Acrassicauda

Last updated

Acrassicauda
Origin Baghdad, Iraq
Genres Heavy metal, groove metal, thrash metal
Years active2001–present
Labels Vice Records (2010–2014)
Independent (2014–present)
MembersFaisal Talal Mustafa
Firas Al-Lateef
Marwan Hussein Riyadh
Muhammed Al Ansari
Past membersWaleed Moudhafar
Tony Aziz Yaqoo
Marwan Grada
Website heavymetalinbaghdad.com

Acrassicauda is an Iraqi thrash metal band formed in 2001 in Baghdad and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. It is often credited as the first heavy metal group to emerge from Iraq. The original band consisted of four members and played concerts during the rule of Saddam Hussein. They became well known outside of the local Iraqi metal scene after a Vice magazine profile, and received even greater coverage with a feature-length documentary about the band and its troubles in Iraq called Heavy Metal in Baghdad . Their first extended play was released in 2010, and their debut studio album Gilgamesh was released in 2015.

Contents

Because of increased fame after the Iraqi regime change, the band started to receive death threats from Islamic militants. Due to this and the increasing violence in Baghdad the members of the band fled first to Syria and then Turkey before being granted refugee status in the United States of America. Most of the band settled in New Jersey, but Tony Aziz decided to live with family in Michigan, before moving to Richmond, Virginia. The band has since based themselves in Brooklyn.

History

Iraq

Acrassicauda originally consisted of lead vocalist Waleed Moudhafar, Assyrian guitarist Tony Aziz Yaqoo (also performing professionally as Tony Aziz), bassist Firas Al-Lateef, drummer Marwan Hussein Riyadh (also performing professionally as Marwan Hussein) and vocalist–guitarist Faisal Talal Mustafa (also known professionally as either Faisal Talal or Faisal Mustafa). [1] Moudhafar left the group in 2003, after which Talal assumed the role of lead vocalist.

The band was formed in 2000 after Riyadh and Talal met Aziz in a Baghdad school where they were studying fine arts. [2] The four members worked as journalists and translators before the American invasion. [3] The band name is derived from the Latin name of a species of black scorpion common in Iraq. [4] In Saddam's Iraq, the band was able to get inspiration from various bootleg tapes from heavy metal's 30-year history.

With original lead vocalist Waleed Moudhafar, the band performed under the Saddam regime, but because of censorship restrictions, they had to write a song that praised Saddam Hussein. [5] Called "The Youth of Iraq", the song included the lyrics "Following our leader Saddam Hussein, we'll make them fall, we'll drive them insane!" [6] Other restrictions on the band included the banning of headbanging because of its similarities with the head movement of Orthodox Jews (davening) while praying. [5] [7] In early stages of the American presence in Baghdad Vice magazine (Vice 2004 Vol 11 no1) did a profile on the band which claimed that it was the only heavy metal band in Baghdad. [3] Since that time, other bands have emerged from the Baghdad heavy metal scene. [6] [8]

After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein during the Iraq War, Acrassicauda staged a concert at the Al-Fanar Hotel in the summer of 2005. After stringent security, the concert was able to go on, but several power cuts interrupted the show. The band members practiced in a basement of a store complex until 2006, when the building, basement, and all the band's equipment was destroyed when it was bombed. [5] Due to threats against their lives and increasing violence in Baghdad the band members individually moved to Syria. [7]

Syria and Turkey

While in Syria, the band was able to hold a concert for metal fans in the basement of a Damascus hotel. Because of Syrian government restrictions, the band was not allowed to call its concert heavy metal and, therefore, used rock music on concert advertising. At the concert, the band performed mostly cover songs because the Syrian audience was not familiar with the Acrassicauda sound. [5] In Syria, the members of the band lived in a small room in an apartment basement with no windows.

