World View
Global Dispatches From ABC News Reporters
ABC News staff around the world report on what makes the news and what doesn't.
RECENT POSTS
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
Baghdad Rocks!
October 29, 2008 7:45 AM
By AADEL RASHID, ABC News Baghdad
Just a few nights ago, Baghdad was rocking to more than the usual roadside bombs and mortars when some 220 heavy metal music fans gathered for Baghdad’s second heavy metal gig since the fall of Saddam’s regime in 2003.
The enthusiastic male and female fans packed into a small, local venue for more than two hours to hear the Baghdad band Brutal Impact knock out popular covers from the heavy metal stable, such as Slayer’s South of Heaven, Death’s The Philosopher and Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.
Lateef, the band’s drummer, said that the gig was “awesome” because they managed to perform several difficult songs from some famous metal bands, for a very appreciative audience.
The other band members told ABC News that they were thrilled with the show, despite losing one million Iraqi dinars ($800) in compensation to the club venue after seven tables were broken during the concert. They added that they didn’t mind the financial loss because they had done the gig for the sake of the music not money and that they were now looking forward to performing in more shows in the future. Lateef, the drummer, said, “it feels like our gig represents the rebirth of heavy metal in Iraq”, adding that his dream was to see more bands in the country.
The concert faced many obstacles: Lateef received an anonymous, threatening phone call, and while distributing fliers for the gig, Aws Adnan and Mustafa Muhanna, the Band’s managers, were stopped by police who thought they were distributing anti-government material. Luckily, according to the managers, there was an officer present who could read and reassured his fellow officers as to the nature of the fliers.
Wameed, a 30-year-old pharmacist, who attended the event, said it was an amazing night and one which would hopefully be repeated soon, as it has been quite a while since Baghdad has had a heavy metal party. Wameed fondly recalled the good old days when the Baghdad metal scene was flourishing back in the 90’s. “I really couldn’t imagine that there was still an underground metal scene remaining here in Baghdad, I thought everyone had left,” he said.
The band sold 280 tickets to the show and despite the heavy traffic jams caused by the unseasonal rain storms, 220 of Baghdad’s most dedicated heavy metal fans braved the elements and omnipresent security risks to get to the show.
In the words of the band, what made their night, was to see their head-banging, loyal fans venting out their frustrations by banging their heads to some heavy metal tunes.
It was a full metal night!
October 29, 2008 in Aadel Rashid | Permalink | User Comments (76)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
this is a great artical ,please keep showing us such stories on the life in iraq ,we need to see the other side of the story not only the war news
Posted by: wameed | Oct 29, 2008 9:25:37 AM
SWEET!! Metal crosses all barriers! Keep it up guys! Everyone can use a metal fix! : )
Posted by: skootzkitty | Oct 29, 2008 9:46:57 AM
METALLICA NEEDS TO GO TO IRAQ - THEY NEED THE MONSTERS OF METAL.
Posted by: JASON | Oct 29, 2008 10:13:36 AM
Rock On guys! Love To hear some orignal metal come from this area! Keep it heavy!
Posted by: HeavyMetalKitty | Oct 29, 2008 10:14:58 AM
This is one of the BEST stories I've read about all year! This is great that music has the power to erase the lines of conflict! Even if only for a night or two! I'm with skootzkitty, everyone can use a Metal fix!
Posted by: MetalMom | Oct 29, 2008 10:15:35 AM
Jason - Rock on. If Metallica goes then send Heaven and Hell the present day Black Sabbath fronted by Ronnie James Dio. They just came through my town a month ago, and they still rock at 66 years of age. Amazing.
Posted by: Huh | Oct 29, 2008 10:35:58 AM
Heavy Metal still rules!!!
Posted by: RockNRoll | Oct 29, 2008 10:56:42 AM
Awesome. After years of oppression, let them rock out and have a little fun. Even if you don't like metal you have to be happy for them.
Posted by: Bedrock | Oct 29, 2008 11:03:34 AM
Keep it metal guys!! \m/
Posted by: j | Oct 29, 2008 11:05:18 AM
Also - yeah, it would be great if big nam bands would play there but right now it could never happen. None of those bands would even think of it due to security concerns. Only way it could happen would be like a USO tour thing like Drowning Pool did. Besides, there are soooooo few musicians that would consider it anyway. It's trendy for musicians to be anti-war.
Posted by: Bedrock | Oct 29, 2008 11:09:18 AM
This is great. With all the bad that is happening there, it is nice to know something good can happen. Music is the universal language. And it is not just Metal in Iraq or Pop in Japan. It is Rap in India and African countries. It is Blues and R n B in European countries. Classical just goes where the wind blows. And that is just a few examples. Maybe one day we will see are more alike than we are different.
Posted by: Lisa B in NE | Oct 29, 2008 11:40:16 AM
Great Story! I second Wameed...more stories like this is the inspiration needed from the media. Kudos to the author.
