Motör Militia
Encyclopedia
Motör Militia is a Bahrain
i heavy metal
/thrash metal
band. They are regarded as one of the first metal bands of their genre in the Persian Gulf
/Middle East
area to record and release a full length album of original material on an independent label.
In 2003, Motör Militia built a following based on word of mouth promotion in their local and neighboring Middle East
ern music communities. At the same time, members of the group began interacting with many other bands in their local heavy metal scene
, organizing DIY
heavy metal and hard rock
concerts at a pace faster than previously realized. This, in addition to the band's decision to play sets consisting almost entirely of original material (and subsequently recording and releasing it), influenced many local groups to do the same.
Popular for their atypical cover
song selections, live shows, and original compositions, the band remains well known in Middle East
ern heavy metal and hard rock music communities despite performing a total of only 10 concerts in their known career. Members of the band regrouped in 2007 after a two year long hiatus to resume songwriting and performing occasionally.
On Thursday, March 13, 2008, the band performed their first concert in over three years, debuting new material and a new live lineup.
students by the names of Abdulla Muijrers, Amer BuHussain, and Mahmood Abdul Ghaffar decided to create a group based on their similar musical tastes, and also to make up for the lack of Heavy Metal
and hard rock
musicians in their school, Ibn Khuldoon National School, a K-12
institution located in Isa Town
, Bahrain
.
Muijrers, a fifteen year-old Dutch
-Bahrain
i drummer who had been playing since 1997, had recently quit the instrument in late 1999 until September 2001, when he met Ghaffar, another fifteen year-old who had started playing bass earlier that year and recently moved in to the country from Washington, D.C.
, through his high school's Guitar Club. Abdulla was subsequently inspired by Mahmood's ability to play bass and sing at the same time to take up his role as a drummer again.
Following this encounter, a friend of theirs in the same grade, a keyboardist
turned guitarist
named Amer BuHussain, met with the two students and decided to share his admiration for the same musical genres with the others by proposing to form a band. Engaging in their similar tastes, they soon began to jam
together; performing primarily Black Sabbath
and Motörhead covers
.
As Black Star, they performed one concert: their high school's first annual talent show in June 2002, an event itself proposed to the school by Muijrers. Their setlist consisted of one song, an original composition which was intertwined with a combination of various songs by heavy metal groups the members were influenced by, such as "One
" by Metallica
, "Peace Sells
" by Megadeth
, and "Crazy Train
" by Ozzy Osbourne
. The performance was well received, and caught the attention of another guitarist in their school who also shared a liking for their genre of music, a student in their grade by the name of Khalifa Kamal. Kamal joined the group shortly thereafter, making them a four-piece lineup for the first time.
The lineup, however, did not perform for the rest of the year due to collectively increased focus on their schoolwork, as well as BuHussain himself losing interest in guitar playing. Instead, they jammed occasionally, with Muijrers and Mahmood remaining serious about their musical endeavours.
-American
guitarist in their school named Yousef Hatlani voiced his own interest in performing as a soloist at the event to the school's music teacher. Initially unaware of Black Star, he was told that a band was already slated to be performing that day. Intrigued, he asked for more information about the band, at which point the teacher gave him drummer Abdulla Muijrers' phone number.
Out of his interest in performing, Hatlani did not hesitate to call, also knowing that the event was only a few weeks away. As he called, Muijrers mentioned that the group already had two other guitarists. However, because the group was in need of a more dedicated guitar player, he said they wouldn't mind seeing him play. As Yousef showed up for his first jam session, the band members were immediately impressed with both his equipment and with the intensity he portrayed musically. He was speedily admitted into the band, despite the time period being the midst of their rehearsal sessions.
As he was admitted, however, the atrophy of both BuHussain's and Kamal's interest in music caused them to suddenly quit. The band continued to rehearse undeterred as a three-piece, solidifying what would become their core lineup; with Mahmood on bass guitar and vocals, Yousef on both rhythm and lead guitar, and Muijrers on drums.
It was also around this time that Muijrers and Mahmood had decided to rename the group in light of their new lineup. Their decision on a name came in a conversation over the phone: Mahmood had previously nicknamed Muijrers "motor" for his double bass grooves, and the two of them had decided on using that as the first part of their name. After not being able to come up with anything useful, Muijrers suggested pairing it with the word "militia", a decision brought on by him listening to the Metallica
song "Metal Militia" at the time. The two quickly decided on the name "Motör Militia", taking to heart the meaning behind it: "Army of Speed". The umlaut was added later as a tribute to another of the duo's favorite bands: Motörhead.
Following the jam sessions, the band performed their first gig under the Motör Militia name on January 21, 2003 at Ibn Khuldoon National School's Sports Day, taking place in the Bahrain National Stadium
. Their setlist, however, did not reflect the full-on thrash metal
sound that the band would soon develop. Instead, it consisted primarily of rock
and hard rock
covers, notably Audioslave's
"Cochise
" and Jimi Hendrix's
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
". An early, slower version of their song "End of Days
" was also performed. Although the band had to end their set early due to a potential electrical hazard caused by an open water bottle sitting on the edge of one of the school's amplifiers, the performance was met with acclaim from the students and faculty alike.
