The EP begins with “Vow of the Sphinx (Abo El-Houl)”, a powerful declaration of the solemn duty of the immortal guard of the pyramids. The song itself starts with a chant in ancient Egyptian, which immediately grabs your attention and lets you know you’re about to be taken on a journey inside Egyptian mythology and/or the band’s interpretation of it. The main vocalist, I believe, is meant to embody the sphinx itself as he shifts from English to Arabic lyrics and follows up with “By the vow of the sphinx I speak in countless tongues” while the ancient Egyptian lines are uttered by the “priests” or back-up vocals, which become a recurring element across the EP that establishes the ritualistic atmosphere.

Next is “Hands from the Sun (Amon)”, which solidifies the alchemical themes of the EP as Amon himself delivers a monologue referencing “As Above So Below” and the transmutation process of light emerging from darkness. The connection between the spiritual and physical realm was a lot more prominent in ancient mythologies than it is in our current modern times, and though we pretend we are now superior for shedding it, we have lost a great deal alongside those ties with the spiritual.

In “Epistle of Secrets (Creators of III)” and “Monarch of Violence (Oriasirius)”, the riffs become more ominous and aggressive to reflect the authoritarian tyranny of the monarch of violence. Blast beats and dissonant chords aplenty while the lyrics approach cosmic horror territory as they describe this immortal vessel’s plans to take apart the world and transmutate it into a different world entirely, wholly unknown to us.

• “Prelude to War” was written on the night of October 10th, 2023, just days after October 7th. Can you walk us through that night – what you were feeling, how the song came together so fast, and what it was like sending it to the rest of the band the next morning?

Eslam: We were hanging out at Samer’s house (our bass player and one of the band co-founders) I remember that we had the news channel muted at the background and the coverage of what was happening in Gaza, as you know it isn’t something new to us I mean we all grew up watching what has been happening there! But this was on another level, horrific scenes of destruction and bodies under the rubble and each few minutes the screen would show the estimated number of causalities among civilians, it was surreal just to know that within a few kilometers away there are people sitting in their houses awaiting to turn into a number, all of their hopes, dreams and memories are seconds away to be as it’s never existed. I was angry, it felt horrible, all I was thinking about was how can I channel this feeling and how to get this weight off my chest. I went back home, it was 2 AM or something around that and I was home alone, In my mind I was hearing the main riff echoing in my ears, I set up a session, press record and within 30 minutes later I recorded the basic draft of the song, of course it didn’t change things for those people who were suffering but for sure I had a momentary escape. Also, it started that stream of ideas that later completed the rest of the song.

The band really liked it, They have too, who else will write their music then 😊  since we also where adopting a new direction in our sound that started by the earlier releases (Hatred and EOT) we transferred from heavy metal to a sound closer to finish and Swedish metal, bands that me and khaled have been listening to since forever like (Amorphis, Inflames, and many more! So they were very excited about it they started throwing in ideas and it really pushed us forward to continue writing, Three days later I wrote the title track of the EP but that’s another story.

⇒ Read our full review for “Prelude to War” here.

• The chorus – “If you want peace, prepare for war” – is a line that could be read a lot of different ways depending on who’s listening. When you were writing the lyrics with Khaled, how conscious were you of that? Was there a line you were trying to walk between the personal and the political?

Khaled: That line was definitely something we were very conscious of when we wrote it. “If you want peace, prepare for war” is one of those phrases that’s been repeated so many times it almost feels unquestioned—but when you really sit with it, it’s kind of disturbing.

For us, the song is pushing back on that idea. The line isn’t meant as an endorsement, it’s almost ironic. Because right after that, we hit “nobody is counting the bodies no more,” which is where the real meaning lands. It’s about how easily people can become desensitized, how war gets framed as something necessary or even noble, while the actual human cost just fades into the background.

When were were writing, we were very aware of that tension between personal and political. On one level, it can be heard as an internal struggle—gearing yourself up for conflict just to survive mentally or emotionally. But on another level, it’s absolutely a commentary on how systems and leaders can justify violence by packaging it as a path to peace.

We didn’t want to be overly direct or preachy, but the underlying feeling is pretty clear war, in a lot of cases, is sold as a solution when it’s really just a different form of control… almost like a kind of large-scale bullying. And the people who pay the price are rarely the ones making the decisions.

So yeah, the ambiguity is intentional—but the emotion behind it isn’t.

• The music video was shot in a rage room over eight hours. Whose idea was that, and what was it actually like on the day?