During the taping of Heavy Metal in Baghdad in 2007, it was revealed that the Syrian government did not intend to extend the visas of the band. The country had changed its immigration policies, forcing Iraqis to apply in Baghdad instead of the Syrian border. [9] The filmmakers campaigned to raise funds to relocate the band in a safer country rather than having it return to Iraq. [10] The band members also sold their equipment to make the trip and for living expenses. The members of the band fled to Turkey when the visa change took place to apply for refugee status and wait for a third country to accept them. [9] [11]

While on the move, Vice magazine tried to resettle the members in Canada and Germany while also providing money from the Vice corporation. Some $40,000 from Vice sponsors and donations collected online helped out with living expenses of the four band members, according to Suroosh Alvi, one of the founders of Vice and director of the film profiling Acrassicauda. Alvi went on to say, "We had outed them and endangered their lives. They were receiving threats from Iraq while they were in Syria. We had a responsibility." [4] It was with Vice's help that the band was able to use a Syrian recording studio to record three tracks for a demo recording that included "Between the Ashes" and "Massacre". Turkish musicians also lent the band a fully equipped recording studio after hearing of the band's plight while in their country. [9]

United States

After applying for asylum, the United States government granted the band refugee status, which allows it to apply for green cards after one year. Tony, Faisal, and Firas went first. [12] Tony went to Michigan to handle some family business and started living there. Faisal and Firas settled into their new lives in New Jersey. A humanitarian relief and refugee resettlement agency, International Rescue Committee, placed them in an apartment in the town of Elizabeth. [4] [13] Then, in the early morning hours of January 30, 2009, Marwan arrived. [12] On the band's second day in the United States, they were able to watch Metallica at the Prudential Center in Newark. Each band member met the group backstage and James Hetfield, Metallica's lead singer, presented the band members with one of his guitars, a black ESP, after signing it Welcome to America. [4] The Metallica concert was the band's second-ever stadium concert—the first being the band Testament, which the band saw a few months earlier in Turkey. [4]

The band's first officially released album, Only the Dead See the End of the War , is a four-song EP Released on Vice Records on March 9, 2010. [14] It was produced by Alex Skolnick of Testament at Spin Studio in Astoria, Queens. Acrassicauda followed the release up with a performance with Cannibal Corpse, Voivod, and other metal bands at the Scion Rock Fest in Columbus, Ohio, on March 13. [15]

In July 2011, Acrassicauda embarked on its 2011 "Make it or Break it" inaugural national tour. [16] Guitarist Muhammed Al Ansari joined the band for the tour and continued with the band thereafter. Following the tour, Tony Aziz left the band, "due to family issues", and returned to Virginia. [1] Additional guitarist Marwan Grada joined the band in 2012.

In 2012, the band opened for Ministry, with lead vocalist Al Jourgensen stating that Acrassicauda was his favorite band. [17]

In 2013, the band's "We're Not Gonna Stop" tour commenced. [18]

In mid-2014, Acrassicauda recorded their first studio album, Gilgamesh, in New York City. The band raised the money to produce the album through a Kickstarter campaign, raising $USD 37,383. [19] On April 4. 2015, Acrassicauda released their first full studio album.

Documentary

The story of the band was the subject of a documentary called Heavy Metal in Baghdad, which was made by Canadians Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi. [6] The film was shot over three years. It began as a series of webisodes for VBS, Vice's online network. Taping locations included Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq; Beirut, Lebanon; and Damascus, Syria. [5] Originally, it was not intended to be a feature-length movie, but a cut was accepted for the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. [20] Its premiere was in September, and it was again shown at the Berlin International Film Festival the following February. [21] [22] The film was screened at additional international film festivals throughout 2008. It was released on DVD after a brief theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles. [20]

The film was well received with The New York Times praising the film as "An intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage...both a stirring testament to the plight of cultural expression in Baghdad and a striking report on the refugee scene in Syria, this rock-doc like no other electrifies its genre and redefines headbanging as an act of hard-core courage." [23]

An hour-long cut-down version of the film was shown in the UK in December 2008 as part of the documentary series Imagine . [24] They were also featured briefly in the 2004 documentary Voices of Iraq .

