Metal in Egypt

The Satanic Issue

23 years ago, the Egyptian metal scene was halted, due to the countries government and church deeming this as “satanic”. But in the current day, the scene is reforming despite still being frowned upon.

But the government and the Church looked at heavy metal with suspicion, accusing metalheads of Satanism and casting them as a social threat. Heavy metal was banned and some metalheads were arrested just for wearing black or having long hair. Lebanon was not alone in this witch hunt. Egypt, as well as a number of other Arab countries, witnessed a similar scenario. Today, the situation in Lebanon is much better, though the size of the metal scene is only a fraction of what it used to be. Egypt, on the other hand, still has a sizeable community of metal fans, but there has not been a metal event in the country for years.

Lina Khatib – Lebanese “Metalhead”

In 1997, the satanic issue arose during a pre-electoral period. Metal bands and fans were accused of spreading satanic messages and conducting dark rituals according to the newspaper. This message spread, and during a metal concert in 1997 police stormed a venue and arrested most participants inside. Whilst the majority of prisoners were released soon after, the hatred towards metal in Egyptian society remains.

Worm

Worm is an Egyptian death metal band that uses programmed drums instead of a real drummer. forming in 2003, they hoped to created and perform original, progressive music using an industrial sound with “old school death metal”. During this collaboration, their EP The Armageddon Codex was created. apparently not being what the band fully wanted due to budget and short studio times, still represented what the band wanted and pushed them to further their music in the local scene.

The vocalist left in 2004 due to personal reasons. in winter 2004/2005, Sakr, a new vocalist joined. While the band only played four shows, they only received positive feedback as fans considered them one of the best death metal bands in Egypt. The codex demo also got positive reactions in the underground scene and while their fan base grew, Armageddon Codex turned into one of the most influential albums in the extreme Egyptian metal scene.

Unfortunately, in 2007/2008 the lead singer passed away due to health issue. Since his death nothing has come from the band.

Scarab

Marzaban is devoted to his music. «I am not political», he says, while honkingly navigating his car through crowds of protesters bordering Tahrir Square. «I just want to play guitar». We are on the way to a downtown bar for an interview. His answers are blunt. He makes sure we understand his approach to music and the philosophy of the band. Scarab was chosen for the animal’s resilience to hostile environments. Marzaban says determination is the bottom line for everyone in the band. This year, to be able to go and play a concert in Lithuania, Marzaban skipped the final exams and lost a year in college. Everyone in Scarab has certain duties. Bombust plays bass and is responsible for public relations.

Scarab, an Egyptian death metal band that formed in 2001, have large influences from Egyptian culture in their lyrics and themes. They chose the name Scarab, for the animal’s resilience to hostile environments.