Iraqi Heavy Metal Band ACRASSICAUDA Flees Baghdad
October 31, 2007, 17 years ago
According to Allheadlinenews.com, Iraqi heavy metal band, Acrassicauda, has found itself in the cross hairs of Middle Eastern turmoil after fleeing their native Baghdad for the safety of nearby Turkey.
The four members of the band now count themselves as refugees and may be forced to return to Baghdad now that fighting has escalated between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels near the Iraqi border.
"If we ever made it back to Baghdad, and we ever made it back to our families, where would we rehearse?" said Marwan, a 23-year old member of the group.Marwan, along with fellow band mates Firas, Tony and Faisal, fear that if they return to their home city they will become prisoners in their homes and will not even be able to "go out to buy a packet of cigarettes."
The band formed in 2001 and their story became material for the Canadian documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad made by Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi. The film chronicles that band's 2005 concert in a Baghdad hotel, and portrays the violence in 2006 during which a bomb destroyed the band's rehearsal space.
The film premiered at the Toronto film festival and will be released by early 2008. The film's producers are also spearheading a campaign to find the band a new home in an effort to save them from returning to their war torn country.
The band, who says they are inspired by musical acts like METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, and SLAYER, have not let the music die and continue to write music despite their unfortunate circumstances.
"There is a lot of weird stuff that is so dark and gets kind of miserable, full of rage, anger and different from the stuff I used to write back in Baghdad," said Marwan. "I grew 20 years older in the last two years."
