Translation:
***METAL HAMMER/Germany: special interview ***
Please e-mail to detlef.dengler@t-online.de
Please answer as detailed as possible.
Line-up (first name and family name of all band members with age, instruments, professions):
Name: Rawad Abdel Massih/ Guitars, 25/09/1980, DHL sales manager
NAME: ARAM KALOUSDIAN /Drums, 22/10/1979, owner of musical instruments store
Name: Bassem Deaibess/Vocals, 28/11/1977, pub manager
Name: Abdel Latif Mallouhi/ Guitars, 11/11/1984, eng. Lit. student
Name: Zaher A’jlani/ Bass, 30/5/85, eng. Lit. student
Discography/ Releases:
To the Land of the Free: 2004
Resurrection of the Horrid Dream: 2007
Date of foundation: summer 2003
Style: traditional heavy metal
How could anybody get the idea to found a metal band in Syria? How did you come together?
In 2003 it was a different line up, this current line up is formed in early 2007. each one of us used to play in a different rock band so we met each other through friends or during concerts, but I used to study in Lebanon, it was there where I knew and met Bassem cuz he is Lebanese.
Heavy metal in Syria became very popular in the early 90’s (when it was declining in the rest of the world). Most famous bands back then were the giants of the 80’s, Savatage, Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth. At the same time grunge was popular in the “metal community”. In Europe people might think that people in Syria can never know what heavy metal is, but it wasn’t like this in the 90’s or even before. I can say that the 90’s was the golden age of HM in Syria, today is the worst period. HM is despised by music communities and the government, but I think we r survivals.
Which bands or musicians are your main influences? How did you discover these bands or musicians?
My influences r the bands that I mentioned above. I have seen a Maiden Tshirt in france in 1992, then I came back to Syria and saw the same pic (Fear of the dark) on a cover on a cassette. And that was the start. Then I got to know more bands through friends that I then met and they were metalheads.
Are there clubs or venues in Syria where you can play live? How often do you play concerts and how many fans come to your shows (on average)?
There r theatres u can play, but no venues or rock clubs. Very few concerts we do recently. As I told u in the 90’s HM concert could have a 1000 people but now no more than 300.
Which music styles are the most popular ones in Syria?
U know people go with the trends, sometimes it is progressive or gothic, or black. But I think that every metalhead here is a traditional metal fan in a way or another. But I can say that beside HM u have the darkwave, I mean the doom/death bands (then turned to psychedelic) like Anathema, Amorphis,
But if u meant music in general. Of course the most popular is commercial Arabic singers and pop music or RnB as English music.
Which international metal-band are the most popular ones, and which syrian bands can you recommend to our readers?
Maiden, Savatage, Metallica, Megadeth, DT, Anathema, Annihilator, COF, White Lion, Haggard, Slayer.
As a Syrian band u should listen to Nu.Clear.Dawn, progressive metal band. www.nucleardawn.com
Has any political and social problems/ grievances of your home country an influence on your lyrics or on your music?
Man it is of course an influence, our main story line is based on a Syrian writer’s book called (in Arabic) “…of Memory and Death”. It is a short symbolic story that reflects the social and political situation in the east. It is about a family that lives underground prophesized by its elders that it will reach for the sun one day. I can say that nearly every song has to deal with our personal and the peoples’ problems and lives that are mainly affected by politics and religion.
Is it possible to earn enough money to make a living in Syria for a metal musician? Which are your perspectives?
Big fat ugly NO.
Is there a healthy metal scene in Syria? Do the bands stick together, do they support each other – or is there a big competion between the bands?
Most of the bands here r cover bands. And black metal is taking some share more than it deserves in the scene (don’t ask why). But the scene is not healthy at all, we r perceived as losers or Satanists and that caused for total oppression of the metal scene and I tell u honestly, if u want to be active musically here u should forget about HM. U can do some rock ballads and that will be fair enough. Anyway we do what we do because we love it. But surely we cant be as active as before. And don’t expect many original bands to come out.
Are you confronted with censorship in Syria? Is anything not allowed for a metal band like The Hourglass?