Members of the group have insisted that its focus is on the music and have expressed concern over some of the media attention received. [4] Al Lateef told the Montreal Mirror that it wanted to play as an "Iraqi heavy metal group, not as a refugee heavy metal group." He followed that with "all we care about is the music and playing heavy metal, and this is why we're still living, because it's the only way that we get our feelings out—by music." [20]

Style and influences

The group was inspired by bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Rage Against the Machine, and Slipknot. Heavy Metal in Baghdad shows the band playing covers ranging from Europe's "The Final Countdown" to Metallica's "Fade to Black". [5] The first time members of the group saw a Western band live was a 2008 Testament concert in Turkey. [25] Alex Skolnick of Testament described Acrassicauda's music as "very heavy" and "raw". [26]

According to Vice magazine, the conditions in Baghdad after the American invasion resulted in the band's music becoming "even more hate-filled and intense and fucked than ever before." [3] The band's music deals with war and suffering at times, but the songs are meant to be apolitical. [2]

The name Acrassicauda, originally A. Crassicauda, is derived from the scorpion species Androctonus crassicauda (conventionally abbreviated A. crassicauda and also known as the fattail scorpion) of the family Buthidae, which lives in the Iraq desert and is considered very dangerous. The band said about this choice of name:

Only a certain part of the Iraqi body is bad. The rest is good – just like the scorpion.

— Walid Mudhafar in the Toronto Star [27]

Band members

Current members
Former members

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Demos

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qusay Hussein</span> Iraqi politician (1966–2003)

Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Nasiri al-Tikriti was an Iraqi politician, military leader, and the second son of Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000. He was also in charge of the Republican Guard, a branch of the Iraqi military. Qusay, his son Mustafa, and his brother Uday were killed in a 2003 U.S. raid in Mosul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saddam Hussein</span> President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003

Saddam Hussein was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. He also served as prime minister of Iraq from 1979 to 1991 and later from 1994 to 2003. He was a leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and later its Iraqi regional branch. Ideologically, he espoused Ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism, while the policies and political ideas he championed are collectively known as Saddamism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tariq Aziz</span> Iraqi Assyrian politician (1936–2015)

Tariq Aziz was an Iraqi politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister (1979–2003), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1983–1991) and a close advisor of President Saddam Hussein. Their association began in the 1950s when both were activists for the then-banned Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He was both an Arab nationalist and a member of the Chaldean Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Iraq</span>

The music of Iraq or Iraqi music,, also known as the music of Mesopotamia, encompasses the music of a number of ethnic groups and musical genres. Ethnically, it includes Mesopotamian Arabic, Assyrian, Kurdish and the music of Turkmen, among others. Apart from the traditional music of these peoples, Iraqi music includes contemporary music styles such as pop, rock, soul and urban contemporary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)</span> Sectarian/anti-government warfare in American-occupied Iraq

An Iraqi insurgency began shortly after the 2003 American invasion deposed longtime leader Saddam Hussein. It is considered to have lasted until the end of the Iraq War and U.S. withdrawal in 2011. It was followed by a renewed insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gideon Yago</span> American television reporter

Gideon Yago is a writer and former correspondent for MTV News and CBS News though he is most recognized for his contributions to MTV.

Capital punishment in Iraq is a legal penalty. It was commonly used by the government of Saddam Hussein, was temporarily halted after the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq that deposed Hussein, and has since been reinstated. Executions are carried out by hanging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 Iraqi uprisings</span> Anti-government uprisings in Baathist Iraq

The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq that were led by Shia Arabs and Kurds. The uprisings lasted from March to April 1991 after a ceasefire following the end of the Gulf War. The mostly uncoordinated insurgency was fueled by the perception that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had become vulnerable to regime change. This perception of weakness was largely the result of the outcome of the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War, both of which occurred within a single decade and devastated the population and economy of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraq</span> Country in West Asia

