How heavy metal music is causing a stir in Egypt
A concert in Cairo scheduled for later this month has revived a decades-long controversy over heavy metal music and accusations of devil worship.
The loud music, frenzied dancing and powerful sounds of a metal rock concert create an atmosphere that can be scary to some in Egypt — especially since it sometimes results in police raids and accusations of devil worship.
So brace yourselves.
Nader Sadek, an Egyptian metal music performer, said on his Facebook page Jan. 7 that a Masters of the Middle East concert will be held Feb. 20 at Amoun Hotel in Giza featuring four famous metal bands: Inquisition (United States), Perversion (United Arab Emirates), Smouldering in Forgotten (Bahrain) and Al-Azif (Egypt).
Inquisition, in particular, has raised a lot of eyebrows. While Al-Monitor could not find any statements by the band members asserting that they are actual Satanists, the band’s frontman, Dagon, said in an interview with the Isolation Grind blog in 2011 that “Black Metal is very satanic.”
