“The nightfall bends the world below, so we wither, so we rot…” calls out Zalim of the one-man Palestinian black metal act – Zalaam.
It’s honestly bittersweet to be writing about this. I connected with Amir, the flesh and blood behind the curtain of this project, following the infamous October 7th escalation. My perspective on Israel and Palestine has drastically shifted in the past couple years – particularly due to my conversations with Amir.
Amir lived in Gaza. He’s witnessed war, death, destruction, catastrophe, and the genocide of his people – in the past, present, and likely continued future. I’ll never forget what he shared with me:“I had a friend that got martyred within the first couple weeks of the genocide. I couldn’t stop weeping every night, but now I’ve reached a point where I can’t even weep anymore, and I envy those who tell me they weep every time they see a video of children slaughtered on camera. Life cannot go on like this; I honestly miss being depressed.”
A key component of black metal is pain, and I don’t think any other black metal musician has truly harnessed pain comparable to Zalaam. I mention the feeling of bittersweet before because I’m genuinely so proud to witness beautiful music be released by Amir, but I also hear his deep-rooted agony in the new track “We Wither, We Rot.” The atmosphere is winter cold – mesmerizing, blackened guitar riffs are soothed by a gentle synth melody. The mood is sad, pensive, purposeful, and powerful.
The track is included on a 2-song EP released titled To Resist the Enemies of the Sun. You can listen to both tracks and support Zalaam on Bandcamp.
Full interview with Zalim (Amir Yacaoub) of Zalaam.
Free Palestine.