The Dance of Al-Qaynah

Most would agree that the arts have the power to break down our mental barriers. Perhaps the reason is that the passion that drives the creators is something we can all recognize. It is the desire to communicate thoughts and emotions on a deeper level. It goes beyond just telling someone plainly. It’s the desire and power to make you feel almost exactly as they do.

If music can rend our mental defenses apart then it has already torn through our cultural barriers. Which brings me to the heart of my belief regarding music: a genre of music should never be considered exclusive to one race of peoples. In celebration of this concept, I present to you Al Qaynah.

So far this band has a demo that was released free for download on the internet in 2008. Describing their music is a little hard since it’s not a genre that most people are used to. It’s a genuine blend of Arabic and Indian influences within the realm of heavy metal. It’s also an instrumental project. That’s interesting enough but it’s not the most unique thing about them. This is:

Al Qaynah is a global effort and we’re composers and musicians from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Afghanistan thusly is our metaphorical homeland.

[….]

The collaborations for Al Qaynah are done over the internet. We exchange sound files and everything is collected in Copenhagen where cutting, pasting, mixing etc. is performed.

-From Their Blog Post on Myspace

Truly, this project is unlike anything that I have ever come across in concept and execution. Each song on this demo was released and created on a separate year starting with “Empire” in 2003. Even so, each song stays true to the message that the band is trying to convey and they all have catchy rhythms. The band will be releasing a full-length in April if all goes well. Keep an eye out for it; I know I am.

I hope you all enjoy what I share as much as I do.  The demo can be downloaded for free from here.

Originally posted here.