Heavy Metal in Baghdad (DVD)

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There have been a slew of documentaries about the war in Iraq since the first shots were fired. I wouldn´t presume to say that, if you can only see one, see "Heavy Metal in Baghdad." It´s certainly not one of the best or hard-hitting, but it is one that I would whole heartedly recommend. It takes the large issues about the war and its consequences by distilling them through the lives of a quartet of young Iraqis. They have no political affiliations nor do they have any aspirations about changing the world. All they want to is rock.

In 2001, five Iraqi men in their early 20´s got together to form the first heavy metal band in Iraq. Dubbing themselves Acrassicauda (after the Latin name for the black scorpion), they were Waleed on vocals, Faisal on rhythm guitar, Tony on lead guitar, Firas on bass, and Marwan on drums. They played their first show in 2002 under the auspices of the Saddam regime. Accordingly, Acrassicauda played a pro-Saddam song during their set (so as not to be arrested) and, in a roundabout form of protest, sung the lyrics in English. The boys learned the language thanks to Hollywood films and bootleg Metallica and Slayer tapes. Waleed would flee Iraq several months later, enrolling in art school in Canada. Faisal would replace him as lead singer.

In 2003 Saddam was deposed and the band, despite being together for over two years, had only played three shows. The following November, MTV did a story on Acrassicauda with an accompanying article in Vice magazine. Taken by their plight, Vice founders Suroosh Alvi and Eddy Moretti kept tabs on the band.

In the summer of 2003, they helped sponsor a concert (held in Baghdad hotel), but were unable to enter Iraq after the airport was shut down following a series of bombings. Acrassicauda played to a small, yet rabid, crowd, but the show was not without its hitches. They had to deal with increased security, military red tape, faulty generators, and the show was cut short following a nearby explosion. A year passed and Acrassicauda never played another show and the filmmakers received no word on the status of its members. Flying into Baghdad, Alvi and Moretti strap on bulletproof vests and are escorted around the war-torn city by a $1500-a-day security detail made up of not soldiers, but teachers and engineers simply going where the work is.

They are able to convince Firas, who is married and has a baby, to meet them. This is the first time they´ve ever met face-to-face. Firas explains how difficult it has been for the metal band. The music is still equated with Satan worship and they have received death threats from religious extremists. Sporting a Slipknot t-shirt, Firas notes he could be killed just for wearing the shirt. He could be killed for speaking with the filmmakers. He could be killed simply for speaking English on the streets. Hell, he could just be killed by a random explosion or stray bullet. Firas is soon reunited with his best friend, Faisal. Even though the two friends live fifteen minutes away from each other, they have not seen one another in six months due to the dangers of the city. Firas and Faisal have an almost apathetic and fatalistic view of their lot in life. They know death could be right around the corner and Firas bluntly states he is ready to die at any moment. The hope that the toppling of Saddam´s regime has faded away into the everyday occurrences of gunfire, explosions and bombed out buildings, one of which was the basement where the band practiced.