|
This interview is made of 2 parts, if you have been here before,
this first part is actually the METAL PROFILER which use to be in another page,
now I put it here ... anyway, Part 1 are the common questions I throw to bands..
and the photos here are from their last gig in
Dubai... so no more bullshit! Here goes...the pioneers of death metal in Dubai,
Untied Arab Emirates
Name/Alias - Age - Nationality - Band position - Years playing with the
band:
Years playing with your
instrument? Proper
musical schooling or self taught? First Metal band you
heard? When & Where? & did you like it? First Album you bought
& When? Latest Album you
bought? Album that you
bought & fucking hate it after listening: Main Influences in-Metal Music (Bands):
Non-Metal Music:
Literature/Book/Zine:
Films/Movies:
Who are the 3 bands you
want to share the stage with?
Which country do you
want to play in with the bands you mentioned above?
What album (of any
band) you can’t live without?
What is your best
experience with the band?
What is the worst
problem you encountered with the band?
Have you ever been
harassed because of being a metal head?
What is the best thing
you can say about the underground (locally or international)?
What do you fucking
hate most about the underground?
Best Dream (or Wet
Dreams) that you remember:
Your worst fucking nightmare:
You are currently
working or studying? Do
you drink beer/alcohol? If yes, what brand?
Do you fuck whores? If
yes, which nationality? Now here is the MAIN INTERVIEW!! Here is the Hated Ones! The Pioneers of Death Metal in Dubai, United Arab Emirates! This is answered by Serge 'The Slave'!!!! First thing, when, how, where did all this began? Would you elaborate the beginnings of ABHORRED? Abhorred means Hated. We came together from 2 different bands, Eskimo Disco (power metal) & Spyne (thrash metal) and we formed Embodied. I used to sing for both bands, we did a collaboration together 8 musicians influenced by Pantera, the old Slipknot, Slayer & some earlier Machine Head, called ESP (Eskimo Spyne Project). This lasted for only one gig. Some members left the country, others got into some gay music, so we wanted to play something that was our state of mind back then, and still is now, but stronger. As Embodied, we wrote a tune called Controlling Death by Death, soon after, we came up with the name we posses now as Abhorred. We chucked CDBD, and wrote the first tune that is sort of our anthem “Structures of Madness”. This is how we came about. At first, it was me, Prit, Prav & x-guitarist Moe. A few months later, we met Saif and things got a bit clearer. When we played gigs, Prit and Saif used to swap between the bass guitar; it worked out in some ways, but we lacked something. The music was getting to a different level because of all the different influences as band members, I was into black metal and doom metal, Saif was into melodic death metal, Moe was into thrash metal and rock and Prit and Prav were into Power death metal. It really brought thing together. Rami didn’t get into the picture until mid end of 2001, by this time we had some differences with Moe, and we went our separate ways. The guys are still friends with him. Soon after Saif had to go back to Saudi Arabia; we lost touch with him for 2 years- he was always a main member of the band- but he would always pop up at the times of need; Saif was Safe! We wrote 2 tunes with Moe, Structures & Eternal Hell. When Rami joined the band, it was such a revelation; he gave us the edge that we needed/lacked. He turned the riffs into something that is unique and explosive. His Jazz influence worked out to the best. We would not trade in any experience or band member for anything; we work perfectly together on a music level, mental level and most of all we all are the best of mates. What are your initial plans for the band? Do you feel you have fulfilled some, if not all of it so far? We started working on our first official album in the London, titled “Passages from the book of ruins” The vocals, guitars & drums were recorded in the U.K. and Rami is gonna record the Bass lines in Dubai. Date of release is still not yet set, but we are hoping it will be out by September, 2004. We have fulfilled some of the bands plans, but everything usually takes a fuck of long time to happen, due to financial & location problems. Now that we will all be in based in England, I recon things will start getting easier for the band and shit will start happening on the bigger scale. Your style of death metal has some touches of black & I as I saw you guys I can assume you are the most into BM, am I right? How did you decided to play this style of extreme metal? I am more into Black metal then the rest of the guys. Saif & Prav are eager listeners. Prit is into some random black metal bands, nothing that I find interesting & Rami is not really a metal head, but it makes no difference at all. I listen to a lot of Doom metal as well. It basically depends on my mood when it comes to listening, usually I would prefer Death metal. I also sing in an extreme underground black metal band in Lebanon (no keyboards) called Sepia Seraph. We are currently working on a 4-track demo. We all have different ideas in our head about the music, composing; when we work together, we come up with some explosive shit which makes up Abhorred and what it stands for. We all put our different backgrounds & influences into it, we try to bring reality and paint a picture of the shit that goes on in everyday life of being Abhorred.