Eslam: It was beyond exciting and exhausting at the same time, especially when you have three members of the band that are passed their 40’s 😊, but at the same time very exciting to work on something from scratch and watch it grow into a full production, we had on mind that we need to do this different that time, we decided to actually start hiring people with fresh ideas and to stop trying to do everything ourselves, that’s when Malek our Rhythm guitar suggested that we hire Sayed Ragai front man of the band “Erasing Mankind” who needs no introduction, We met in a coffee place in Zamalek, Sayed listened to the song and from the get go he was very excited to join that project and started giving us some ideas on where we can shot the video, then he threw in the suggestion of filming the video at one of those rage room places, then it took us around two weeks to find the suitable place to do so. We had another difficulty also because me and Ahmed (drummer) we work outside of Egypt and we get to get back on vacations every two to three months but at that time I was at Egypt and I had a few days left to go back to work, so the pressure was on, so as soon as we found the place and booked it Ahmed got himself a flight ticket from Dubai arrived on the day of the shooting actually and we started the logistic part of the process, which was transporting his drum set, Samer transporting the amps, and me just arranging the schedule and going through the process with Sayed and the venue, Khaled as all singers do just had to show up 😊. Then Sayed took over and we basically just did what he sayed. We took four direct wide angles shoots, then we repeated the process for close up and some dynamic shot focusing on Khaled, then by the time we’re taking the last few shots we had only one hour left, so we basically compressed what would take three more hours into an hour and a half. By that time we basically played the song like 13 times.

you would think the day was over but then I tell you that we’d gotten locked out of the car, It was me driving with Khaled, King (our drummer)  and Sayed, we stopped to fill gas and buy some snacks, I left the car running, we got out of the market, I try to open the car door to find out that somehow the car got locked and the keys were inside 😀 😀 so we had to hang out for 2 hours at the gas station’s market until my wife sent us an uber with the spare key all the way from tagmo3 to Sahrawi 😀 :D. So yeah, a day to remember or forget :D.

• You rerecorded the song four times and tried two overseas mixing engineers before landing on Amr Hefny at Ganoub Studio. What kept not working, and how did you know when you finally had it right?

Eslam: to answer this question I’ll have to walk you through our production process, normally the first drafts will contain a plot of the song that would be focused on the song structure, tempo , tuning key etc… so it is definetly would have some changes in that sense, then I basically re-record the song starting with two main Rhythm guitars, this is time I make sure that the Ryhthm section is fixed and will not change in the future, then I send it to Ahmed, who also repeats my same process again drafting the drums, then samer with bass line, Then I get to listen to the song again and start adding Leads, fills, solos, keys etc. then khaled repeats the same process again with the lyrics, vocal lines and melodies. By this time each instrument                  including vocals would be recorded/rerecorded twice, then comes the part where we hire an engineer for the mixing and mastering, we hired one who was very good actually, but it wouldn’t sound right! We wanted to sound right! All the way that time in between engineers and different mixes, I was setting up all my guitars and after that I decided to rerecord all the guitars again with my guitars sounding better after the setup 😊 It was to that extent we were keen to make it right! Then we decided to work with one and only Amr Hefny, with his talent and experience and guidance we felt we were at the right place, he liked the song so much that he kept pushing us further, we recorded vocals and some bass parts again, it only made sense then. A few mixes in we landed on the final version.

• It’s been a few years since your last release. Was that gap intentional, or just the reality of getting this one done properly?

Eslam: The gap wasn’t intentional we actually have around 7 more songs in our pocket you can say the gap was because we were focusing on writing, we were obligated to divide them on two releases, given the production timeline we had we decided we release the first4 on the form of an EP and then complete 3 to 4 more songs and then release our full length album, for now our focus is to land as much gigs as we can, and with us having around 10 songs now we are ready to perform full sets which is something we are working on now, so to sum it up it took us two years to write 11 songs four of them will be on this EP and the rest will be on the album, we are expecting to start working on them starting this summer.

• The EP has four tracks and they sound pretty different from each other – an instrumental, a nearly seven-minute title track, an acoustic closer, and this single. Was there a concept tying them together, or did it just end up that way?

Khaled: It wasn’t really a concept album, to be honest. We didn’t sit down and say, “Let’s build a cohesive narrative across four tracks.” It actually came together much more organically than that.

We’ve always leaned into being a versatile band, and that’s something we’re quite intentional about. Each song was written at a completely different time, in a different headspace, and often under different circumstances. So naturally, they ended up sounding quite distinct from each other.

When it was time to put the EP together, we didn’t try to force a connection or tie everything into one central theme. It was more about capturing those moments as they were and letting each track stand on its own.

In a way, the common thread is our sound, our influences, our way of writing—but beyond that, we actually liked the idea of not drawing a direct correlation between the songs. It gives listeners the space to interpret each track on its own terms rather than being guided too heavily by a concept.

• “Devil in Disguise” as a title – what’s the story there? Is that one of the tracks or is it something broader about the EP as a whole?