We can sell records, but piracy is a nightmare. But doing concerts is almost impossible, and when it is done u should know that u opened a gate of hell for urself for some period of time. As I said HM is linked to drugs, homosexuality, and Satanism. Which r total crime or taboo over here.
How do the syrian people react to long-haired guys and the metal-style in general?
I can say in the big city the capital Damascus, long haired guy is no longer a problem. Or metal Tshirt could b cool. But wearing spikes earings and stuff is not an advice, it is not perceived as an acceptable style over here.
What did your parents think of your decision to found a metal band?
My parents were encouraging, (still they hate the music) but in general very few parents that refuse such thing, until u have governmental problems, or u do it extreme. (black metal, makeup and stuff)
Are there any national medias like radio stations or magazines in Syria which offer a platform for metal bands?
Absolutely not, even local FM stations, refuse to play HM cuz it is a cause for a “headache”. (they mean the government)
In the 90’s there was 1 HM hour/week but it is cancelled
I can say frankly that black metal’s success and its fans is the reason for all of this shit.
How do you get through to your fans? Are there record labels or distribution companies in Syria?
Sorry man to say no again. But this is reality, there dist co. but they prefer rock as music not metal, and they want Arabic lyrics. We connect with our fas through the net or shows. Anyway it is a small country after all.
How much is the average price for a CD in Syria? And how much is the average income of an employee or worker?
We sold or original copy for 4$. Avg. income for government worker is 300$/month. But there r people here, like anywhere, that r very rich or very poor.
Which are the disadvantages and advantages of a metal band who come from an "exotic" country like Syria?
There r a lot of advantages. But they r not advantages for the band itself but for HM as a global music. Which r, new lyrics themes that reflects another cultures. New musical concepts that could b affected with the original music of that country. It is a style on its own. The disadvantages, r that we cant b recognised here cuz we play an unpopular music in our own country and we r “a silly Syrian band” as perceived by the west. I mean what makes a europian listen to a Syrian band when there is a 100000 Euro band?
Would you prefer to live closer to the western music capitals/ countries? Which are the greatest things of Syria and which things don' you like at all?
I don’t think that I can leave now a place I have lived all of my life in and go to somewhere else, but If u ask me this before I was born I can say yes I prefer living in a europian secular society, in a city that hold a great musical potential. Syria for example, has a very low crime rate in comparison to western big cities. It is a safe country over here. I mean we don’t have this obsession “don’t talk to strangers” over here, for example. At the same time u have low standards of personal freedom, im talking about the society, I mean talking about wearing spikes or earrings as I said before, could cause u problems. We have a religiously divided society. This is something that I hate. Even the laws in Syria are mostly secular, but the people r affected by religion, on a social standards. I mean a marriage between a muslim and a Christian, for example, is a crime (in the eyes of the people not the law). But Syria holds a great history, Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabitant city on earth.
Do you cultivate any contacts to Europe or USA to move forward/ to progress? How is the response from foreign countries so far?
Yes of course, we had and still having a lot of reviews and interviews. But they r not very useful actually, like I told u “a band from Syria is not very impressing”
We were supposed to participate in the Shamal Battle of the Bands in Dubai, it is a competition for ME rock bands and the winner will b playin in Dubai Desert Rock Fest with rock giants, but the organizers couldn’t sent us visas on time. That was I think the only true chance to do something useful.
Do you want to tell anything beautiful, sad, interesting, nice,…about Syria? If yes, now you have a little bit of space for your own thoughts.
Talking about heavy metal in Syria, it is dead like dead. We will do a third album, but it will b for the sake of fun. We will start selling our albums on the net, we r workin on this.
I hope we sign the peace treaty with Israel soon, this time it looks like serious. Everything will change after that, my prediction.
Anyway I don’t know what to tell u, but I can invite u over here, it is a very safe country not like what many people in Europe think. We have a log beach on the Mediterranean, we have beaches , clubs and chicks like every country in the world. We can jam together also if u play in musical instrument.
Hope one day we will have an Arabic Metal Hammer
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