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Heavy Metal Rocks Baghdad
September 03, 2008 11:37 AM
By Aadel Rashid, ABC News, Baghdad
There is no stage for the three band members of Snake Bite. Mohammed Ali, the band’s creator and the talented lead guitarist, along with Mohammed Rafid on the bass and Lateef Ahmed, the long haired drummer, have to make do with the virtual stage of YouTube.
The security situation in Baghdad is such that they cannot make it out to any venues and if they did the audience would be minimal to non-existent. While things are getting better in Iraq, Baghdad is still not ready to host a heavy metal concert.
The band makes do with a virtual stage on YouTube, and they have built up quite a fan base. One of the videos posted by Mohammed -- or Moe, as he refers to himself -- was watched 54,000 times.
In the clip Moe played the notorious Guitar Master Canon Rock by Canon Rock which is a very complicated neo-classical arrangement by Johann Pachelbel that Moe adapted to heavy metal.
Mohammed Ali, the band’s “main man,” is a computer sciences student and a brilliant lead guitarist. Sitting in his room surrounded by heavy metal posters and sporting a T-shirt from the Finnish heavy metal band Children of Bodom, he explained to me how he was drawn to heavy metal music. He said he started off listening to Guns 'N Roses and then got into the heavier stuff, like Metallica. Moe's bandmates, old high-school chums, share his love of Metallica.
For them, heavy metal is the real deal, and it's all about teamwork in the band. Lateef said that the music is the only thing that explains what’s inside of him and it really explains the situation in Iraq -- the frustration and the anger.
All three of them took risks to play heavy metal music, but most of all Lateef. Members of the Shiite militia loyal to the cleric Moqtada al Sadr, known as the Jaysh Al Mahdi, came to his house and threatened him with death if he continued playing the drums. He had tried to soundproof his room with sand bags and blankets but clearly the sound had escaped and the militiamen came knocking on his door.
The other two band members stopped playing for a few years because it was so unsafe.
Lateef had been in a band before Snake Bite, called Amargi, but the band broke up when his partner fled the violence in Baghdad for Denmark. They also used the Internet to reach an audience. One posting was of a song called "The Wrath in Me" which describes their anger at the killing and bloodshed in Iraq.
Another problem the band faces is poor equipment; it is impossible in Iraq to buy the appropriate gear. Moe plays a Copy Ibanez Guitar with a tiny Yamaha AMP and Lateef paid $700 for substandard drums, while Mohammed Rafid is forced to make do with a rickety bass.
Iraqi society at large considers metalheads like Moe, Mohammed and Lateef outcasts and they are viewed with suspicion. Moe adds that sometimes people think they are pro-America because they wear black T-shirts with English writing on them and have goatee beards.
But fear of extremist groups is the main obstacle preventing Snake Bite from performing onstage. For now, YouTube will have be the e-stage for Iraq’s young rockers.
Click here to watch Snake Bite's lead guitarist in action.
September 3, 2008 in Aadel Rashid | Permalink | User Comments (21)
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Awesome my kind of music and a computer scientist to boot.
Posted by: Ben Straub | Sep 3, 2008 12:11:52 PM
awesome, its good to see some GOOD metal being put out! By an engineer (im an electrical eng. and my wife is a computer eng.) and then he is Arab is awsome. Rap (some of it), Metal/Punk music are for me. Guys, Ed Hardy has a bad a$$ shirt. On the front it says Destroy with a skull w/ a mohawk, and on the back it says "Punks Not Dead"
Bad a$$ I must say. Kudos!
Posted by: Citizen in FL | Sep 3, 2008 12:56:57 PM
hi guys i know this guys its very amazing band and i hope all dreams comes true
Posted by: ahmed alsalihi | Sep 4, 2008 7:11:05 AM
Not just a friends!!..they r my brothers i wish them the best..keep rollin' guys and we really need 2 c u on stage soon.. I salute u \||/
Posted by: Alpha The Psychomantis | Sep 4, 2008 7:30:26 AM
Guys you are "THE" Big deal, wish you all the sucsses
FOR THOSE WHO'S ABOUT TO ROCK WE SALUTE YOU
Posted by: ZekoMetal | Sep 4, 2008 11:55:38 AM
hey hey hey !!!
u r famous now !
good job guys .. i already knew
Mohammed Ali 4 a couple of years .. and he's a talented guitarist .. and i'm sure the other members r good 2 ..
wish u all the luck guys .
Posted by: Odysseus | Sep 4, 2008 4:26:50 PM
Its really great for me knowing 2 of these guys .. you guys are really an inspiration to your friends and im sure pretty soon people from all around the world...make us proud
Posted by: ali_sdp_ | Sep 4, 2008 10:12:07 PM
3aaaaaaaaa Hamodi im so glad and proud of u man & i hope i see u on stage playn what we like to hear cheers to u and ur friends and deep cheers to ur family as well
Posted by: NightWish (Baroom) | Sep 6, 2008 2:32:00 AM
all hail the iraqi metal heads (khawat el ka7ba)
Posted by: mothanna | Sep 6, 2008 8:10:54 AM
that was awesome you guys! please do not stop.
Posted by: Adel | Sep 6, 2008 8:23:59 AM
well .. first of all .. hi all of u .... and thx to ABCnews for producing such a matter .... nthing to say .. but .. u r number one guys ... i know all of u .. and never saw better than u .. God bless u .. and keep it up
YOURS
AMIN AL-JAFF
Posted by: IraqiNemesiS | Sep 6, 2008 8:58:41 AM
Way to go bros. You all rock!
Posted by: Ali Lars | Sep 6, 2008 9:20:38 AM
Gr8 news guys ... keep it up
Posted by: Harith | Sep 6, 2008 9:35:44 AM
that's gr8 guys ... keep it up
Posted by: Harith | Sep 6, 2008 9:36:09 AM
Good Job dudes
i've seen all of ur works on the you tube
Looking forward to c u a great band
Posted by: MustafallicA | Sep 8, 2008 8:49:19 AM
These guys are the best! Keep on rocking guys!! I love your music and I heard some songs that you played... They are great... And btw, my baby's the best, lol :-P
Posted by: Monica | Sep 10, 2008 7:22:51 PM
That was good step Mohammed,
Keep up the hard work guys, wish all your dreams come true
be safe and don't share a lot, situation is still bad these days
be safe and take care of you selves
Posted by: El Mariachi | Sep 12, 2008 5:13:01 AM
ViVa My FrIeNd`S
Posted by: Ali AlTeMeMi | Sep 12, 2008 5:31:25 AM
sup there...awsome news to hear...great article made by an iraqi person to increase the popularity of Metalheads n metal bands in Iraq.
after all im so proud of you guys,juss keep on it n im sure u're able to make a difference...we need something new in our boring life specially in baghdad
so guys go on it,no one will stop u
waitin' for better news.
Metal forever \m/
Posted by: Devil in Disguise | Sep 12, 2008 7:54:19 AM
heeeeeeeeeey guys...Mohammad Ali (Snake Bite) ur the best dude.....miss u & miss all Zayouna Metalheads....
we`r so F**** porud....coz we`r iraqis MetalHeads......
Keep it up brothers.....
DIE FOR METAL....\\m// 666 \\m//
Posted by: SHADOW.MAN.METAL | Sep 14, 2008 8:10:45 AM
Thanks to every one who liked and apreciated the story,,, its just a small thing to let the world know that there is good in Iraq and there are metalheads that are still headbanging
Let the Metal Flow \m/
Posted by: Aadel treav29 | Sep 14, 2008 8:36:00 AM
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