Khaled: “Devil in Disguise” actually works on two levels for us.
Yes, it’s one of the tracks on the EP—but it also became the emotional anchor for the whole project.

The song itself was written as a kind of homage to people living with ADHD and Borderline personality. We weren’t trying to diagnose anything or label it in a clinical way—it was more about capturing that internal experience. The idea that sometimes your own mind can feel like something you can’t fully trust… like it’s working with you one minute, then completely turning against you the next.

That’s where the title comes from— “Devil in Disguise” isn’t about an external villain, it’s about that hidden struggle. Something that looks like strength, creativity, or intensity from the outside, but internally can feel chaotic or overwhelming. It’s that duality.

As we were building the EP, we realized that theme actually runs through everything—identity, control, emotional extremes, the fight to stay grounded. So the title kind of grew beyond the track itself and started to represent the whole body of work.

In a way, the EP is about learning to live with that “devil,” not necessarily defeating it.

• You’ve built the band from Cairo, but you’ve been competing and getting noticed internationally for a while now. How do you think about the local scene versus the wider metal community you’re trying to reach?

Khaled: The local scene has changed massively if you compare it to the late ’90s or early 2000s. Back then, everything was a lot more limited—recording, distributing, even just getting your music heard was a challenge. Now with technology and social media, bands have way more control. You can write, record, and release music much more easily, and at the same time listeners can discover new artists from anywhere in the world.

So in that sense, the gap between the local scene and the international metal community isn’t what it used to be. It feels a lot more connected now.

That said, for us, the local scene has always been a priority. It’s where we started, it’s where our core audience is, and it’s a big part of our identity as a band. At the same time, we’ve always had the ambition to reach beyond that and be part of the wider metal community.

So, it’s not really one versus the other—it’s about staying rooted locally while pushing outward globally.

Thanks for taking the time. “Prelude to War” is out now along with the music video, and the “Devil in Disguise” EP follows soon after – keep an eye on Soundsmudge‘s socials and give the single a listen when it drops.

⇒ PRE-SAVE “PRELUDE TO WAR” HERE! ⇐

The song was written in a single session on the night of October 10th, 2023, three days after the events of October 7th. Guitarist and songwriter Eslam came home from a late hangout, sat down with his guitar, set the tempo to 200 BPM, hit record, and had most of it drafted within minutes. The rest of the band heard it and immediately shelved what they’d been working on. That origin is worth knowing because it explains the energy – this isn’t a song that was labored over in a vacuum. It came out of something real, and the track carries that weight. The chorus – “If you want peace, prepare for war” – frames the song not as a political statement but as an observation about a cycle that keeps repeating, from Gaza to Ukraine to Myanmar to Bosnia, and everyone in between who ends up paying the price while the powerful argue the terms.

Production-wise, “Prelude to War” went through multiple rounds before landing where it is. The band tried two overseas mixing engineers before eventually bringing it home to Amr Hefny at Ganoub Studio, who pushed for certain parts to be rerecorded and was strict enough about the performances to get the rawness the song needed. It shows – the final mix is heavy without being muddy, and the melodic death metal influences (think In Flames, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom) are present without the song feeling like a reference exercise. The 200 BPM foundation gives it a relentless forward motion, and the band clearly knows how to lock in at that tempo with enough clarity in the riff writing so that it doesn’t turn into a blur.

For a band that’s been releasing music in pieces since 2021, “Prelude to War” feels like a step up in focus and intent. The “Devil in Disguise” EP – which also includes an instrumental, a nearly seven-minute title track, and an acoustic-led closer – is worth watching for when it drops. As a first look at where Soundsmudge is heading, this single makes a strong enough case to keep paying attention.

The feature arrives at a pivotal moment for the band, with two major releases on the horizon through their US label, .

Scarab formed in Cairo in 2006, growing out of roots that stretch back to 2001, and quickly established themselves as a force unlike anything else coming out of the Arab world. Their sound fuses the full weight of technical death metal with the ancient mysticism of the land they come from — themes of spirituality, Kemetic mythology, and the deep philosophical questions of human existence, rendered in some of the heaviest music the region has ever produced.

Their music combines traditional death metal with elements of oriental music, creating a unique blend of cultural and extreme sounds. That duality — rooted in Egypt’s ancient heritage while operating at the cutting edge of an international genre — is precisely what has earned them a following that stretches far beyond their home country, and now, the attention of one of the world’s most prominent broadcasters.

The BBC News Arabic documentary film is a rare and significant acknowledgment of Scarab’s place not only in extreme metal, but in the broader cultural landscape of the Arab world. The band has confirmed they will work to provide translations of the documentary for their global fanbase — a community that has followed them across continents and supported them through every chapter of their journey.

