Birthed in the Levant metropolis of Amman in the mid-90’s, the death-thrash act Esodic (formerly known as Purgatory) made a name for themselves in the volatile metal scene of Jordan. Although the group eventually disbanded, drummer Zed Amarin brought the project back to life after immigrating to Los Angeles.
We spoke to Zed about his experiences with the dynamics and legalities of the Jordanian metal scene as well as collaborating with Entheos, Western intervention, political metal influences, and Uday Hussein.
Before the band disbanded, immigrated, and then was revived in Los Angeles, Esodic was a leading force in the Amman metal scene. Can you recall your most positive memory of being a Jordanian metalhead?
Being a metalhead in Amman was incredibly special. The inaccessibility of the music and the difficulties of simply existing as a metalhead added a magical quality to the experience. Sharing music, ideas, and cultural influences was always a pleasure. Additionally, having an outlet to release social and political anger in a form that could be felt and shared helped us cope and made the experience even more meaningful.
Alternatively, there have been many reports of metal musicians in the region being harassed, and even arrested. Can you speak on the extent of harassment that Esodic faced?
I was fortunate to grow up in a family with significant ties to the army and government, so while I did experience harassment, arrests, and detentions for being a metalhead, it was minimal compared to what some of my friends endured. These ranged from having all metal-related merchandise confiscated, being locked up and beaten, to straight-up torture, both mentally and physically.
Our former members [Marwan Kayyali, Ahmad Kayyali, Mohammed Matt Kurd, Nour Irshied, Ibrahim Al-Qaysi, etc.] have all faced years of detention and severe harassment. Given the significant influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Jordanian government chose to crack down on metalheads to prevent potential radical violence at our shows. For example, about a decade ago, a group of enraged sheikhs stoned over a hundred people at a Halloween party, merely assuming they were devil worshippers.
Your new EP, titled De Facto De Jure, uses thrash and death metal to express your sociopolitical qualms. Are there other politically-charged metal acts that inspire you?
Growing up, we drew tons of inspiration from bands like Sepultura, Kreator, and Exodus, relating deeply to their lyrics. Oppression in many forms fueled our inspiration, and being exposed to art that expressed this helped us channel our own frustrations.
Opening track “Consequence” explores the idea that terrorism in Iraq is a product of Western intervention. Could one draw a parallel between the consequences of Western intervention in Iraq and those in Israel?
The situation in Israel is extremely complex and difficult to compare to Iraq. Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq had no space for organized, religion-based political parties. The American intervention, however, gave voice to jihadists and radical Muslims, leading to the formation of ISIS. Israel’s situation dates back to the early 1900’s and is too intricate to compare directly with any other Western intervention.
“Dirge” and “Reign” feature Navene Koperweis and Chaney Crabb. What was your experience like collaborating with the Entheos members?
I met Navene at 1720 in Downtown Los Angeles and proposed the idea to him. After presenting it to Chaney, they were both eager to collaborate. It was one of the easiest and most professional collaborations I’ve done, and I look forward to more in the future.
The aforementioned song lyrically discusses Uday Hussein. For those unfamiliar, can you provide a brief synopsis of what one should know about Uday?
Uday was the elder son of Saddam Hussein and head of the Iraqi Olympic committee, among other positions. He was notorious for abusing his power, and I was always interested in his story. After watching The Devil’s Double, I was inspired to write a song about his life. His story of a lavish, power-fueled life (including the rape, torture, and murder of countless people), followed by a pathetic demise, made sense to split into two songs, “Dirge” and “Reign.” Uday was extremely sadistic and misogynistic, and many women suffered under his reign. This made it fitting to feature Chaney on the song.
Being a political band, there’s only so much one can express lyrically. Are there any further socio-political ideas that you feel worth sharing with your fans and those interested?
Our overall message and concept revolves around political issues, and we plan to delve into many political aspects of the human experience in the Middle East. The main goal is to inform and share our point of view in an unbiased manner.