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Acrassicauda is an Iraqi
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band formed in 2001 in
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
and currently based in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York. It is often credited as the first heavy metal group to emerge from Iraq. The original band consisted of four members and played concerts during the rule of
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
. They became well known outside of the local Iraqi metal scene after a ''Vice'' magazine profile, and received even greater coverage with a feature-length documentary about the band and its troubles in Iraq called ''
Heavy Metal in Baghdad ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'' is a 2007 rockumentary film following filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi as they track down the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda amidst the Iraq War. Synopsis In 2003, the Iraqi heavy-metal band Acrassica ...
''. Their first extended play was released in 2010, and their debut studio album ''Gilgamesh'' was released in 2015. Because of increased fame after the Iraqi regime change, the band started to receive death threats from Islamic militants. 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 New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, but Tony Aziz decided to live with family in
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, before moving to Richmond,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. The band has since based themselves in Brooklyn.


History


Iraq

Acrassicauda originally consisted of lead vocalist Waleed Moudhafar, Assyrian 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 In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...
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. With original lead vocalist Waleed Moudhafar, the band performed under the Saddam regime, but because of censorship restrictions, they had to write a song that praised Saddam Hussein. Called "The Youth of Iraq", the song included the lyrics "Following our leader Saddam Hussein, we'll make them fall, we'll drive them insane!" Other restrictions on the band included the banning of
headbanging Headbanging is the act of violently shaking one's head in rhythm with music. It is common in rock music, rock, Punk rock, punk, heavy metal music, heavy metal and dubstep, where headbanging is often used by musicians on stage. Headbanging is als ...
because of its similarities with the head movement of Orthodox Jews (
davening Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the '' ...
) while praying. In early stages of the American presence in Baghdad
Vice magazine ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company V ...
(Vice 2004 Vol 11 no1) did a profile on the band which claimed that it was the only heavy metal band in Baghdad. Since that time, other bands have emerged from the Baghdad heavy metal scene. After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein during the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, Acrassicauda staged a concert at the
Al-Fanar Hotel Al-Fanar Hotel (Arabic, فندق الفنار) is a hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. It is popular with independent travelers to the city. It is also the place where the Iraqi Heavy Metal band Acrassicauda played their last concert inside Iraq. It is ac ...
in the summer of 2005. After stringent security, the concert was able to go on, but several power cuts interrupted the show. The band members practiced in a basement of a store complex until 2006, when the building, basement, and all the band's equipment was destroyed when it was bombed. Due to threats against their lives and increasing violence in Baghdad the band members individually moved to Syria.


Syria and Turkey

While in Syria, the band was able to hold a concert for metal fans in the basement of a
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
hotel. Because of Syrian government restrictions, the band was not allowed to call its concert heavy metal and, therefore, used rock music on concert advertising. At the concert, the band performed mostly cover songs because the Syrian audience was not familiar with the Acrassicauda sound. In Syria, the members of the band lived in a small room in an apartment basement with no windows. During the taping of ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'' in 2007, it was revealed that the Syrian government did not intend to extend the
visas Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...
of the band. The country had changed its immigration policies, forcing Iraqis to apply in Baghdad instead of the Syrian border. The filmmakers campaigned to raise funds to relocate the band in a safer country rather than having it return to Iraq. The band members also sold their equipment to make the trip and for living expenses. The members of the band fled to Turkey when the visa change took place to apply for refugee status and wait for a third country to accept them. While on the move, Vice magazine tried to resettle the members in Canada and Germany while also providing money from the Vice corporation. Some $40,000 from Vice sponsors and donations collected online helped out with living expenses of the four band members, according to Suroosh Alvi, one of the founders of Vice and director of the film profiling Acrassicauda. Alvi went on to say, "We had outed them and endangered their lives. They were receiving threats from Iraq while they were in Syria. We had a responsibility." It was with Vice's help that the band was able to use a Syrian recording studio to record three tracks for a demo recording that included "Between the Ashes" and "Massacre". Turkish musicians also lent the band a fully equipped recording studio after hearing of the band's plight while in their country.


United States

After applying for asylum, the United States government granted the band refugee status, which allows it to apply for green cards after one year. Tony, Faisal, and Firas went first. Tony went to Michigan to handle some family business and started living there. Faisal and Firas settled into their new lives in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. A humanitarian relief and refugee resettlement agency,
International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1 ...
, placed them in an apartment in the town of
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
. Then, in the early morning hours of January 30, 2009, Marwan arrived. On the band's second day in the United States, they were able to watch
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
at the
Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...
in Newark. Each band member met the group backstage and
James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...
, Metallica's lead singer, presented the band members with one of his guitars, a black ESP, after signing it ''Welcome to America''. The Metallica concert was the band's second-ever stadium concert—the first being the band
Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller no ...
, which the band saw a few months earlier in Turkey. The band's first officially released album, '' Only the Dead See the End of the War'', is a four-song EP Released on Vice Records on March 9, 2010. It was produced by
Alex Skolnick Alex Skolnick (born September 29, 1968) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and one of the songwriters of the thrash metal band Testament and has played with several other bands, including The Alex Skolnick Trio, Tran ...
of Testament at Spin Studio in Astoria, Queens. Acrassicauda followed the release up with a performance with
Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...
, Voivod, and other metal bands at the
Scion Rock Fest Scion Rock Fest was an annual heavy metal music festival held in various cities throughout the United States. The festival lineups included bands from several genres of metal, such as death metal, grindcore, doom metal, metalcore, and experimen ...
in Columbus, Ohio, on March 13. In July 2011, Acrassicauda embarked on its 2011 "Make it or Break it" inaugural national tour. Guitarist Muhammed Al Ansari joined the band for the tour and continued with the band thereafter. Following the tour, Tony Aziz left the band, "due to family issues", and returned to Virginia.Biography of Acrassicauda
; www.acrassicauda.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
Additional guitarist Marwan Grada joined the band in 2012. In 2012, the band opened for Ministry, with lead vocalist
Al Jourgensen Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is t ...
stating that Acrassicauda was his favorite band. In 2013, the band's "We're Not Gonna Stop" tour commenced.A message from Acrassicauda to all of our fans
October 5, 2013. "News", acrassicauca.com. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
In mid-2014, Acrassicauda recorded their first studio album, ''Gilgamesh'', in New York City. The band raised the money to produce the album through a
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign, raising $USD 37,383. On April 4. 2015, Acrassicauda released their first full studio album.