“Thank you for walking this path with us and for your life force and support,” the band wrote in announcing the feature. “The best is yet to unfold.”

Scarab enter this moment of recognition with serious momentum in the studio as well as the press. Two major releases are confirmed through Brutal Records (US):

“” — out April 24th on all digital platforms.

“” — arriving May 8th, with pre-orders open now.

Both titles signal a band drawing deeper than ever from the well of Egyptian mythology and mystery — the Sphinx, fate, transmutation — filtered through the sonic ferocity that has defined Scarab since their earliest recordings.

In addition, Metal Blast is bringing back its educational musical workshops, reaffirming its commitment to giving back to the community and supporting the growth of the metal and alternative music scene.

The 15-year anniversary also marks the beginning of a new branding phase for Metal Blast. Updated visuals, anniversary identity, event dates, and lineup announcements will be revealed gradually later this year.

More details and further announcements will follow soon.

The opener Alexandria is wordless but not voiceless, a sweeping instrumental that establishes origin as both anchor and burden. From there, Pathological Liar tears the mask off denial, Akram Soliman’s vocals weaving between fury and vulnerability. Cold Feet follows with an elegiac tone, a lament for friendship and for the selves we leave behind when fear wins.

At the heart of the album lies Phantom Pain, where Ibrahim Khodeir’s orchestration makes absence palpable, every swell of strings pressing into memory’s wound. Its companion piece, Reflections, co-written with Khodeir, sharpens the mirror theme of the record: a wrestling match with doppelgängers, blurred identities, and the yearning to reconcile what stares back from the glass.

From there, time itself becomes antagonist in The Curse of Time, while The Orientalist turns the lens outward, dismantling distorted narratives imposed by colonial eyes. The spoken word piece Cairo reimagines the city as a living metaphor: ancient, restless, and multiple.

The closing duo, Echo Chambers and Polarized, drive the record into its most urgent terrain. False narratives grow louder until they suffocate, and nuance is swallowed by absolutes. The riffs cut deep, the atmosphere swells, and the curtain falls on a plea for escape from binaries.

What makes Reflections striking is not just the skill of its execution, the precision of Yassin Bahgat’s drumming, the layered guitars of Kareem El Sharabasy and Khaled El Nahas, the bass weight of Moustafa Nazir, but the emotional clarity threading it all together. Anemoya has created an album haunted by history, both personal and collective, yet never resigned to it..

There are many points you should focus on before starting your band for example; what goal do you have in general? You can be like “I just want my music to be heard.” Well, it’s a good one for sure, but it’s so random!  Of course, it starts with your passion for the music and instrument you play, but when you decide to be in a band, there should be certain goals that you want to achieve throughout the year, like; I am aiming to finish my three singles, or I will focus on local gigs in my city. Make sure you choose the correct bandmates, not just good instrument players, but also, these guys have a harmony with you while playing. I believe the main key points in any good band are chimstery, hammoney, and tightness. Believe me, these factors will take some time. A good plan will help this band go somewhere. Don’t be random, guys! Make a plan based on a certain phase, for example; these six month you focus on rehearsals, next six month you focus on live local gigs, and so on. At the end, you and your bandmates should deal with the band as a company and any company there’s a leader with vision and the rest of co-partners follow. Good luck!

First, I salute you for your metal vibes indeed. Tell me how did it all start and why such an interesting band name?

It started after a jam session for GenoSide, which we are both members of. We sat down and had a conversation about how our music tastes are very similar and agreed to start writing music together and in the space of a week we had sat and finished more than 50% of ‘Delta.’ The band name is actually a mixture of ideas that we had, we first wanted to have something relating to a box or some kind of container as we haven’t really decided to follow a certain mood or subgenre. So we view the upcoming album or EP as a box that you can shuffle and find different kinds of music. The 8 Eyes part actually comes from the fact that we both wear glasses and that was a joke thrown at us by one of our close friends so when we merged the two we thought the name was interesting and unique and just went with it.

‘Delta’ is your reflection on how the Egyptian culture has changed over the years. Can you please elaborate on why Delta and not another province in the region?

The Delta is an area that the older Egyptian civilizations were centered upon and that’s why we chose that to symbolize one of the lost identities throughout the test of time.

The song lyrics are a bit confusing, especially that it’s in English and another language, can you elaborate its concept?

The other language in the song is Coptic and it’s one of the older Egyptian languages that was spoken throughout a big part of Egyptian history. We then switched to English because metal is an international genre, and we believe that, in order to reach a wider demographic, there should be some English lyrics involved.

The translation of the Coptic parts:

“Ani gu reminkema men somen men treminkema an: I am Coptic (Egyptian) but I don’t speak Coptic.”

Mathetees ne etsa khon moon anon ne ni esmi pahoo: Decipels within us, we are the voices of the past.

