent tracks, two of which are on their full-length, Astfhl Al Tha’r (Shaytan), can be heard on Al-Namrood’s MySpace page.
Al-Namrood’s guitarist, MEPHISTO, takes a more “traditional” Scandinavian black metal approach with this solo project, which has actually been around since 2007. His music is a raw blend of DARKTHRONE, IMMORTAL, GORGOROTH and MAYHEM circa De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, though the more metaphysical qualities of Al-Namrood’s music shine through, leaving no question as to where that influence originates. For the most part, the songs race at blistering speeds, using repetitive, droning guitar riffs as hypnotic anchors. Mephisophilus may not be as overtly adventurous as Al-Namrood, but, regardless, it’s still good black metal. Hear four unreleased songs on the Mephisophilus MySpace page.
ARJUN GILL (pictured above) is the sole force behind Premonition. His music isn’t strictly black, as it’s also heavily influenced by death metal and even what could be termed “metalcore.” In all honestly, those metalcore elements, which strongly veer toward emo in “You’re in Hell,” are not my cup of tea in any way, shape or form. However, I chalk that up to Arjun’s age, as, judging from his picture, he’s obviously quite young. Actually, this is one of Premonition’s strong points – while I may not necessarily like everything he does, I appreciate his ambition, creativity and technical ability. I hope he continues recording and growing musically, as he’s extremely talented. You can hear four songs from Premonition’s full-length, The Plague Of Ignorance (Salute), including the hidden bonus track “Blinded By Lies,” on his MySpace page.