In the February following Sports Day, Muijrers had read in the newspaper about a competitive gig called the "Powerhorse Mega Jam" that was taking place the next day at a local go-kart
circuit named Rally Town that was minutes away from his house where the group was jamming at the time. Because the band already had a full set list of covers rehearsed, they got in Muijrer's car and quickly rushed to the location in hopes of landing an audition. As they got there, they were told by officials that there was no problem with them performing at the gig. However, they would have to go on as the last local group of the evening.
The gig, however, revealed that the band did not rehearse enough for the event; missing many cues and generally not playing the songs well. In addition, there was a five minute power outage during the middle of their set that took away from their twenty-five minute time limit. The band then attempted to cover Slayer
's "Angel of Death
" near the end of their set, at which point they were told by the officials that their time limit was up, and that they had to leave the stage. The group then angrily packed up their equipment and left after arguing with the concert organizers for minutes.
A month after the Mega Jam gig, the band decided to get a second guitarist in hopes of expanding their sound. It did not take very long to find one, as they quickly asked their friend and senior Ibn Khuldoon student Mohammed Bukannan to fill in for the time being. Bukannan, who had not being playing guitar for very long, agreed to the offer; and the group expanded into a four piece for the second time.
The band continued to rehearse for the upcoming high school Talent Show, which was months away—in the middle of June. Despite this, it was apparent that Bukannan's inexperience was not meshing very well with the band, and the band decided to keep looking for a permanent second guitarist while keeping Bukannan temporarily.
That June, Muijrers asked childhood friend and fellow musician Salem Sulaibeekh to join the band permanently, as he was impressed by his lead guitar skills. He agreed quickly, replacing Bukannan as the band made final preparations for the Talent Show. However, the group was soon told that no students from other schools were allowed to perform in the event—at which point they were forced to perform with their core lineup as a three piece once again.
Even still, the event proved highly successful; solidifying the maturing band's presence in their high school and helping establish their growing following. Songs included covers of Black Sabbath's
"Paranoid
", Van Halen's
"Eruption
", and Liam Lynch's
"United States of Whatever
" in addition to performing "Hole", which later appeared on their debut album
. The group closed the show with Motörhead's "Ace of Spades
".
Following the reception they received from their Talent Show performance, the band focused its energy on ensuring a spot at the coming of Bahrain’s most successful local rock festival: The annual Dilstock, held in October. The band had submitted their portfolio and a demo tape to the organizer, although it was later announced that the show would be pushed back to December. It also became apparent that few Bahraini
bands would be on the bill with the majority of the performers being English
and Filipino
, the only local acts at the concert were progressive rock
band Avatar and hard rock
band Dive. This fact frustrated the band and Muijrers in particular, who urged local Bahraini
bands to unite and organize a new rock festival free of the limitations presented by a sponsored event, namely the censorship of songs and the time limits typically set forth by the organizer.
With this in mind, Muijrers began to devise the plans for such a concert. Eventually, the other bands that where due to play at a recently canceled concert held by Bahraini outlet of the volunteer organization Lions Club, Bahraini hard rock groups Vulcan and Illusions
, were notified—in addition to Avatar and Dive taking part in the event as well. These four groups, along with Motör Militia, formed the final list of performers for the event.
Upon choosing a name, Muijrers dubbed the concert Friendly Violent Fun - it being description of what he felt a Heavy Metal
concert should be, and also a tribute to the late Exodus
singer Paul Baloff
. The phrase itself was lifted from one of Exodus'
songs, "The Toxic Waltz
". The concert then became widely known by its abbreviation: FVF.
An expansive indoors venue called the Falcon Hall, located in Adliya's
Palace Inn Hotel, was soon chosen as the performance venue - as it could hold one thousand people easily. After October 23, 2003 was chosen as the final date, the bands involved immediately began promoting the event by word of mouth and distributing hundreds of flyers that Yousef had illustrated as the sole graphics designer of the concert. In addition to this, local newspaper the Gulf Daily News
ran a two page article on the event.
As it turned out, FVF then became the most successful hard rock
/Heavy Metal
concert in the history of the country that
was not supported financially by any outside sources; an event that was funded solely by the bands involved, it ended up selling 1,400 tickets by the end of the night. Fans embraced the new found freedom of song selection and performance the bands had, with no censorship of lyrics for performers or age limit set for attendance. It is still considered to be the pinnacle of local hard rock
and Heavy Metal
concerts in the country. Of note is that Lebanese
pop star
Nancy Ajram
was performing in Manama
on the same night, a concert which lead to riots where Islamic parties such as Al Wefaq
attacked concert goers.
The concert also introduced the local heavy metal scene to Motör Militia, who famously opened their set with a cover of Slayer
's "Raining Blood
". The band's live show attracted over a thousand of the attendants, filling the performance venue to the brim. Concert goers were enthralled by the band's setlist, performing many songs few bands had ever attempted before. This included Pantera's
"Fucking Hostile", Megadeth's
"Peace Sells
", Fear Factory's
"Martyr
", and Metallica's
"The Four Horsemen
". The band closed their twelve song set with Slayer's
"Angel of Death
". The song choice reflected the maturity the band had developed, and showcased the thrash metal
direction the band became famous for.
After the success of FVF, there was much anticipation from the public for another concert of its kind. In response, Muijrers set out at the dawn of the new year to continue the festival's spirit with a second one to take place in a larger venue, host more bands, and contain a more elaborate light show. Over the course of a month, answers to the performance offers proved plentiful: nine bands had signed up to play at FVF2, among them were heavy metal bands Backtorn and Bruttal, and nu metal
band All Good Children. In addition to Motör Militia, other performers from the first FVF included Dive, Vulcan, and Illusions
.