I noticed there are incredible variations of styles and arrangements. Was it planned during the songwriting process?

The whole idea of the song came out of a guitar riff that Mazen brought to the table, and then each of us started adding ideas to the song. None of the variations were planned. We had just planned the structure the song was going to follow and there were many ideas that were introduced before reaching this final product. The song was built like a LEGO with idea upon idea being added.

The two of you are doing a great job indeed, but I am wondering if you are aiming to add new members soon?

We are aiming to add new members for sure. We are not guitar virtuosos and we both have our weaknesses. We know our strengths very well, but eventually we will need new members to complete the circle. Possibly a lead guitarist and a drummer. The down side of this part is we don’t know if the writing process will be as smooth as it is with just the two of us.

‘Delta’ is your debut, so if it’s part of an upcoming album you will focus more on similar topics in our society?
Maybe Delta will become part of an EP, but as I said above the whole idea of the ‘Box’ is that you won’t expect what’s coming next. We don’t know if the lyrics will be about the same topic, but the songwriting and the structures definitely don’t sound the same.

The lyric video expressed your idea perfectly, still, are you aiming to release a music video soon?

The idea crossed our mind and we believe it would add more richness and get the idea through more effectively, but we believed it’s a bit risky to do that with a debut single. Maybe somewhere down the road after releasing an album or EP we can go back to that idea.

Finally, tell your fans about your 2021 plans, especially that the live scene isn’t active enough recently.

Our 2021 plans would be to focus on releasing more music and adding new members, we wouldn’t really focus on a live show with just one track to offer. So our best bet would be to come up with more music. Being in the second half of 2021 already, we would say that that album or EP would come out in late 2022.

First, I cannot hide my feelings when I find someone who likes my native ancient culture, especially when they sing for it. Before I start shooting my questions, have you been to Egypt before?

None of us has ever been to Egypt. One thing we have in common is this passion for the myths and the beautiful landscapes, monuments, and of course, Arabic musicality! Now we’re all diving into Egyptian culture we’re even more anxious about seeing it all with our own eyes and maybe even build new concepts and ideas!

You guys chose the ancient Egyptian culture and mythology to be your band’s identity. Although, there are many rich ancient civilizations worldwide, why the Egyptian one in particular?

Being a Historian and Philosopher, Samuka came up with this project and all of us really embraced the idea for this common link. Samuka’s background brings not only credibility to the stories we tell on the songs, but also helps to spread Egyptian culture through music and videos!

After listening to your debut album, I was really surprised by how its implemented in a very professional and unique way, despite that 2020 has been a very tough year. Can you tell me more about the album production process?

First of all, thank you so much for such a compliment! It’s been a very challenging process for several reasons. Fortunately, we managed to record everything by the end of 2019, when nobody could ever imagine what was about to come. It was a true marathon, we are from Belo Horizonte and took an 8-hour car trip to São Paulo to record there, so we had to make the most of our time. Just to have an idea, I recorded sessions of four to five hours daily of vocals and backing vocals three days in a role. After that, we’ve experienced some problems with producers and just when we thought it would be finished, the deadline to deliver the album mixed and mastered was the first week of April, and by March the lockdown hit us all, the studio was closed and our work on standby. After some struggles, we managed to get the tracks we recorded to be mixed and finalized on our city by André Cabelo, renowned producer of Thrash and Heavy Metal bands that did a great job!

I can see there are great special guests in your album, how did you manage to work with them all during the COVID19 lockdown?

Fortunately, all the guests have recorded before the pandemics! Although professional recording today is a bit less complicated than it used to be ten or twenty years ago, and with the right gear and some knowledge, it’s possible to achieve outstanding results recording from home studios… and that’s something that has been helping lots of artists during these rough periods without concerts! Marília Zangrandi, for instance, is from Rio de Janeiro but lives in Portugal. She recorded her part for ‘Revenge of Horus’ there and sent it to us, similarly to May Undead, that recorded her vocals for ‘Lady of the Nile’ at Dharma Studios in São Paulo with Rodrigo Oliveira (Korzus).

Your album took a concept album direction, do you think that nowadays metal fans still interested in concept albums or prefer single topics instead?

For the positive response all over the world, I’d say that YES! Not only for being conceptual but for bringing to the public a rich and interesting cultural perspective! As an avid Iron Maiden fan, conceptual albums and historical topics are something present on my DNA as a musician and I believe this is something that will never be out of fashion, especially for the ones that love music and also appreciate the content.

Many bands have postponed their work to 2021 because of the pandemic, did you think of that?

I believe there’s no right or wrong when it comes to this kind of choice, although I believe postponing compositions or new releases wouldn’t be a good option. Artists have to be more than ever into the internet and find other ways to connect to the public. We had a big tour postponed across Brazil with Armored Dawn, Korzus and Dr Sin, but instead of feeling sorry, we started working on new songs and decided we would release our new album this year. If everything goes according to what we plan this time, should be released by June or July! It’s being produced by Tiago Della Vega, of the band Vikram.

You guys mentioned on your album description that it’s “about controlling our own aggressive nature” how can you implement this through a historical theme album?

The Medjay experiences several moments of pure hate, he literally becomes obsessed with blood and starts killing to fulfil his own pleasure. In the chapters presented on Sandstorm, we present more of a cold-blooded killer ending the album with a ballad that tries to depict that even the most ruthless beasts can fall in love and maybe find redemption.
His story will unfold in other chapters on the next album, but giving a small spoiler, one of the upcoming songs called ‘Shemagh in Blood’ pictures a scene where the Medjay arrives from a war with his Shemagh drenched in blood and starts to question all that killing, the meaning of war, who was he fighting for and what was he fighting for. So, this concept is more of a listener’s perception and evaluation of all the violence this warrior goes through.

‘Sandstorm’ is totally different from the whole album. Won’t this be distracting for your fans while talking about the Egyptian 25th of January revolution through a historical concept album?

Actually, the concept presented in the song Sandstorm shows a relationship that goes beyond time, depicting the people as true Medjay warriors of modern times fighting against the violence and tyranny imposed by the fallen government. That’s why we believe it won’t be a distraction… not mention the song’s atmosphere, that is something we really enjoyed composing and love to play it live!

Rafael Bittencourt of the Brazilian iconic metal act Angra is considered as your mentor. Does this mean that he is the official record producer of the project? And how did you start working together?

This partnership started from his connection with Phil Lima, who was also his personal trainer, back pain therapist and vocal coach. They became good friends and Rafael saw a huge potential when he heard Death in the House of Horus for the first time. After pointing out some suggestions concerning this specific song, we realized it would be a good idea to start a more in-depth approach and that’s when his mentorship started. He helped us plan every step we would take regarding compositions, band concept and commercial strategy based on his thirty-year experience with Angra. Not only he advised us but we ended up composing one song together – ‘Rise for Glory’! The album has been produced by all of us, but with his guidance at all times! It’s been a quite unique experience!

Your riffs and melodies remind me of the golden 80s/90s power metal era. Would you say that power metal is the main influence on your music?

Glad you mentioned it because at least for me (Phil Lima), this is the era that influences me the most! I’m a huge fan of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and that’s something I just can’t hide…matter of fact, I’m proud that I and the music I play are a mix of all these influences giving birth to my own style shaped by all these masters! Most of the songs are idealized by Samuka and he carries lots of influences of Accept and Sabaton, which brings a more modern Metal to light sometimes, and I believe this is a great balance between the classic and modern metal.

“Lady of the Nile” is taking a different slower path than the rest of the album. And it’s very smart indeed choosing the beautiful voice of May “Undead” Puertas of Torture Squad. Tell me more about her special vocal touch with Medjay.

The different atmosphere present in this song depicts an introspection moment of the Medjay, in which he wanders away after all the killings on his path and arrives at a wonderful place (the Nile Valley) where he sees this beautiful woman by the margins of the river and they start a dialogue where Nefertiti presents herself and comforts the Medjay. This is a part of the story where we try to show that even the most vicious men can find a place for love in their hearts.
About May’s vocal, we thought it would be an interesting surprise to the fans that are used to see her with the powerful guttural voice, and this element of surprise also shows all her brilliant technique and versatility as an artist!

Performing a style that totally different from your music culture requires a study and research that’s why you used the golden fingers of Marco Herrera in the album. How did you both agree on the rhythm vision?

Marco Herrera is a brilliant musician that has been with us since the very beginning. He is also a Flamenco dancer and has dedicated several years of his life to the practice of Arab percussion and dance. When we composed the songs we already imagined where and how we wanted the percussions and ethnical instruments, and Marco had a very important part in executing and suggesting instruments and rhythms which we really loved!

And what about you guys; did you study eastern and oriental music styles? Because I can find some Hijaz and harmonic scales during your soloing and rhythmic riffs.

Although Arab musicality is not necessarily native to us, we all appreciate and have studied it, not to mention it is present in the style of several musicians we admire such as John Lord (Deep Purple), Yngwie Malmsteen and of course, the classic album of Iron Maiden, Powerslave.
‘Me personally (Phil), I’ve always used several Arab scales on my solos even before joining Medjay for I really love the sound of the Phrygian scale and some interesting intervals to make it richer or more enigmatic by implementing diminished 2nd and 6th degree of the scales or with augmented 4th degree adding a unique tension interval. I won’t go further or else it will get very theoretical and it may bore some readers, but in summary, I can say I really love it!’

I am curious about your next projects and its themes. Would it only include Egyptian mythology or you gonna add different cultures later on?

Our next project is called Cleopatra VII and it’s being produced by the renowned guitarist Tiago Della Vega, founder of another important ‘Oriental Metal’ band called Vikram.
Until today, Cleopatra the Seventh (Cleopatra VII) is seen as a symbol of feminine power and wisdom. And yes, there were several ‘Cleopatra’ in history, but the most notorious is the one we refer to, the Seventh!
Differently from Hollywood’s perspective in which Cleopatra’s legacy was justified by her seduction skills, she was raised amongst the rich book collection of Alexandria, has mastered at least seven languages and possessed great intellectual culture. The ‘Queen of Kings’ has absolutely been, and may still be considered one of the most influential women in history if we bring to light her achievements in life and her reign in Egypt.
On this new album the fans can expect a deeper immersion in Egyptian Gods and Myths such as ‘The Boat of Ra’, ‘Osiris and Seth’ and ‘The Magic of Isis’ and some songs that lead to some reflection about the meaning of war such as ‘Shemagh in Blood’ and ‘Sarcophagus’, that brings an important message in times where we all should exercise our tolerance and respect towards the others after all in the end, what will they write in your sarcophagus?!
Answering your last question, Medjay is based on Egyptian culture and at least for now, there are no plans of including other cultures in our songs.

Finally, do you have a message for your Egyptian fans and would you consider touring in the MENA region after the pandemic ends?

I’d like to say on behalf of the entire band that we’re absolutely thrilled that you appreciate the songs we make inspired by your rich and beautiful culture and history! As you mentioned before, it’s quite a challenge because we weren’t created in your musical background or actually know for real how you deal with the topics we approach because this is our interpretation based on our studies and in what the media shows, and it’s a relief and a huge honour that you have received it on the best way possible not only musically but in terms of the contents we bring!
We really hope we can achieve this dream of visiting Egypt soon enough and bring even more reality to the atmosphere we create with our music, record video clips on these marvellous landscapes we only know by pictures and video, and of course, it will be very special to perform all these songs for the ones that inspire our compositions! We’re looking forward to receiving contacts of Egyptian producers to schedule several concerts there!

For the merchandise, you can find here.

– Check out our review for their music video of Sandstorm.

Personally, I’ve waited for this moment for so long. I came across Scarab’s music for the first time through “Serpents of the Nile” which left me amazed and shocked, IT IS an EGYPTIAN METAL BAND! EGYPTIAN METAL BAND influenced with our ancient glorious history, the blackness of the lands of Kemet, painted in colors of the sand, the Nile, the stony huge temples. Reviewing “Martyrs of the Storms” is not an easy task, it is challenging for any reviewer connected to the Egyptian Metal scene. I may write the only EGYPTIAN review published on professional, Egyptian Metal Webzine. So, Let’s move to the review about this album.

Before going deep into my review, I prefer to you to see first Scarab‘s members thoughts about their album, the band posted on Facebook,

“Channeling & creating a work of heavy alchemical art like “Martyrs of the Storm” was a matter of survival from death, destruction & martyrdom to us. We pay our awe & respect to the land of Kemet, the great Egypt. Our homeland, the land of magic, mysticism & gnosis. The source of our inspiration in times of chaos and in times of order. All hail the great ancient land and the never ending river of mysteries that it holds.“

Based on this, you have a hint about this journey through the world of chaos, glory, victory, and mystery. Just keep Scarab‘s slogan of the album in your mind “The Storm is Approaching.” While listening to the opening track “Martyrs of the Storm,” Mysterious guitar tunes backed by ambient echo as if you are passing your hands on ancient holographic texts on the walls. Shortly, you find yourself pulled into stormy music, darkened tunes, heavy drums, and killing guitar riffs. It is like running inside endless paths of history, you are witnessing the incident before your eyes. Starting with “Martyrs of the Storm” is a smart choice, the track is so melodic and it managed to drive the listener to continue the album’s journey.

Moving to “Necropotence,” it is a heavier track with a sense of rage. It reflects a progression of the album’s mood. It ends with some screams and calls of fighting people, this paves the way to the next track “Kingdoms of Chaos.“

I will mention something strange, the band may not mean that but it is my feelings. When it comes to “Kingdoms of Chaos”, there is a status of a fight, unrest, a conflict which is well scripted in terms of music. Therefore, I want to make it more visual. If you come across Youssif Chahin’s “Al Mohager,” just remember the scene when the religious groups and the leadership of the army went in a dispute. Fire, fight, blood, CHAOS! on one hand, it is like a nation burns itself by its own hands, on the other hand, this fight is expanded to include different old-world acts. It is a matter of mythology and history typically. Nobody can deny that many civilizations were built upon chaos.