Posted by: Los-Veteran | Oct 29, 2008 11:48:32 AM
This is a nice article, but how you can write about heavy metal in Baghdad without mentioning Acrassicauda is beyond me. Vie Magazine beat all the news agencies to this punch a long time ago.
Posted by: Nathan | Oct 29, 2008 11:56:36 AM
This is the realization of civil society - independent groups forming to pursue their interests, outside the realm of government involvement.
It is a large part of what social structure and order is founded upon, and is a clear sign that the country is recovering.
Keep it up, Iraq! I'm behind you all the way...oh yeah, Metal Rules!
Posted by: Todd | Oct 29, 2008 12:10:32 PM
To hell with acrassicauda!! bunch of posers , they are such a disgrace to heavy metal and to the awesome iraqi metal musicians
i dont know how they count as a heavy metal band lol!!!
they are nothing but a glammy skill-less fags , and they know nothin but three chords with some lousy drums beats for kids
the only iraqi metal band my ass lol!!
dog faced corpse and brutal impact fuckk them in the ass
HAIL THE TRUE IRAQI METAL BANDS!!
HAIL DFC!!
HAIL BRUTAL IMPACT!!
Posted by: Deathmetalfreak | Oct 29, 2008 1:02:26 PM
Deathmetalfreak-You may like death metal, but your writing style definitely has some ManOwar influence. Rock on.
Posted by: Ben Straub | Oct 29, 2008 1:27:52 PM
...............
it's an event that i was allways dreaming of it
and now my dream come true
i go to a metal gig
and my best friends are hitting the stage
and i bang my head with lots of my friends till we fall down
and many thanks for everyone help's me to make the concert done
humam - mustafa muhanna - anmar alqaisy - mohamad venom - khalid wolf - thurar -mustafa neo- hussen alshemari-amaar ibrahim fadi adeeb and mohamad sobhi and many brothers
and many thanks to adel and ABC news for posting the story of the concert
we are fighting with power and steel
fighting for metal that's all that's real
BROTHERS OF METAL will always be there
Standing together with hands in the air
brutal impact rules
dog faced corpse rules
\m....m/
aws adnan
brutal impact's manger and the concert sponsor
Posted by: AwS AdNaN | Oct 29, 2008 3:18:47 PM
Thnx Guys For Ur wounderful Comment
thnx adel For The Artical
and we r promissing u that we will do our best to keep the metal flag up
thnx alot
Mustafa Muhana
voy fm presenter and dirctor
B.I. Manger assistent
Posted by: Mustafa Muhana | Oct 29, 2008 3:31:45 PM
the concert are been waiting form many iraqi headbangers and it was and awesome metal gig for anyone like the rock n roll and metal songs .... and its a good start for brutal impact and the success was unexpected and we wish that we will see many metal gigs not only in baghdad but all over iraq .... metal rules
Posted by: Mr.FOX | Oct 29, 2008 3:44:44 PM
Wellish ...For Me I Was In The Concert I Never Been In Such A Incrideble Concert Like This ...There Were Alot Of Headbangers Male And Female ...We Never Cared For The Danger Or The Rain We Just Wanted To Go And Check Out Becuz We Had A Faith Inside That Telling Us That It Would Be Great Concert...And Yes It Is...Well I Will Not Miss Any Of Good Sights Of Living In Peace thru Concerts Or Wutever ....
We Are Holding Your Back Brothers .
Posted by: Jaafar Thamir | Oct 29, 2008 3:53:33 PM
great job my friends we waiting the best from u guys and we will still saying (metal for ever) and we all love u guys
Posted by: ali | Oct 29, 2008 3:56:42 PM
hell yeah , first i wanna thank adel 4 this great artical , and then i wanna say somethin 2 all the metal heads around the wolrd nothing could stop us (the Iraqi headbangers) and we will keep our heads up till the end , hail for metal hail for brutal impact and d.f.c ,
and as aws allways say Brothers till the end no matter what happens \m/....\m/
Posted by: Venom | Oct 29, 2008 4:00:40 PM
\m/ keep on banging metal heads in baghdad... u made me proud... ROCK IT ON
Posted by: Aya Almukhtar \m/ | Oct 29, 2008 4:00:50 PM
Great Stuff I loved the party and the article is amazing.
Enough talking about the war and stuff and let us live like normal people for once !
Posted by: MockinG BirD | Oct 29, 2008 4:00:55 PM
Keep it up guys, i can see your bright future shining in front of my eyes like a rainbow in the dark, i wish you all success. i was dreaming to be between you all and we were dreaming to have such a night like this when we were young.
keep your heads up and baaaaaaaaaaaaaang.
Yeah its your time and your rules
Posted by: the lone wolf | Oct 29, 2008 4:10:13 PM
Post a comment