Although troubles initially arose in finding a venue to house such an event, Muijrers eventually settled with another large indoors venue located at the Al-Ahli Club in Zinj, Bahrain
that was normally used for traditional Arabic plays. In order to support the increased budget, Muijrers also involved Pepsi
and Domino’s Pizza through Ahmadi Industries to take part in the event. Strictly speaking, however, they did not sponsor the concert. Instead, they set up kiosks at the venue to sell food and beverages in exchange for a percentage of the profits.
After the date of February 19, 2004 had been set, promotion for the event began. Once again, Yousef took it upon himself to design all the posters, fliers, tickets, and band passes - as he did for the first FVF.
While the concert was heavily promoted by fliers distributed throughout the country in addition to word of mouth, it ended up yielding only about 800 people by the time the concert finished—about half of what the first FVF had achieved. The primary reason for this was that the concert had taken place on the same day as a free Formula One
drag race
event, in promotion of the F1 races that were happening later in the year, that attracted many of the freelancing attendants that day.
Regardless of the attendance turnout, Motör Militia drew in many of the concert goers as one of the event's headliners. Their set list further established their presence in Bahrain, performing more songs that other groups had never attempted, such as Slayer
's "War Ensemble
", Pantera
's "Domination
", and a mash-up of Metallica
's "The Four Horsemen
" and Megadeth
's "The Mechanix
" retitled to "The Four Mechanix" - its music was identical to The Mechanix
while it used The Four Horsemen
's lyrics.
A month later, in March 2004, the band performed with local hard rock
groups Armageddon and Backtorn at a low key concert called Thrash on Ice - appropriately being held in the Fun Land Center Ice Rink, located in Bahrain
's capital city, Manama
. Their setlist was similar to what had been performed at FVF2, and the group still managed to attract a large audience - despite the initially low turnout and small space that made up the attendance area separate from the actual ice rink.
called SA Metal and began talking to one of its founders, Kamal Khalil (known online as "sledge hammer").
He eventually invited Kamal to "Rock Issues" - a local Bahrain
i DIY gig occurring on April 22 that was to be held in the performance venue of a Thai restaurant called Baan Saeng Thai, where Motör Militia were one of the main performers of the night. He agreed to come and arranged to interview the band after the concert.
Kamal arrived at the gig with other people associated with the website, watched the band perform, and went through with the interview. Impressed with their unique set list and stage presence, he also shed light on an independent record label he was starting named SandStorms Records and that he was interested in signing them. The band agreed to the proposition and were soon being promoted online by Kamal's website, eventually landing interviews with various online Indie Heavy Metal zine
s.
The following week, the band performed at another gig called "The Underground Asylum" that was being held in the same venue. Due to feeling confined to playing only Thrash metal
, live guitarist Salem Sulaibeekh suddenly quit the band a week after that with an interest in forming his own group that would put more of an emphasis on Power metal
.
i heavy metal bands came under fire in late April 2004 when local publication the Gulf Daily News
began writing a series of articles that accused local rock concerts of being covers for satanic rituals.
The first of the articles was published the day after the "Rock Issues" concert took place. It claimed that members of the audience "danced until they were drunk with hysteria", despite the fact that no alcohol was served at the event. It continued by saying that the police had attempted to shut down the concert but were unable to catch its attendants, who supposedly ran away. This also did not happen, as Motör Militia were scheduled to be among the last performers of the night, and the concert was still going on by the time they took the stage and after they ended their set. Furthermore, the interview with the band conducted by SA Metal immediately after the concert did not indicate any altercations with the police.
An article published two and a half weeks later revealed that the source of these claims was Bahrain
i MP
Mohammed Khalid
, who said he had secret meetings with two anonymous upper class Bahrain
i's "who admitted to him that they worship the devil" and also disclosed the activities that listeners of heavy metal participate in. The article claimed that acts included "screaming in cemeteries" and not bathing for a week before a concert is held. A Blabbermouth article further revealed that the list of alleged acts included "perverted sex" and the consumption of alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam
. It also claimed that they kidnap and murder little children. The organizer of "Rock Issues", identified as Mohammed Ishaq - then also the drummer for local rock band Illusions
, denied all claims, and added that "such allegations do a lot of harm to innocent people".
The stories quickly spread to various other Bahraini newspapers, including Akhbar Al Khaleej
, attempting to raise awareness on such activities throughout the Middle East. This chain of events swiftly made organizing rock and heavy metal concerts a much more difficult task than before, something that has hampered the Bahraini heavy metal community
even to this day. Yousef explained in November 2006 that there is now nothing abnormal with someone from the Bahrain
i Ministry of Tourism arriving at a heavy metal concert, "looking around, turning the house lights on and telling everyone that the show is over".
With a record deal in place and a growing fan base, the band made the decision to perform mostly original songs and keep covers at a minimum. After performing in mid-May as a three piece at the Third annual Ibn Khuldoon Talent Show, Motör Militia started work in early June to write and rehearse more new material for the recording of an album. Quickly, the songs were written and reworked over the course of about two weeks. The group then compiled both their new and old material and booked time in a small recording studio located in an Industrial district of Bahrain
named Salmabad, provided by a local sound & lights company called Hilwan.