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia and a core country in the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. With a population exceeding 46 million, it is the 35th-most populous country. It consists of 18 governorates. The country is bordered by Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia to the south, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraqi people are diverse; mostly Arabs, as well as Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Mandaeans, Persians and Shabakis with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Most Iraqis are Muslims – minority faiths include Christianity, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism and Judaism. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish; others also recognized in specific regions are Assyrian, Turkish, and Armenian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baghdad Gymnasium</span> Le Corbusier complex in Baghdad

Baghdad Gymnasium, formerly the Saddam Hussein Gymnasium, is a sports complex in Baghdad, Iraq adjacent to the al-Sha'ab Stadium. Designed by Le Corbusier under the commission of King Faisal II in 1956 for potential use in the 1960 Summer Olympics. After King Faisal II was overthrown in a military coup in 1958, the project underwent several design and location changes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suroosh Alvi</span> Pakistani-Canadian journalist and filmmaker (born 1969)

Suroosh Alvi is a Canadian journalist and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of Vice Media, a digital media and broadcasting brand that operates in more than 50 countries. Alvi is a travelled journalist and an executive producer of film, covering youth culture, news, and music globally. He has hosted and produced documentaries investigating controversial issues, armed conflicts, movements, and subcultures, including conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Iraq War, the takeover of Gaza by Hamas in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the rise of the Pakistani Taliban and global terrorism.

<i>House of Saddam</i> 2008 TV miniseries

House of Saddam is a 2008 British docudrama television miniseries that charted the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein. A co-production between BBC Television and HBO Films, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two in four parts between 30 July and 20 August 2008.

<i>Heavy Metal in Baghdad</i> 2007 American rockumentary film

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a 2007 rockumentary film following filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi as they track down the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda amidst the Iraq War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraq–Palestine relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between the Arab Republic of Iraq and State of Palestine have historically been close, with Palestinian Liberation Organization supported by the Ba'athist Iraqi regime during the second half of the 20th century, and vice versa, Iraqi Ba'athist regime supported by PLO leadership during the Gulf War. The State of Palestine has an embassy and consulate in Baghdad and Erbil accordingly, but Iraq doesn't have an embassy in Palestine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faisal II</span> King of Iraq from 1939 to 1958

Faisal II was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regicide marked the end of the thirty-seven-year-old Hashemite monarchy in Iraq, which then became a republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feyli (tribe)</span> Kurdish tribe in Iraq and Iran

Feylis, also known as Feyli Kurds, is a Kurdish tribe based in the borderlands between Iraq and Iran. They speak Feyli which is classified as a sub-dialect of Southern Kurdish, but is commonly mistaken as being identical with the separate Feyli dialect of Northern Luri. Linguist Ismaïl Kamandâr Fattah argues that the Kurdish Feyli dialect and other Southern Kurdish sub-dialects are 'interrelated and largely mutually intelligible.'

The timeline of the Gulf War details the dates of the major events of the 1990–1991 war. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 and ended with the Liberation of Kuwait by Coalition forces. Iraq subsequently agreed to the United Nations' demands on 28 February 1991. The ground war officially concluded with the signing of the armistice on 11 April 1991. However, the official end to Operation Desert Storm did not occur until sometime between 1996 - 1998. Major events in the aftermath include anti-Saddam Hussein uprisings in Iraq, massacres against the Kurds by the regime, Iraq formally recognizing the sovereignty of Kuwait in 1994, and eventually ending its cooperation with the United Nations Special Commission in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Ba'ath Party Purge</span> Public purge of the Iraqi Baath Party by Saddam Hussein

The 1979 Ba'ath Party Purge, also called the Comrades Massacre, was a public purge of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party orchestrated on 22 July 1979 by then-president Saddam Hussein six days after his arrival to the presidency of the Iraqi Republic on 16 July 1979.