How long are you guys been here in U.A.E.? As I remember when I met Rami (September 2003 before he went to Lebanon) in Ram’s (Metal India dude!) accommodation he mentioned that the Mukhi brothers are in the UK & you are in Lebanon. All of you guys are now here, is this for good or short term? I have been here since 1990, we fled Lebanon due to the war and came to the shit hole Dubai coz my dad lives here. Prav & Prit were born in Dubai; by they went to boarding school in England. Rami spent all his life in Dubai. Saif came to Dubai for 3 years, that’s how we met him; he went to University in 1999. I was in Lebanon for a year at university, but things didn’t work out so I came back, now my final destination is gonna be Liverpool. Prav, Prit & Saif are based in London now, and we are gonna be there until further notice. Rami is graduating in summer 2004, he’s gonna work for a few years in Dubai, then hopefully follow us to England. So, I guess being separated for quite sometime didn’t give you much time to rehearse or hang out. What are the other things you do together besides playing with the band? Do you kid around, drink together, etc..? Who is the main joker & the most serious in you guys? Who is the babe magnet? We have been mates since 1998, we spend almost all of our time together, and I practically lived at the Mukhis house for 3 years. We are one big happy family ;) We all joke around and call each other ‘CUNTS’ all the fucking time, but when it comes down to our music it gets to a different level; a more serious one for that matter, we block the world out and we get Abhorred! I think we joke fuck around more than 80% of the time, and we never get bored. I guess Rami would be the babe magnet; he is swarming with women all the fucking time. I have a serious relationship so… I believe you are working on a full release? Will this be self financed or you already got a label? Are the tracks in the EP included? Do you already have a title or planned date of release? We will still be doing everything ourselves. It is gonna be self released, maybe would go on Prit's and Prav's older brother Pavan’s label Dented Records. I answered the last part in the second question. Let’s talk first about your CD-EP? THE EMPIRE' S FALL? How long did you manage to construct all of it, from song writing to recording? What is the hardest thing that you encountered during the process? How did the people in the studio reacted when they heard what you are recording? We recorded the E.P. in summer 2002, it took us about a month, but the we faced some complications and some shit happened with the recording, we lost 2 tunes, but recorded one of the later at home (unveil the apocalypse). On the E.P., Prav did the vocals on the tune and if you listen to it sounds completely different from the rest of them- recording quality. The first tune we wrote was in 2000, Structures of Madness. The sound engineer Andy Ward worked with metal bands like Motorhead and others, but this was his first time recording a Death Metal band; he got into the music, but at first, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Are you satisfied at the outcome? To whom did you first give a copy to? Do you remember the first reaction? The outcome was fucking great, we all felt really good about the release. It was our first demo/E.P. obviously we were gonna feel ecstatic about it. We made around 500 copies of the CD and sent it to wherever we had contacts, like Lebanon, England, Australia, you & Ram (Metal India) some parts of the States, Toronto & Montreal, I’m sure other places. In addition, the contacts you have and the people u sent out music to. From what we can remember, everyone loved it.