Reflecting their DIY ethics, the album was recorded with few overdubs and in roughly the same order as on the record - with all of the music recorded live in the studio in about three five-hour sessions (the vocals and guitar solos were recorded in separate sessions). Similar to what he had done for concerts in the past, Yousef designed all artwork for the album. The band financed the production themselves, while their record label kept promoting them online.
More recently, however, Muijrers and Yousef have noted that they have always been disappointed with the production of the album and that the band would like to remaster it, given the opportunity.
and bassist
Mahmood Abdul Ghaffar announced on his message board that he and drummer
Abdulla Muijrers were getting back together to rejuvenate Motör Militia and begin songwriting on a new record to be titled "Al Nakba". Guitarist
Yousef Hatlani assumed the position of the band's webmaster, and put up the band's first MySpace page a day later. Due to the fact that Yousef still lives overseas in the United States, the group will perform live with session musicians for the time being. However, he confirmed in the same announcement that he does still play guitar in the band and may record with the rest of the group by sending tracks over the Internet.
As of yet, Mahmood is currently a student at the American University Sharjah - though he is in Bahrain
until Winter Quarter begins in January. Muijrers is also currently living in the country, while Yousef is in Oregon
studying at Portland State University
.
Nowadays, Mahmood also runs a message board called Moody Mood.net, which sets out to inform users about the truths of Islam that he feels are misrepresented in Western media. He started the website after finding his faith in Islam again, stating that he considers himself "a true Muslim". Muijrers additionally plays drums in a band called Pangea, and their music can be found on MySpace.
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
/thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band. They are regarded as one of the first metal bands of their genre in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
/Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
area to record and release a full length album of original material on an independent label.
In 2003, Motör Militia built a following based on word of mouth promotion in their local and neighboring Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern music communities. At the same time, members of the group began interacting with many other bands in their local heavy metal scene
Music of Bahrain
The music of Bahrain is part of the pan-Gulf khaleeji folk traditions. It is also known for sawt music, a bluesy genre influenced by African, Indian and Persian music...
, organizing DIY
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
heavy metal and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
concerts at a pace faster than previously realized. This, in addition to the band's decision to play sets consisting almost entirely of original material (and subsequently recording and releasing it), influenced many local groups to do the same.
Popular for their atypical cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
song selections, live shows, and original compositions, the band remains well known in Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern heavy metal and hard rock music communities despite performing a total of only 10 concerts in their known career. Members of the band regrouped in 2007 after a two year long hiatus to resume songwriting and performing occasionally.
On Thursday, March 13, 2008, the band performed their first concert in over three years, debuting new material and a new live lineup.
Formation (2001)
The band formed in mid-2001 under the name Black Star, when three High SchoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students by the names of Abdulla Muijrers, Amer BuHussain, and Mahmood Abdul Ghaffar decided to create a group based on their similar musical tastes, and also to make up for the lack of Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
musicians in their school, Ibn Khuldoon National School, a K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
institution located in Isa Town
Madinat 'Isa
Isa Town is a middle class suburb in Bahrain in the north central part of the country. The name Isa refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999....
, Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
.
Muijrers, a fifteen year-old Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
-Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i drummer who had been playing since 1997, had recently quit the instrument in late 1999 until September 2001, when he met Ghaffar, another fifteen year-old who had started playing bass earlier that year and recently moved in to the country from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, through his high school's Guitar Club. Abdulla was subsequently inspired by Mahmood's ability to play bass and sing at the same time to take up his role as a drummer again.
Following this encounter, a friend of theirs in the same grade, a keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
turned guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
named Amer BuHussain, met with the two students and decided to share his admiration for the same musical genres with the others by proposing to form a band. Engaging in their similar tastes, they soon began to jam
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
together; performing primarily Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Motörhead covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
.
As Black Star, they performed one concert: their high school's first annual talent show in June 2002, an event itself proposed to the school by Muijrers. Their setlist consisted of one song, an original composition which was intertwined with a combination of various songs by heavy metal groups the members were influenced by, such as "One
One (Metallica song)
"One" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the third and final single from their fourth album ...And Justice for All. "One" was also the band's first Top 40 hit single, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" by Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, "Peace Sells
Peace Sells
"Peace Sells" is a song by the American thrash metal band Megadeth from the 1986 album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, written by Dave Mustaine. It, along with Wake Up Dead from the same album, has been a staple at Megadeth concerts. Lyrically, it deals with negative stereotypes about...
" by Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, and "Crazy Train
Crazy Train
"Crazy Train" is a song written by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley. It was released as the first single in 1980 on Osbourne's first solo studio album, Blizzard of Ozz. The song was recorded in 1980, a year after leaving Black Sabbath, and later included on the live album Tribute,...
" by Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
. The performance was well received, and caught the attention of another guitarist in their school who also shared a liking for their genre of music, a student in their grade by the name of Khalifa Kamal. Kamal joined the group shortly thereafter, making them a four-piece lineup for the first time.
The lineup, however, did not perform for the rest of the year due to collectively increased focus on their schoolwork, as well as BuHussain himself losing interest in guitar playing. Instead, they jammed occasionally, with Muijrers and Mahmood remaining serious about their musical endeavours.
