That makes more than 10 years that metal exists in Algeria thanks to bands like Litham, Neanderthalia, Black Fate, Anesthesia, Apocryph and so many others.
It would be necessary to underline that this movement created himself during the black decade that Algeria lived, in spite of that, metal has never been designated by the finger like in Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt and in Jordan. Bands like Nekros, Infected Brain, Killerzone, Esodic, Ajdath and other bands that found themselves in the collimator of uncultivated people that jailed them for supposedly stories of wickedness and other stupidities. In Algeria rock has always been existing under all its forms while mentioning some mythical bands as the Algiers, Freedom, Students, T34, the Abranises that most formed themselves during the 60's 70's ... without forgetting bands like Khindjar, Ouechma, Rascass… that are precursors of heavy metal in Algeria. But by the beginning of the 90's Algeria entered in a new era where all began to change from day to day, the Algerian youth was lost in that uproar, from where the birth of a small marginal community that has taken shelter in a musical kind that is nothing else but metal.
This kind of music has always been disregarded in this country where rai music took the over (there are more rai singers than rats in a gutter), maybe it's because the Algerian metal frightens cause it is necessary to note that it took birth in the university's surrounding walls and most of the musicians or the youth that supports this movement have an elevated enough cultural level in relation to the remainder of the population.
Since 10 years nothing changed or nearly, there are at least more gigs but the essential matter is nearly non-existent because it is necessary to specify that the recording studios are excessively expensive, the sound engineers aren't very connoisseurs in metal sound .Besides, managers and labels don't want to take risks in this kind of music, without forgetting that there nearly isn't any subsidy of the state to help these guys. In spite of it there are some bands that try nevertheless to put the hand to the paw while taking the example of bands like Litham that is nevertheless the unique formation of metal that exists since 1996 and which is still going through its tip of path while applying the politics of " Do it yourself'" The major problem is that 80% of the bands give up by the 2nd year or after some months after their creation, which is due to the lack of structures and financial means, because it is necessary to notice that a simple electric guitar costs vicinities 30.000 A.D (that is equivalent at 2 months of middle salary in Algeria).
The last chance for these bands if we can say so, was ' caravane Rock' an utterance of radio that encouraged these bands through a hit and reports dedicated to metal scene without forgetting a weekly category ' Chkara Hass' (Sachet of noise) dedicated to extreme metal. But after 3 years of diffusion and after several interruptions by responsible staff of the radio under pretext that it was "noise". Thebroadcast came back with another face (which is called now " Free Style") only diffusing soft rock or restrictedly alternative rock the most often asked question is ( does metal in Algeria have taken more extent during these last 10 years? ). Salem; singer/keyboard player of ATAKOR will answer us to this subject: "metal is not mediatized and it will never be in Algeria, for it's not the kind of music that matches to the image of our country according to authorities that govern us. But I think nevertheless that metal has taken the extent anyway, because now already here in Algiers there are more than about twenty groups and that's enough good". Salem is the charismatic leader of the band Atakor who coasted several formations since more than 20 years and succeeded in creating through hisband a kind of heavy metal tinted of berbèro - Celtic melodies of an uncommon originality. Atakor exists since 1996 and in spite of a large repertory to their knowledge they have neither album nor démo yet dued to the lack of means and especially the specialized label inexistence.
The Algerian metal is merely underground what is alreadywell but it is necessary to know that there are only Litham and Entropy that have released an album. And since more than 2 years new bands make speak of them thanks to a pseudo label known as ' Dark Arts', "pseudo label" cause of means they have (2PCs and some tinker), and especially the inaudible quality of their recordings. Bands like Moria, Tenebrum, Samhan, Barbaros and so many others that claims themselves as being leaders ofthe Algerian extreme metal should rather try to improve their technical level that is indeed mediocre that is without system sound, which isn't certainly at the level the to their lack of seriousness and their inexperience of the stage cause since their existence none of these bands made a gig (which is rare) because most of the bands forge theirweapons thanks to the stage and release something thereafter.
Well, it is rather better than nothing, according to the actual state of metal scene where several bands stagnate during a long time while taking as example the band "Worth", an ambitious band with a very good technical level that practices a melodic Heavy/Death metal since more than 3 years but that doesn't have the necessary means to evolve. To rehearse ,these 5 guys meet in their drummer's roomobvious at all .the same for the other bands of Algiers, as Storm, Azariass, Darkwish, Utopia that rarely make concerts and who roll their inches until a state-controlled organism as (Arts et Culture) come to propose them something.
Arts and culture is one of the only state-controlled establishments that help and encourage metal in Algeria, because thanks to them several projects saw the daylight, and I will mention among them the second edition of the Lelahel Festival in association with Lelahel Metal (that took place in October 2003 and that united for a first time Litham, Plutonium of Batna and Melmoth of Tunis), without forgetting the Litham/Suhrim slaughter (NDLR: read interview of Suhrim in Algiers).
What it would be necessary to keep all that, it is that with such organisms the Algerian metal should obey certain laws of censorship that would not permit to make something of merely extreme as the porno Grindcore or the Satanist black metal and other, and will never be able to be autonomous. Certainly, at the point in which we are, it is already better than nothing, but one day it will be necessary to think flying with one's own wings, and it will be in my opinion possible, that with a good underground basis where we would find associations, of the independent labels and several fanzines and webzines that would uphold this movement, while taking the example of the French metal scene in these last years thanks to the underground scene that made hear about itself with bands like: Inhumate, Carnal Lust, Gurkkhas, Kabbal,…
What would permit to create a real circuit of information, because numerous very talented formations are underestimated in our country, according to its surface (10th biggest country in the world by its surface), although since 2 years, some bands got know in the cradle of this scene, which is nowhere else but the capital and this was thanks to their brothers-in-arms.
The Metal heads of Algiers already had the luck to see plutonium from Batna and Meltdown from Constantine, but what to say about bands like Amnesty from Oran (city in the west of Algeria) practicing an excellent death metal and that unfortunately doesn't exist nomore, since they were the ones to play extreme metal in a city where rai music reigns as the absolute master.
the other main problem adding to those notices before is that the relationship between between the bands "as Redouane of Litham" says: the underground scene exists but I think that the bands should be more welded than they are", because we feel a kind of hypocrisy in the air notably by the new formations that don't miss a lip while criticizing their Algerian godfathers.
Therefore the major solution to the problem must come from the bands as Bassem of Plutonium says: things must change, the solution is lucid but not easy to apply. It is necessary to impose one self by strength if it is necessary and put structures in place. And as we say :"union makes strength", therefore that , bands must be interdependent between them " .Plutoniumis a band from Batna that plays a Heavy metal tinted of odd and psychedelic sounds and melodies, that in spite of constraints and problems to which they are confronted have the intention to pursue their long path that awaits for them.
Therefore while doing a balance of these last 10 years we will say that metal in Algeria advances mildly but surely because who thought that one day we would have right to a noteworthy concert of Litham/Suhrim, or a 100% metal festival (Lelahel Festival) which is its second edition, and as a webzine, Lelahel Metal is dedicated in a part to the Arabian metal that I hope for it that it will contribute to the evolution of this scene.

Written by +Ben+ and Lelahel translated in English by n0cturnus

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