Acrassicauda
| Acrassicauda | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Genres | Heavy metal, groove metal, thrash metal |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Vice Records (2010-2014) Independent (2014-present) |
| Website | Acrassicauda |
| Members | Faisal Talal Mustafa Firas Al-Lateef Marwan Hussein Riyadh Muhammed Al Ansari Marwan Grada |
| Past members | Waleed Moudhafar Tony Aziz Yaqoo |
Acrassicauda is an Iraqi heavy metal band formed in 2001. It is often credited as being the first heavy metal group to emerge from Iraq. The original band consisted of three Arab members and one Assyrian (Tony Aziz Yaqoo). The band formed and played concerts under the regime of Saddam Hussein. It became well known outside of the local Iraqi metal scene after Vice magazine did a profile of the band. It received even greater coverage when it was profiled in a feature-length documentary about the band and its troubles in Iraq called Heavy Metal in Baghdad. The band's first album was released on March 9, 2010.
Because of its increased fame after the Iraqi regime change, the band started to receive death threats from Islamic militants who thought that the band was worshiping Satan. 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. They now reside in Brooklyn, New York.
Acrassicauda originally consisted of lead vocalist Waleed Moudhafar, 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). 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. The four members worked as journalists and translators before the American invasion. The band name is derived from the Latin name of a species of black scorpion common in Iraq. In Saddam's Iraq, the band was able to get inspiration from various bootleg tapes from heavy metal's 30-year history.
...
Wikipedia