Like it or not, we are colonizing Iraq. And why not do it with heavy metal? The genre has it all and is cultural imperialism at its finest. It questions political authority (system of a down), it’s positive, it doesn’t trust Christianity/religion, It’s international, rallies around animal rights, and has an affinity for literature. It’s even got a sense of humor.
The band Acrassicauda claims to be Iraq’s only metal band. While I prefer thrash, industrial, grindcore, and the new wave of American metal, Acrassicauda does come off as a competent metal band raised on Metallica and Slayer. Yes, for the un-initiated, these are real sub-genres in the family of metal. Check out the decent VH1 documentary, Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey , as well as this fairly accurate ‘metal family tree‘ for more.
Metal has been pissing on Christianity since its inception, why not take on Islam as well? The band is the subject of what looks like a great documentary, Heavy Metal Baghdad.
Here’s the movie trailer:
Interested in the metal over the politics? Check out some live video performance here:
