One of the most exciting pieces of news to kick off the year is the return of a pivotal community page for the rock and metal music scene in the MENA region. We’ve always believed that our friends at the Arab Metal Society, along with our efforts at Rock Era Magazine, form the backbone of the rock and metal culture in the Arab world.
The journey began in 2011 when Karim Yehia and Sam launched the page, and it quickly became a vital hub for undergrund talent. It has supported countless bands and artists in building their fanbases and sharing knowledge about music history.
It was shocking to learn that Karim announced last September that the page had been hacked and was no longer under their control. In a Facebook group, he mentioned that if anyone could assist, it would be appreciated. We reached out to Karim to hear more about these challenging four months and his endeavors to reclaim the page, as well as potential collaborations.
“The truth is, what happened to the page was nothing less than a tragedy—a real-life drama that felt like a nightmare.
On the night of August 30, 2024, out of nowhere, without any warning, I and the rest of the admins found ourselves locked out of the page. We lost all control, and to this day, we still don’t know how it technically happened!
That’s when the nightmare began.
Fourteen years of hard work and passion were crumbling to ashes, and we were helpless to stop it.
And that’s where the real challenge kicked in.
This couldn’t have come at a worse time we were on the brink of taking the page to a whole new level, planning to elevate the content and launch new projects like vlogs and a podcast. Suddenly, all of that was hanging by a fatal thread.
After countless attempts to recover the page, both through official and unofficial means, all of them failed. The real question became: should we start over? Does the scene even need us anymore?
The answer was a surprise. The response from people—bands, underground music communities, and the scene was overwhelming. It hit me how much we meant to this scene, and how much this scene means to us. That’s why we started in the first place.. to support and grow this fragile scene that we proudly belong to.
That realization became the fire driving me not to give up. For five long months, I kept trying, never stopping. Along the way, so many people and bands stood by us, offering support—even financial help when things came to that point. This is a moment to thank all of them, including you, Rock Era, for being one of the first to stand with us.
With love, passion, and just a little bit of luck… we finally managed to get the page back.
We’re back home, back to the place we belong.
Now, Arab Metal Society – مجتمع الميتال العربي page is back, and the best is yet to come!” – الـحَــاجْ مِـيـلَانْـكُـولـي
We will always stand by our friends at the Arab Metal Society, as we truly believe they represent one of the most significant cultural hubs in the region.