New lineup with a new name (January 2003)
By January 2003, the interest guitarists BuHussain and Kamal once had in the band was waning. Regardless, the band opted to perform at another of their school's events being held later in the month, "Sports Day", an annual occasion that dedicates an entire day to sporting events and competitions. At the same time, a 15 year-old ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist in their school named Yousef Hatlani voiced his own interest in performing as a soloist at the event to the school's music teacher. Initially unaware of Black Star, he was told that a band was already slated to be performing that day. Intrigued, he asked for more information about the band, at which point the teacher gave him drummer Abdulla Muijrers' phone number.
Out of his interest in performing, Hatlani did not hesitate to call, also knowing that the event was only a few weeks away. As he called, Muijrers mentioned that the group already had two other guitarists. However, because the group was in need of a more dedicated guitar player, he said they wouldn't mind seeing him play. As Yousef showed up for his first jam session, the band members were immediately impressed with both his equipment and with the intensity he portrayed musically. He was speedily admitted into the band, despite the time period being the midst of their rehearsal sessions.
As he was admitted, however, the atrophy of both BuHussain's and Kamal's interest in music caused them to suddenly quit. The band continued to rehearse undeterred as a three-piece, solidifying what would become their core lineup; with Mahmood on bass guitar and vocals, Yousef on both rhythm and lead guitar, and Muijrers on drums.
It was also around this time that Muijrers and Mahmood had decided to rename the group in light of their new lineup. Their decision on a name came in a conversation over the phone: Mahmood had previously nicknamed Muijrers "motor" for his double bass grooves, and the two of them had decided on using that as the first part of their name. After not being able to come up with anything useful, Muijrers suggested pairing it with the word "militia", a decision brought on by him listening to the Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
song "Metal Militia" at the time. The two quickly decided on the name "Motör Militia", taking to heart the meaning behind it: "Army of Speed". The umlaut was added later as a tribute to another of the duo's favorite bands: Motörhead.
Sports Day and the Powerhorse Mega Jam (January - February 2003)
Bahrain National Stadium
The Bahrain National Stadium is the national stadium of Bahrain, located in East Riffa. It can accommodate 35,000 people and is used mostly for football matches. It was built in 1982. Various aspects of the stadium will be renovated, such as the seats and roof.-External links:**...
. Their setlist, however, did not reflect the full-on thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
sound that the band would soon develop. Instead, it consisted primarily of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
covers, notably Audioslave's
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
"Cochise
Cochise (song)
"Cochise" is the first single by Audioslave for their eponymous debut album released in 2002. The single was released with a white and a black cover...
" and Jimi Hendrix's
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
"Voodoo Child " is the closing track on Electric Ladyland, the third and final album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The song is known for its wah-wah-heavy guitar work. It is #101 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time....
". An early, slower version of their song "End of Days
The Sound of Violence (album)
The Sound of Violence is Bahraini thrash metal band Motör Militia's debut album, and is the first album of its genre to be released by a Middle Eastern group on an independent label....
" was also performed. Although the band had to end their set early due to a potential electrical hazard caused by an open water bottle sitting on the edge of one of the school's amplifiers, the performance was met with acclaim from the students and faculty alike.
In the February following Sports Day, Muijrers had read in the newspaper about a competitive gig called the "Powerhorse Mega Jam" that was taking place the next day at a local go-kart
Go-kart
thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...
circuit named Rally Town that was minutes away from his house where the group was jamming at the time. Because the band already had a full set list of covers rehearsed, they got in Muijrer's car and quickly rushed to the location in hopes of landing an audition. As they got there, they were told by officials that there was no problem with them performing at the gig. However, they would have to go on as the last local group of the evening.
The gig, however, revealed that the band did not rehearse enough for the event; missing many cues and generally not playing the songs well. In addition, there was a five minute power outage during the middle of their set that took away from their twenty-five minute time limit. The band then attempted to cover Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's "Angel of Death
Angel of Death (song)
"Angel of Death" is the opening track on the American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood. The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi ″physician″ Josef Mengele, who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during...
" near the end of their set, at which point they were told by the officials that their time limit was up, and that they had to leave the stage. The group then angrily packed up their equipment and left after arguing with the concert organizers for minutes.
The second annual Ibn Khuldoon Talent Show (March - June 2003)
The band continued to rehearse for the upcoming high school Talent Show, which was months away—in the middle of June. Despite this, it was apparent that Bukannan's inexperience was not meshing very well with the band, and the band decided to keep looking for a permanent second guitarist while keeping Bukannan temporarily.
That June, Muijrers asked childhood friend and fellow musician Salem Sulaibeekh to join the band permanently, as he was impressed by his lead guitar skills. He agreed quickly, replacing Bukannan as the band made final preparations for the Talent Show. However, the group was soon told that no students from other schools were allowed to perform in the event—at which point they were forced to perform with their core lineup as a three piece once again.
Even still, the event proved highly successful; solidifying the maturing band's presence in their high school and helping establish their growing following. Songs included covers of Black Sabbath's
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
"Paranoid
Paranoid (song)
"Paranoid" is a song by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, featured on their second album Paranoid . It is the first single from the album, while the B-side is the song "The Wizard". It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", Van Halen's
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
"Eruption
Eruption (song)
"Eruption" is a guitar solo written and performed by Eddie Van Halen. Eruption often appears on many 'greatest guitar solos' lists. It is often played together with "You Really Got Me", which follows the song on the album Van Halen....
", and Liam Lynch's
Liam Lynch (musician)
Liam Lynch is a musician, puppeteer, writer and director. He co-created, co-wrote, played the music for, directed, and produced MTV's Sifl and Olly Show....