After listening to “Kingdoms of Chaos”, you may get the impression of the progression of darkness, it is like a curve. The album is getting darker, deeper, more enraged, and more complicated in terms of music. Here comes “Blood Moon Shadows,” the intro is so ghostly with depressive touches, there is a mood of evil, hatred. The music is painted in colours of melodic blackness, brutality. Variety in melodies and rhythms make you enjoy with every sound. The atmosphere of the song catches your breaths, recalls scattered images of deaths, fights, conflicted colors, and opposing sides. In other words, “Blood Moon Shadows” is one of the best composed tracks of the release alongside “Coffin Texts.”

The upcoming track “Circles of Verminijya” sets a mood of controversion after its release. The theme of the track is exceptional and strange; voodoo cultures or the native culture of the African lands which we are a part from this culture, we carry a part of these roots, rituals, history, and blood. I am quoting here a part taken from my review of “Circles of Verminejya:”

“the title “Circles of Verminejya” is somehow a strange name to the listeners. Actually, I need to thank Scarab for releasing the song with a lyric video that contains actual Voodoo rituals to have more understanding of the track’s theme. 

You can find out those folk dances. People are dancing in the middle of a circle and surrounded by a circle of audience. It is a mutual form of celebrations in mostly of Native Cultures. For example, The Ancient Greek Theater was built as a circle and the Ancient Arabic Poetry contests were held in the form of a circle of audience.

The lyrics mentioned the meaning of “Circles of Verminejya” “I Draw Barriers and Dance in offering within the circles of Verminejya”! That’s why I think that the “Circles of Verminejya” means the circles where the Voodoo rituals, mainly dances, take place.”

I can’t deny, the new version of the song is an excellent one, the intro with African influenced tunes reflects the essence of the track. I can speak a lot about this track because it is MY MOST FAVORITE. Every tune of it flooded inside of me, tastes the sweet-bitter taste of native cultures survival against the colony. So, I need to move to the following two tracks “The Dwellers Beneath” and “Oblivious Sanctum.” 

“The Dwellers Beneath” starts with a spoken part that looks like whispers from the other side. It expresses a deeper deathly sound and a darker and fiercer atmosphere. The solo is remarkable and I like how the solo is well engaged to the music, it joins the music smoothly and ends beautifully without any disturbance. While “Oblivious Sanctum”, “Saturnian,”  and “Upon the Pagan Lands” give me the impression of recalling the previous work of Scarab! I don’t know if this feeling is true or not, but I felt that those tracks reflect the previous Scarab work, their taste of bitterness, of composing Egyptian Death Metal taste, of their music hybridity of Western and Egyptian Oriental tendencies.

Now only one track left for reviewing “Coffin Texts”. Before talking about it, I want to admit a fact, the album is somehow long, it is an enjoyable album, undoubtedly, there is a magical musical excitement but at the same time it is heavy and some tracks carried similarities of the style and the mood, so I felt that adding “Coffin Texts” as number 8 in the playlist is not fair for the track. It was really smart that Scarab released the track as a single before the official release of the album. “Coffin Texts” is in one word, a symphony, an epic of musical composition and harmony. The music takes you to death, to the underworld, experiencing death, chasing ghosts especially the outro of the track.

WOW, WHAT A JOURNEY, to sum up, this review, I should thank each member of Scarab who gives this album a part of his blood and soul, especially Amir Al Saadi who surprised everyone with his professional and blasting drums through the album, why I am mentioning Amir because he joined the band only in life performances, it is our first time to test Amir‘s abilities with Scarab and he left his drums sounds stuck in our ears after listening to the album, it is not easy to write or produce such a profound album, Scarab proved their endless talents of performing and composing, all lines are beautifully and harmoniously mixed together.

The album was like a one-day journey but at the same time a journey of life, it is like the ancient Egyptian myth of the journey of the sun, notions of the Earth and the sky, story of touching sands that carry the essence of life, the sweat of the lost, and the blood of the martyrs. The storm here is not an actual storm, but it is an intellectual storm that shakes your own eternities, beliefs, and peace. The quality of the production and the magic of engaging the solos and the melodies inside the tracks are impressive.

Finally, I need mention just negative points as I expressed above: some tracks carry the same style or mood, so one of them could be discarded which will shorten the length of the album positively, the album is somehow long, and it is not good to drop “Coffin Texts” at the end of the playlist. So, the first time in my life, I give an EGYPTIAN Metal band a rate from 9.8 to 10 based on my experience!! It is the only album that deserves 10! And, I want to tell Scarab, you make it hard for you and for everyone in the scene to produce an equivalent to your “Martyrs of the Storm”!!!!!!!