Documentary

The story of the band was the subject of a documentary called ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'', which was made by Canadians Eddy Moretti and
Suroosh Alvi Suroosh Alvi (; born ) is a Canadian journalist and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of Vice Media, a digital media and broadcasting brand that operates in more than 50 countries. Alvi is a travelled journalist and an executive producer of film, ...
. The film was shot over three years. It began as a series of webisodes for VBS,
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
's online network. Taping locations included
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
and
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
in Iraq;
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
, Lebanon; and
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
, Syria. Originally, it was not intended to be a feature-length movie, but a cut was accepted for the
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
. Its premiere was in September, and it was again shown at the
Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
the following February. The film was screened at additional international film festivals throughout 2008. It was released on DVD after a brief theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles. The film was well received with ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praising the film as "An intrepid, unlikely and altogether splendid feat of D.I.Y. reportage...both a stirring testament to the plight of cultural expression in Baghdad and a striking report on the refugee scene in Syria, this rock-doc like no other electrifies its genre and redefines headbanging as an act of hard-core courage." An hour-long cut-down version of the film was shown in the UK in December 2008 as part of the documentary series ''
Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
''. They were also featured briefly in the 2004 documentary ''
Voices of Iraq ''Voices of Iraq'' is a 2004 documentary film about Iraq, created by distributing cameras to the subjects of a film, thus enabling subjects to film themselves. To preserve its innovative filmmaking, ''Voices of Iraq'' was added to the permanent c ...
''. Members of the group have insisted that its focus is on the music and have expressed concern over some of the media attention received. Al Lateef told the ''
Montreal Mirror ''Montreal Mirror'' or just ''Mirror'' was a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was distributed every Thursday. It had a circulation of 70,000 and reached a quarter of a million readers per week. ...
'' that it wanted to play as an "Iraqi heavy metal group, not as a refugee heavy metal group." He followed that with "all we care about is the music and playing heavy metal, and this is why we're still living, because it's the only way that we get our feelings out—by music."


Style and influences

The group was inspired by bands such as
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
,
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
,
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
, and
Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...
. ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'' shows the band playing covers ranging from
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
's " The Final Countdown" to Metallica's " Fade to Black". The first time members of the group saw a Western band live was a 2008
Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller no ...
concert in Turkey.
Alex Skolnick Alex Skolnick (born September 29, 1968) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and one of the songwriters of the thrash metal band Testament and has played with several other bands, including The Alex Skolnick Trio, Tran ...
of Testament described Acrassicauda's music as "very heavy" and "raw". According to ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
'' magazine, the conditions in Baghdad after the American invasion resulted in the band's music becoming "even more hate-filled and intense and fucked than ever before." The band's music deals with war and suffering at times, but the songs are meant to be apolitical. The name ''Acrassicauda'', originally ''A. Crassicauda'', is derived from the
scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
species ''Androctonus crassicauda'' (conventionally abbreviated ''A. crassicauda'' and also known as the fattail scorpion) of the family
Buthidae The Buthidae are the largest family of scorpions, containing about 100 genera and 1339 species as of 2022. A few very large genera ('' Ananteris'', '' Centruroides'', '' Compsobuthus'', or '' Tityus'') are known, but a high number of species-poor ...
, which lives in the Iraq desert and is considered very dangerous. The band said about this choice of name:


Band members

;Current members * Marwan Hussein (born c. 1984) – drums, lyricist (2001–present) * Faisal Talal Mustafa (born c. 1983) – lead vocals (2001–present), rhythm guitar (2001–2011) * Firas Al-Lateef (born c. 1981) – bass (2001–present) * Muhammed "Moe" Al Ansari – guitar (2011–present) ;Former members * Waleed Moudhafar – lead vocals (2001–2003) * Tony Aziz Yaqoo (born c. 1979) – lead guitar (2001–2011) * Marwan (Mar2) Grada (born 1987) – lead guitar (2012–2014)


Discography


Studio albums

* ''Gilgamesh'' (2015)


EPs

* ''Only the Dead See the End of the War'' (2010)


Singles

* ''Flowers in the Desert'' (2009) * ''Garden of Stones Promo Single'' (2009)


Demos

* ''Black Scorpion Demo'' (2004) * ''Damascus Demo'' (2006) * ''KEXP Demo'' (2011)


Filmography

* ''
Heavy Metal in Baghdad ''Heavy Metal in Baghdad'' is a 2007 rockumentary film following filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi as they track down the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda amidst the Iraq War. Synopsis In 2003, the Iraqi heavy-metal band Acrassica ...
'' (2007)


See also

* Dark Phantom, metal band from Iraqi Kurdistan


References


External links

*
Heavy Metal in Baghdad homepage
{{Authority control Iraqi heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2001 Thrash metal musical groups Groove metal musical groups Musical quintets 2001 establishments in Iraq English-language singers from Iraq