"United States of Whatever
United States of Whatever
"United States of Whatever" is a comedy song written by Liam Lynch for his 2003 album Fake Songs. It was the only single released from that album...
" in addition to performing "Hole", which later appeared on their debut album
The Sound of Violence (album)
The Sound of Violence is Bahraini thrash metal band Motör Militia's debut album, and is the first album of its genre to be released by a Middle Eastern group on an independent label....
. The group closed the show with Motörhead's "Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades (song)
"Ace of Spades" is a song by the English band Motörhead, released in 1980 as a single and the title track to the album Ace of Spades. The song spent 12 weeks in the United Kingdom Singles Chart, peaking at #15.-Overview:...
".
Friendly Violent Fun (June - October 2003)
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
bands would be on the bill with the majority of the performers being English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
, the only local acts at the concert were progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Avatar and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Dive. This fact frustrated the band and Muijrers in particular, who urged local Bahraini
Bahraini
Bahraini may refer to:* Something of, or related to Bahrain* A person from Bahrain, or of Bahraini descent. For information about the Bahraini people, see Demographics of Bahrain and Culture of Bahrain. For specific Bahrainis, see List of Bahrainis....
bands to unite and organize a new rock festival free of the limitations presented by a sponsored event, namely the censorship of songs and the time limits typically set forth by the organizer.
With this in mind, Muijrers began to devise the plans for such a concert. Eventually, the other bands that where due to play at a recently canceled concert held by Bahraini outlet of the volunteer organization Lions Club, Bahraini hard rock groups Vulcan and Illusions
Illusions (band)
Illusions is a New Zealand band formed by Anika Moa, Julia Deans and Anna Coddington....
, were notified—in addition to Avatar and Dive taking part in the event as well. These four groups, along with Motör Militia, formed the final list of performers for the event.
Upon choosing a name, Muijrers dubbed the concert Friendly Violent Fun - it being description of what he felt a Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
concert should be, and also a tribute to the late Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
singer Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff was an American singer, most notable for his time in thrash metal band Exodus.Paul was the second vocalist with Exodus replacing Keith Stewart in 1981 and singing on their 1982 Demo and their first official album Bonded by Blood in 1985. After the release, they started the...
. The phrase itself was lifted from one of Exodus'
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
songs, "The Toxic Waltz
Fabulous Disaster
Fabulous Disaster is the third album by Exodus. UK label Music for Nations released the album in 1988, but in the USA, it was released in January 1989 by Combat/Relativity Records....
". The concert then became widely known by its abbreviation: FVF.
An expansive indoors venue called the Falcon Hall, located in Adliya's
Adliya
Adliya is the bohemian neighborhood in Manama, Bahrain.The district is a multicultural, busy area, a home to commerce, culture and entertainment, and it is considered as one of the four centres of Manama's nightlife....
Palace Inn Hotel, was soon chosen as the performance venue - as it could hold one thousand people easily. After October 23, 2003 was chosen as the final date, the bands involved immediately began promoting the event by word of mouth and distributing hundreds of flyers that Yousef had illustrated as the sole graphics designer of the concert. In addition to this, local newspaper the Gulf Daily News
Gulf Daily News
The Gulf Daily News is an English-language newspaper published in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Al Hilal Group. It is distributed locally in Bahrain. It is owned by the Al Hilal Group, which publishes 13 other newspapers and magazines, including the local Arabic newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej. The paper,...
ran a two page article on the event.
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
concert in the history of the country that
was not supported financially by any outside sources; an event that was funded solely by the bands involved, it ended up selling 1,400 tickets by the end of the night. Fans embraced the new found freedom of song selection and performance the bands had, with no censorship of lyrics for performers or age limit set for attendance. It is still considered to be the pinnacle of local hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
concerts in the country. Of note is that Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
Nancy Ajram
Nancy Ajram
Nancy Nabil Ajram is a multi-platinum Lebanese singer and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. With the support of her father, Nancy began performing as a child and released her first studio album by the age of 15...
was performing in Manama
Manama
Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 155,000 people.Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population...
on the same night, a concert which lead to riots where Islamic parties such as Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq National Islamic Society , also known as the Islamic National Accord Association, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls...
attacked concert goers.
The concert also introduced the local heavy metal scene to Motör Militia, who famously opened their set with a cover of Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's "Raining Blood
Raining Blood
"Raining Blood" is a song by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King for the 1986 studio album Reign in Blood, the concept deals with religion, specifically said to be about overthrowing Heaven...
". The band's live show attracted over a thousand of the attendants, filling the performance venue to the brim. Concert goers were enthralled by the band's setlist, performing many songs few bands had ever attempted before. This included Pantera's
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
"Fucking Hostile", Megadeth's
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
"Peace Sells
Peace Sells
"Peace Sells" is a song by the American thrash metal band Megadeth from the 1986 album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, written by Dave Mustaine. It, along with Wake Up Dead from the same album, has been a staple at Megadeth concerts. Lyrically, it deals with negative stereotypes about...
", Fear Factory's
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
"Martyr
Soul of a New Machine
Soul of a New Machine is the debut studio album by the Los Angeles, California metal band Fear Factory. It was released on August 25, 1992...
