The innovation that transformed death metal to be one of the most widely listened to genres of metal was not just musical, but collaborative and supportive. The late 80s saw the arrival of early death metal from Europe to the US, which was then transformed to encompass a wide range of sub-genres, with dozens of bands to accompany it. The closest comparison to the Egyptian metal scene in terms of local support, networking and musicality would be the one in Tampa, Florida. In addition, older generations denounce modern metal as being just worse than the classic, instead of acknowledging its natural evolution as a genre and art form. Not to mention that the older generations denounce hip-hop, rap, and other popular music as “not music” or “easy music”, which is purely ironic as metal music was stereotypically viewed as “noise” and “not music” as well. The Egyptian metal scene, as of right now, is collapsed, despite being the biggest and strongest metal scene in the MENA region. Metal musicians often play in tribute bands just to have some form of visibility. A lot of fans don’t understand the amount of effort being exerted to make this music happen, which makes it difficult for artists. Fans are not coming to gigs or lending their support online, and merchandise such as CDs and clothes are not being bought by locals. Rather, the spaces we now have are ones where unheard music is competing with similarly unheard music. The metal scene, especially in Cairo, is plagued by fights and disagreements that have contributed to a distinct lack of space for creativity and innovation. “What’s truly holding the metal scene back, is the metal scene itself,” Sayed Ragai, lead vocalist and frontman of metal band Erasing Mankind, tells SceneNoise. However, most have vanished into thin air.Įgyptian metal lacks the fundamental collective and supportive foundation that the genre has abroad, and this is not due to the general population’s antagonism towards the metal scene. According to the website Metal Archives, there are around 50 bands in Egypt who have released enough material to be part of their ‘metal encyclopedia’. However, if you ask, “How many metal bands have a full album or EP released that is well recorded and produced?”, you would be left easily counting them on your fingers, with some to spare. There are over one hundred metal bands in Egypt. However, the crowd was particularly ‘rowdy’, resulting in a massive mosh pit where several people were injured, and multiple walls in and outside the venue were vandalised. In April of 2006, a group of Egyptian and Lebanese bands were performing at Zamalek’s El-Sawy Culturewheel in Cairo as part of their ‘Rock Mania’ concert. The widespread belief that metal is related to satanism and zionism is the product of multiple factors, one of which is the 2006 El-Sawy Culturewheel concert that banned metal bands from performing at most venues. Whilst Egyptian metal is often overshadowed by hip-hop, techno, and rock, it is not the niche genre it’s made out to be in Egypt or the MENA region. Metal music is an acquired taste to most, it’s an invasive and violent sound lacking in any artistic or creative input or energy, which is an assumption that is very far away from the truth. The Egyptian metal scene has always been sidelined to both people and mainstream media especially since metal music and its enthusiasts have been driven out of the light and into hiding, occupying a dark corner of Egypt’s underground music scene.
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