BAGHDAD // In the chaos of Baghdad there is no better soundtrack than death metal. Its fast-tempo riffs, growling lyrics and blast-beat drumming perfectly encapsulate the mood of the capital. It is a city of horror. It is the city death metal was made for.
The landscape is post-apocalyptic, the tales of savagery never-ending. The bombs, murders and sectarian violence that have wrecked this country provide endless material for lyrics, but for Dog Faced Corpse, Baghdad's only death metal band, surviving to tell the world the horrors of this country is the challenge.
"We are the first and only death metal band in Iraq. There is heavy metal, but we are death," said Lateef Ahmad, the 22-year-old drummer and founder of Dog Faced Corpse.
A beheaded body left in a Baghdad street topped with a dog's head was the inspiration for the band's name. This was Baghdad at its most savage and it had a profound affect on Ahmad, who wears his hair tied back in a ponytail.
"We don't give a s*** about religion or sectarian crap; we live for the music," he said.
For the past few years Iraq has been on the brink of a sectarian civil war and although in the past year the security situation has improved, for Baghdad's death metal fans there are still many dangers.
"This society is f***** up," Ahmad said with a shrug. "Wearing a metal shirt is a problem, especially after the war."
During Saddam's time, before the US led invasion of 2003, there were numerous heavy metal shops in the capital. The city's hard-core metallers could buy T-shirts and cassettes of their favourite bands.
After the invasion, as the country descended into chaos, the shops were closed by Shiite death squads and al Qa'eda insurgents. They roamed the country at will and saw the metallers' black jeans, long hair and goatees as signs of western corruption. To be different in post-Saddam Iraq is dangerous.
After a recent gig Ahmad received an anonymous phone call.
"I've had many threats ? after the gig I got a phone call, they said: 'We know you and we are coming for you.' I closed the phone, I've got used to it.
"Listening to metal, with long hair and a goatee, they think we are blasphemous," he said.
Despite the threats and dangers of playing in a death metal band, the members of Dog Faced Corpse - who include a Kurd, a Christian and three Muslims - insist they will never give up.
"Metal is a release; it is a release for anger and depression. We can't do anything [about the situation], but through metal we can talk to the people by music. We can say what is inside," said Mothana Mani, 21, the group's vocalist.
Ahmad agreed: "With this situation every Iraqi might turn to murder; with metal we can put this anger into music. Death metal is the only style of music that can explain what I feel and what is happening here."
The lyrics to the group's debut song Consanguinity - Latin for "of the same blood" - is a rallying cry against sectarian violence.
"In this endless circle of submission and grudge, a conspiracy of a brother against me. Have you connived to consanguinity we share? A sick appetite is taking over us," the song rages.
It is a song that is all the more powerful for what the band has gone through. Members have seen friends kidnapped and killed or leave the country after death threats.
"One guy I knew, Omid, he used to be a metal head, long hair, too - some guy killed him in front of my eyes," said Mani. "It was a cold-blooded killing."
"He was shot in the head," Ahmad added, between drags on a cigarette.
Because Baghdad has no recording studios, the band has not yet been able to record a proper demo. They record in a bedroom with one microphone, but have started to play live shows.
At the first show, 250 people gathered, most in black T-shirts and jeans, but some women were wearing traditional headscarves. The mosh pit was alive and tables were broken, the ultimate release for Baghdad's besieged metal heads.
"It was thrilling, so f****** awesome," said Ahmad. "We didn't expect that many people. It happened to be the most fulfilling of great days."
Mani, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy, added: "It was shocking ? imagine 250 people screaming your name, just wanting to sing. It was awesome."
talbone@thenational.ae
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Teaching in coronavirus times
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Brief scoreline:
Burnley 3
Barnes 63', 70', Berg Gudmundsson 75'
Southampton 3
Man of the match
Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Fixtures
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