", and Metallica's
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
"The Four Horsemen
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
". The band closed their twelve song set with Slayer's
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
"Angel of Death
Angel of Death (song)
"Angel of Death" is the opening track on the American thrash metal band Slayer's 1986 album Reign in Blood. The lyrics and music were written by Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and are based on Nazi ″physician″ Josef Mengele, who conducted human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp during...
". The song choice reflected the maturity the band had developed, and showcased the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
direction the band became famous for.
Friendly Violent Fun 2 and 'Thrash on Ice' (November 2003 - March 2004)
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
band All Good Children. In addition to Motör Militia, other performers from the first FVF included Dive, Vulcan, and Illusions
Illusions (band)
Illusions is a New Zealand band formed by Anika Moa, Julia Deans and Anna Coddington....
.
Although troubles initially arose in finding a venue to house such an event, Muijrers eventually settled with another large indoors venue located at the Al-Ahli Club in Zinj, Bahrain
Zinj, Bahrain
Zinj is a suburb in the city of Manama, Bahrain. New Zinj consists of spacious villas, many overlooking the sea front and Tubli Bay. Old Zinj is an old section adjacent to the village of "Bilad Al Qadeem"...
that was normally used for traditional Arabic plays. In order to support the increased budget, Muijrers also involved Pepsi
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
and Domino’s Pizza through Ahmadi Industries to take part in the event. Strictly speaking, however, they did not sponsor the concert. Instead, they set up kiosks at the venue to sell food and beverages in exchange for a percentage of the profits.
After the date of February 19, 2004 had been set, promotion for the event began. Once again, Yousef took it upon himself to design all the posters, fliers, tickets, and band passes - as he did for the first FVF.
While the concert was heavily promoted by fliers distributed throughout the country in addition to word of mouth, it ended up yielding only about 800 people by the time the concert finished—about half of what the first FVF had achieved. The primary reason for this was that the concert had taken place on the same day as a free Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
drag race
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
event, in promotion of the F1 races that were happening later in the year, that attracted many of the freelancing attendants that day.
Regardless of the attendance turnout, Motör Militia drew in many of the concert goers as one of the event's headliners. Their set list further established their presence in Bahrain, performing more songs that other groups had never attempted, such as Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's "War Ensemble
Seasons in the Abyss
Seasons in the Abyss is the fifth studio album by the thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 9, 1990 through Def American Records, and later through American Recordings after the company changed its name. The album's recording sessions began in January 1990...
", Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
's "Domination
Cowboys from Hell
Cowboys from Hell is Pantera's fifth album and their first Atco Records album, recorded at The Dallas Sound Lab in Irving, TX and released on July 24, 1990. This was their first commercially successful album, exposing the band's groove metal style to mainstream audiences...
", and a mash-up of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's "The Four Horsemen
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
" and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
's "The Mechanix
The Mechanix
"The Mechanix" is a song originally performed by American heavy metal band Metallica. Dave Mustaine originally wrote the song for Panic, and later brought it with him to Megadeth...
" retitled to "The Four Mechanix" - its music was identical to The Mechanix
The Mechanix
"The Mechanix" is a song originally performed by American heavy metal band Metallica. Dave Mustaine originally wrote the song for Panic, and later brought it with him to Megadeth...
while it used The Four Horsemen
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
's lyrics.
A month later, in March 2004, the band performed with local hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
groups Armageddon and Backtorn at a low key concert called Thrash on Ice - appropriately being held in the Fun Land Center Ice Rink, located in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
's capital city, Manama
Manama
Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 155,000 people.Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population...
. Their setlist was similar to what had been performed at FVF2, and the group still managed to attract a large audience - despite the initially low turnout and small space that made up the attendance area separate from the actual ice rink.
'Rock Issues' and a Record Deal (April 2004)
By April 2004, the band had garnered a strong local following and was beginning to establish themselves in other Middle Eastern heavy metal scenes—thanks largely to substantial word of mouth and internet promotion. It was around this time that guitarist Yousef Hatlani found out about a Middle Eastern heavy metal website and community based in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
called SA Metal and began talking to one of its founders, Kamal Khalil (known online as "sledge hammer").
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i DIY gig occurring on April 22 that was to be held in the performance venue of a Thai restaurant called Baan Saeng Thai, where Motör Militia were one of the main performers of the night. He agreed to come and arranged to interview the band after the concert.
Kamal arrived at the gig with other people associated with the website, watched the band perform, and went through with the interview. Impressed with their unique set list and stage presence, he also shed light on an independent record label he was starting named SandStorms Records and that he was interested in signing them. The band agreed to the proposition and were soon being promoted online by Kamal's website, eventually landing interviews with various online Indie Heavy Metal zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
s.
The following week, the band performed at another gig called "The Underground Asylum" that was being held in the same venue. Due to feeling confined to playing only Thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, live guitarist Salem Sulaibeekh suddenly quit the band a week after that with an interest in forming his own group that would put more of an emphasis on Power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
.
Allegations of Satanism in Bahraini Media (April - May 2004)
Many BahrainBahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i heavy metal bands came under fire in late April 2004 when local publication the Gulf Daily News
Gulf Daily News
The Gulf Daily News is an English-language newspaper published in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Al Hilal Group. It is distributed locally in Bahrain. It is owned by the Al Hilal Group, which publishes 13 other newspapers and magazines, including the local Arabic newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej. The paper,...
began writing a series of articles that accused local rock concerts of being covers for satanic rituals.