Have you sent out promo copies of this EP to zines or labels abroad? How have you been promoting yourselves to the international underground? No not really. Underworld Zine, Metal India, www.Phride.com, and some Lebanese websites. As for the lyrical content, since it is not listed in the CD sleeve, can you give us a view of what is it about? Like the title track? Empire’s Fall?, is it about the fall of the empire of a pseudo god? Or the Eternal Hell, do you believe in HELL? We do not talk about religion, I am an Atheist, don’t believe in religion, Prit & Prav are Hindu; we have no relation to this topic. I write 90% of the lyrics so
ill try to explain in a few word: How about your families, do they know you play this brutal form of music? What do they say about it? Are they supportive? They are supportive; they understand where we are coming from. We are their kin, so they don’t comment. Most of our parents don’t really like the vocals, but this doesn’t stop us, they know what the music means to us. When was your first gig? Did you play originals in your first gig? How do you feel seeing all these people bashing & banging their heads in front of you? As abhorred, don’t remember I think in summer 2000. We played structures of Madness and Mandatory Suicide by Slayer. We were the first Death Metal band in Dubai, so everyone was shocked and stood there with open mouths and wondered what the fuck hit them. A lot of people came up to me after the gig and told me that I scared them, and others asked for my autograph, some told me that I have opened the doors for’em and inspired them. People here still stand in shock at our gigs, but then, they sing along with the lyrics- that is a great feeling. Your last gig (Jan.21, 2004) was great! Really fucking tight! The sounds are solid & the crowd are totally banging! Oh, you already played a new song there right? Even though it’s a mixed gig I think it’s still great to see there is a scene in this part of the globe. What can you say about that gig? You guys organized it right? I’ve read that the venue will not be accepting gigs next time, why do you think so? Is it true that that was your last gig? We played "overthrown humanity" for the first time. It was a success from before the gates opened, a shitload of people came down, a lot more than we expected. We organized it down to the last detail with some help from a fellow musician (Greg/Billy Costopholies from Equinox), his band opened up for us. The venue was cool, but the people running the place are COCKS, it was some random whorehouse, we found the place, it was cheep and the hall was wicked, so it served its purpose. It was our last gig in the U.A.E. (Damn! Shit man, I'm glad I fucking went to that gig!!-Roy) Now, tell us about the metal scene here in UAE. How many bands do you know play extreme metal? Death, black, thrash? Is there a grind band here? Are you guy’s part of the pioneers of extreme metal here? How about the support, I think you do get good support from the metal heads here? No one, there is another Death Metal band called Morgue (3 local nationals) and a Black metal band called Nephelium. Not being egotistical or anything, but we started the extreme music scene, after people heard what we had to offer musically, a hand full of bands emerged, and they still are; good luck to them. There is a lot of talent in Dubai, but it doesn’t go anywhere, sadly! The support is amazing; we have many fans, HAIL YOU ALL!!!!
How about the PHRIDE.COM, I think that site & forum is working great in spreading the word on heavy music. It’s not in your face metal site as they encompass rock to metal, plus a chance for folks to spill their mind, meet other breeds of the same blood. Do you always check out that site/forum? What is your general impression at what the users of that forum say? I guess you know the people behind the site? When I used to live here, I checked the site all the time, but not recently. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, some people talk out of their ass other have some interesting things to say… Joe is the Don, he has done such a great job with the site, and supported us in everyway, and I guess if it weren’t for Phride, most of the gigs would be empty. HAIL JOE!!! The moment I came here, my contacts & friends always asks if there is a scene here or is there a metal band at least. Now I can say, well, yeah, there are metal heads & there are bands..?. What do you think is hindering the UAE scene to be known outside the country? THE U.A.E. being in the fucking Middle East, Muslim country. I know some bands in India & I think the society there is not strict to extreme music. So, did the Mukhi brother lived in India before they came here? Are they already metal heads when they were back in India? They never lived in India, but they have family there and visit it every other year. They have been metal heads from their birth. Their mom is the reason behind their music; Momses