I’ve been trying to get a Swedish hard rock band to Syria and you can’t understand what kind of formalities I’ve been going through, Eventually, the project was rejected by authorities fearing “devil worship!"

In 1995 a kid in Lebanon took using his father's - a Lebanese army official – gun.

Rather than looking to his parents to blame, the Lebanese cops went to the shop who used to sell him cassettes and destroyed the place. From then on the heavy metal/suicide and Satanism link has been ingrained in the Lebanese ,Syrian and ME media.

Sensationalist headlines like ”who killed the 17 year old boy? The devil of hard rock in Lebanon!” were used - all of course linked to the completely unconnected suicide of Kurt Cobain in 1994.

In the late 1990’s Hala Sarhan dedicated four episodes of its ART program to “expose the evils of heavy metal,” when it was asked by a journalist of Rose Alyoussef: "why do you think young men listen to Savatage, Sepultura, Pink Floyd, Metallica?” she reposnded: "who are they?"

Syria hopped on the fear bandwagon in the late 1990’s. Any guy wanting to hold a guitar faced problems before the concert even went ahead, even though no relation between heavy metal and any suicide or “devil worship, baby killing, rape or church burning has been recorded in Syria.

We are a Syrian heavy metal band, we use in our lyrics stories for Saddalah Wannous and talk about the Palestinian cause, but still we can’t do concerts or sell our CDs because of this pervasive stereotype.

Our new album was refused by all shops just because our logo contains a skull; an hourglass that has a baby on top and a skull at the bottom, meaning the more time runs the more life is consumed. Anyway, what’s wrong with a skull? Why don’t they remove it then from biology classes if it’s so evil?

If heavy metal is so hellish why in Dubai, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Brazil, Indonesia, India….and all of the western world allow heavy metal concerts just like any other kind of music? Why do heavy metal musicians get honored with major prizes throughout the world? Why did 60,000 people turn up to the Sonisphere metal festival in Turkey? Why did Iron Maiden’s audience in Rock in Rio festival in Brazil attract 250,000 people? Why did ART used Savatage’s "Can you Hear me Now" for one of its programs? And why did Syria TV use Joe Satariani’s music in its programs?

Heavy metal lyrics

Rock n’ roll in general is rebellious music; we should not forget the 1960’s revolution that had a lot to do with stopping the Vietnam war. Rock music seeks change that’s why lyrics criticize.

Lyrics in heavy metal can cover all issues and topics. It could deal with reality (war, pollution, relations, child abuse, drugs abuse, suicide, friendship, memories, true stories, personal stuff), or emotion. It could deal with spiritual issues (religion, faith/atheism, ghosts, God/Satan. Heaven/hell, angels/demons, biblical stories or even history and myths (Odyssey, Alexander the Great, Lord of the Rings, Aliens, the Crusades.)

In general, metal lyrics tends to play on the dark side of a story. Like the relation between light and shadow, you have to see both to get a full picture.

“Satanism” or “Devil worship” in heavy metal
When you talk about Satan or black magic in a song that doesn’t necessarily mean that you adapt this ideology. If you like writing stories about serial killers that doesn’t mean that you are a serial killer. Equally, if you write a song about a biblical story that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a devoted Christian. Candlemass’s Samaritan is a song that deals with the biblical story of the good Samaritan but when the band were asked if they consider themselves a Christian band they said: "no! It’s just a nice story."

Heavy metal in Syria
Heavy metal fans have existed in Syria since the 1980's and musicians like Jack Power band who covers 1970’s hard rock and heavy metal songs. The 1990’s saw a lot of cover bands like Urgent, Sphinx, Zodiac, Nuclear Dawn emerge . In the late 1990’s a band from Aleppo released few original tracks. It was only in 2003 when Nuclear Dawn released the first full length Syrian heavy metal album and in 2004 my band The Hourglass released our first album. Later Olive ,Absentation and Slumpark Correctional released albums or some original tracks. Still, cover bands who ,just like, struggle to get gigs.
Each of us has his own private life and work that doesn’t want it to get affected by gossip and rumours.

The heavy metal look
Spikes, long hair, black t-shirts, sometimes make up, headbanging, loud music, and the rock fingers…
I don’t remember historically who the guy is that specified that men should have short hair and girls long hair, probably because he doesn’t exist. Many important male figures in history and religion had long hair.

What’s the problem with a black t-shirt? Isn’t black the color of elegance? Don’t priests and nuns wear black? Doesn’t the groom wear black in his wedding? The connection between black and evil is medieval.

"Rock fingers" ward off evil
"Rock fingers" is a sign used by bands and fans of heavy metal, formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb. This sign has different meanings in various cultures. In Stoker’s Dracula it was mentioned “he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye.” Ronnie James Dio, considered one of the best vocalists ever in metal popularized the sign in metal. His Italian grandmother used it to ward off the evil eye. Dio began using the sign soon after joining Black Sabbath in 1979. The previous singer in the band, Ozzy Osbourne, was known for using the "peace" sign at concerts, raising the index and middle finger in the form of a V. Dio, in an attempt to connect with the fans, wanted to use a hand gesture but distance himself from Osbourne..

Explicit material
It is true there is a lot of explicit violent and sexual material in metal and rock music. And in my opinion, again like movies, albums should be rated. But sex and violence are everywhere; the internet, in movies, in books and comics, in the schools with our kids. I’m not saying that all metal bands are angels, but bad people are everywhere.

Among the reforms the Governorate of Homs undertook in recent years, sculptures by Syrian artists were put cross the important places in the city. One included a hand raising the index and the small finger and holding a carved stone with ancient Syrian language with middle and third fingers and thumb. Clearly the same sign was used by an ancient Syrian people. Some silly people made a big issue about “the sign of the devil in the city of Homs” and the municipality removed the sculpture.

Rawad Abdel Massih Born in 1980. Holds an Msc in Marketing. He works in solar and wind energy. He started learning guitar when he was 15 and formed heavy metal band The Hourglass in 2003. The band has released three albums.

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