Majda Ra'ad is a Swedish-born Jordanian member of the Hashemite House who is the wife of Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid, the current pretender to the defunct Kingdom of Iraq and Syria and the Lord Chamberlain of Jordan. She is a Jordanian princess by marriage and a member of the House of Hashem.

Underground music in Iraq refers to the alternative and often subversive music scene that has grown and evolved in Iraq since the early 2000s. Despite numerous societal and governmental challenges, this robust underground scene has been a platform for a generation of Iraqi musicians to express their artistic vision and often controversial ideas. The music genres within the Iraqi underground scene are diverse, ranging from punk rock to hip hop to electronic music and beyond.

References

  1. 1 2 Biography of Acrassicauda Archived October 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine ; www.acrassicauda.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Parry, Wayne (March 6, 2009). "After Saddam & Bombs, Iraqi Band Rockin' in USA". ABC News. New Elizabeth, NJ. Associated Press. Retrieved January 6, 2010.[ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 3 "No war for heavy metal". Vice magazine. 2004. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sisario, Ben (February 2, 2009). "One Band Moves Its Metal Out of Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Suroosh Alvi, Eddy Moretti (Directors) (May 23, 2008). Heavy Metal in Baghdad (Movie (84 mins)) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on October 6, 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 "Band on the run – Iraqi rockers seek new home". News Limited. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  7. 1 2 Garland, Christopher (June 21, 2008). "Head banging in Baghdad". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  8. ↑ Rashid, Aadel (October 13, 2008). "Brutal Impact, an Iraqi Heavy-Metal Band, Hits the Stage". ABC News Baghdad. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 Rainsford, Sarah (December 6, 2007). "Baghdad's refugee rockers". BBC News. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Iraqi Heavy Metal Band Asks for Help as it Fights to Survive". Rolling Stone. September 21, 2007. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  11. ↑ Moe, John; Kim, Angela (June 7, 2008). "Rocking out in the War Zone". publicradio.org. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Ingle, Laura (February 10, 2009). "Band on the Run *Update*". Fox News . Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  13. ↑ Ries, Brian (February 5, 2009). "Iraqi Heavy Metal Band Relocates to N.J." NBC News . Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  14. ↑ Carman. Keith Conversations: Acrassicauda at Exclaim! March 2010.
  15. ↑ Lustig, Jay (March 6, 2010). "Acrassicauda: Iraqi heavy-metal band finds new home in NJ and NY". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  16. ↑ Moorman, Trent (July 19, 2011). "Acrassicauda: Overcoming Iraq to Make Metal Music". The Stranger. pp. Sound Check. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  17. ↑ Daniel J. Gertstle, Iraq's Acrassicauda Tear it up With Ministry, Shed 'Shrapnel Rock' Tag; Rolling Stone , July 8, 2012. Retrieved via Acrassicauda website October 13, 2013.
  18. ↑ A message from Acrassicauda to all of our fans, October 5, 2013. "News", acrassicauca.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  19. ↑ Kickstarter (2016). "Acrassicauda's Official First Full Length Album". Kickstarter . Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 Fraser, Malcolm (June 19, 2008). "'Banger brotherhood". Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  21. ↑ Swash, Rosie (September 28, 2007). "Baghdad band on the run". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  22. ↑ Hickley, Catherine (February 13, 2008). "Heavy Metal in Baghdad Brings War, Head-Banging to Berlin". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  23. ↑ Lee, Nathan (May 23, 2008). "How to Rock in Iraq:Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2007)". New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  24. ↑ "Episodes from Imagine broadcast in 2008". BBC. December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Metal Injection Dose of the Week: Testament Interview". MTV. August 27, 2008. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  26. ↑ Atkinson, Peter (January 2, 2010). "Part Two of Interviews with Testament: Alex Skolnick—Guitar Hero". KNAC. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Report: Iraqi 'Death Metal' Band A. CRASSICAUDA Plays First Concert Since Fall Of SADDAM Regime". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. January 25, 2004. Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.