you are the best! How about in Lebanon? I’ve heard from Rami that it is not very good to live a metal lifestyle in Lebanon & that you had some trouble sometimes with the police? Can you generalize the lifestyle in Lebanon? Do you know any band from Lebanon? I’m sure you know the song The Wall by Pink Floyd, that’s is how the fucked up government wants people to live, following a dress code, cast out individuals, brainwash people, creates fear amongst each other, demanding religion, I think there should be a revolution to rid the governing party, DESTROY THEIR EXISTENCE and the people who follow! I was arrested for being an individual, so did every person with tattoos, piercing, long hair, black cloths, carrying a guitar. Therefore, it is fucked, but we still manage to do our thing… I know many bands there (some bands from the top of my head), Death Metal: Oath to Vanquish, Weeping Willow, Diadem, and Necroblast. Black metal: Sepia Seraph (which is also my band), Gothmog, Ayat, Cearthon, The Cimmerian path. Doom Metal: Shepherds of Sheol, Dogma. There are about a hundred bands there, 90% of them are forms of metal. Unfortunately, the bands suffer from all the controversy that happens from the strictness of the fucking government. So I guess it is better here in UAE? With all the expats & some what loosened laws. What are the things you loved most about UAE? The craziest, silliest or just embarrassing experience you had here? Have you ever been in trouble? Law wise it is a million times better, I can wear my pentagram, my Emperor t-shirt, spikes, earrings & no one looks twice. Its very laid back, I guess it helps having expats all over the place. It is hard to get into trouble in Dubai, unless you look for it. Cops don’t bug you, only when they are bored. We don’t really get in fights or fucked situations, but when it happens, its happens; deal with it as it comes… What do you think will be the biggest thing that could happen in the UAE scene? Was there any? All Metal? or ?extreme metal? Gig that has happened? How about foreign bands, any bands have played here so far? ABHORRED, just joking… No one played here, Limp Bizcunt were suppose to play here but the cancelled, like all the big bands do, they think they will bump into terrorists or get bombed, but I would bomb limp Bizcunt if they came here; rapper cunts! (from what I read about it, some guy in the band chosed to be with his russian girlfriend rather than play in Dubai.. I guess he never knew that dubai is swarming with russian girls eh! ) What are ABHORRED plans for 2004? What can people who know you and those who just started to find metal in UAE expect from ABHORRED? Recording, releasing, working on website, writing new material, sorting gigs out. Keep on checking Phride.com for information. GET THE FUCKING ALBUM WHEN IT COMES OUT! ( We wiil surely watch out for it!!! - Roy) I use to ask some silly questions but now I can’t seem to think of any, well, I don’t know, I’m kind of well behave here ?coz not like in my country where I can piss in the street specially at night, or go around half naked or totally drunk, You can’t do that here right? I don’t think it’s also OK here to pick on camels huh? Sometimes. You get worse punishment for killing a camel than you would if u kill an expat. In addition, the blood money is a fuck load. Where is the best place to go in Dubai, like a chill out zone or some kind? Are there clubs there where they play at least heavy rock n roll music? Or is it better to stay home & crank up the stereo? STAY HOME & CRANK UP THE METAL! What will be the highest glory for ABHORRED? And what are you guys gonna do to get that rightful glory? Are you optimistic at what is happening around us? Playing in front of more than 10,000 people alongside our favorite metal band (touring with them) We will fight to the end. We are very optimistic about where we want to head, but we are lazy, so it might take a while, but we will eventually get there. You should know how active we are, this interview was suppose to be given in February… What can you say to those who will be reading this, which are new in finding out extreme & heavy music from UAE? What is the best way for them to check out the scene here? Any bands you want to recommend for them to devour? FUCK NU_METAL!!!! Choose a band yourself. I would recommend us and the new upcoming death act of U.A.E. Morgue; they just need more airtime and patience (between each other). I guess that will be all. Thanks Serge & to all of ABHORRED! More power & I hope you’ll create more brutal music for the UAE scene & the world! HAIL & More power!!! The last words are yours? A Hail to all the fans we got!!!! We shall keep the world posted on our future plans. Thanks to you Roy for the support and the opportunity to share with the Asian world who and what we are about! We would love to have gigs around your part of the world and meet all those metal fuckers out there. Peace & Death!!!
|