The first of the articles was published the day after the "Rock Issues" concert took place. It claimed that members of the audience "danced until they were drunk with hysteria", despite the fact that no alcohol was served at the event. It continued by saying that the police had attempted to shut down the concert but were unable to catch its attendants, who supposedly ran away. This also did not happen, as Motör Militia were scheduled to be among the last performers of the night, and the concert was still going on by the time they took the stage and after they ended their set. Furthermore, the interview with the band conducted by SA Metal immediately after the concert did not indicate any altercations with the police.
An article published two and a half weeks later revealed that the source of these claims was Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Mohammed Khalid
Mohammed Khalid
One of Bahrain’s most outspoken Islamist MPs is Sheikh Mohammed Khalid, the Al-Menbar Islamic Society representative from the Northern Governorate...
, who said he had secret meetings with two anonymous upper class Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i's "who admitted to him that they worship the devil" and also disclosed the activities that listeners of heavy metal participate in. The article claimed that acts included "screaming in cemeteries" and not bathing for a week before a concert is held. A Blabbermouth article further revealed that the list of alleged acts included "perverted sex" and the consumption of alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. It also claimed that they kidnap and murder little children. The organizer of "Rock Issues", identified as Mohammed Ishaq - then also the drummer for local rock band Illusions
Music of Bahrain
The music of Bahrain is part of the pan-Gulf khaleeji folk traditions. It is also known for sawt music, a bluesy genre influenced by African, Indian and Persian music...
, denied all claims, and added that "such allegations do a lot of harm to innocent people".
The stories quickly spread to various other Bahraini newspapers, including Akhbar Al Khaleej
Akhbar Al Khaleej
Akhbar Al Khaleej is a Bahraini daily with a Left wing/Arab nationalist slant. Its editor in chief is Anwar Abdulrahman and it is the sister paper of the English language, Gulf Daily News....
, attempting to raise awareness on such activities throughout the Middle East. This chain of events swiftly made organizing rock and heavy metal concerts a much more difficult task than before, something that has hampered the Bahraini heavy metal community
Music of Bahrain
The music of Bahrain is part of the pan-Gulf khaleeji folk traditions. It is also known for sawt music, a bluesy genre influenced by African, Indian and Persian music...
even to this day. Yousef explained in November 2006 that there is now nothing abnormal with someone from the Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i Ministry of Tourism arriving at a heavy metal concert, "looking around, turning the house lights on and telling everyone that the show is over".
'The Sound of Violence' (June - July 2004)
Main article The Sound of Violence (album)The Sound of Violence (album)
The Sound of Violence is Bahraini thrash metal band Motör Militia's debut album, and is the first album of its genre to be released by a Middle Eastern group on an independent label....
With a record deal in place and a growing fan base, the band made the decision to perform mostly original songs and keep covers at a minimum. After performing in mid-May as a three piece at the Third annual Ibn Khuldoon Talent Show, Motör Militia started work in early June to write and rehearse more new material for the recording of an album. Quickly, the songs were written and reworked over the course of about two weeks. The group then compiled both their new and old material and booked time in a small recording studio located in an Industrial district of Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
named Salmabad, provided by a local sound & lights company called Hilwan.
Reflecting their DIY ethics, the album was recorded with few overdubs and in roughly the same order as on the record - with all of the music recorded live in the studio in about three five-hour sessions (the vocals and guitar solos were recorded in separate sessions). Similar to what he had done for concerts in the past, Yousef designed all artwork for the album. The band financed the production themselves, while their record label kept promoting them online.
More recently, however, Muijrers and Yousef have noted that they have always been disappointed with the production of the album and that the band would like to remaster it, given the opportunity.
Current status
On September 5, 2007, vocalistSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Mahmood Abdul Ghaffar announced on his message board that he and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Abdulla Muijrers were getting back together to rejuvenate Motör Militia and begin songwriting on a new record to be titled "Al Nakba". Guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Yousef Hatlani assumed the position of the band's webmaster, and put up the band's first MySpace page a day later. Due to the fact that Yousef still lives overseas in the United States, the group will perform live with session musicians for the time being. However, he confirmed in the same announcement that he does still play guitar in the band and may record with the rest of the group by sending tracks over the Internet.
As of yet, Mahmood is currently a student at the American University Sharjah - though he is in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
until Winter Quarter begins in January. Muijrers is also currently living in the country, while Yousef is in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
studying at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
.
Nowadays, Mahmood also runs a message board called Moody Mood.net, which sets out to inform users about the truths of Islam that he feels are misrepresented in Western media. He started the website after finding his faith in Islam again, stating that he considers himself "a true Muslim". Muijrers additionally plays drums in a band called Pangea, and their music can be found on MySpace.
Current members
- Mahmood Abdul Ghaffar – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2001 – present) - Yousef Hatlani – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s (2003 – present) - Abdulla Muijrers – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2001 – present)
Former members
- Amer BuHussain – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s (2001–2003) - Khalifa Kamal – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s (2002–2003) - Mohammed Bukannan – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s (March 2003 - June 2003) - Salem Sulaibeekh – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s (June 2003 - April 2004, July 2004) - Yousif Mufeez – SessionSession musicianSession musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
(July 2005)
Discography
- The Sound of ViolenceThe Sound of Violence (album)The Sound of Violence is Bahraini thrash metal band Motör Militia's debut album, and is the first album of its genre to be released by a Middle Eastern group on an independent label....
(2004) - The Dark Reign (unreleased)