African heavy metal |
African heavy metal | |
---|---|
Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Early to mid-1970s, |
Typical instruments | |
Regional scenes | |
African heavy metal refers to the
The Botswana heavy metal scene started in the 1970s with the introduction of
In South Africa the genre really began to take off in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s in Johannesburg with the relative success of bands such as Odyssey, Ragnarok and Urban Assault,[16] and Voice of Destruction in Cape Town. The arrival of metal music in the country was controversial at the time with music fans facing official banning of some records by government and the
In Egypt fans have faced waves of discrimination from both official institutions and the general public with a number of fans being imprisoned in 1996 and 1997 for "possessing drugs and insulting the divine religions"[17] through metal music. After months of court cases defendants were released due to a lack of evidence and became known in the Egyptian press as "the Satan worshipers case."[17] During this period security forces banned 35 metal bands from entering the country. In 2012 fans of the genre were again accused of Satanism in the media and by politicians.[18]
Whilst many African countries have enjoyed a burgeoning heavy metal subculture for some decades already, others such as
In 2010 some music groups follow a more international standard and approach to music spearheaded by bands such as Red Helen, Facing The Gallows and Betray The Emissary. The availability of music online and tutorship from world class musicians whose instructional videos are freely available has had a huge impact on how musicians in the heavy metal genre improve themselves and include new and trending sounds such as
In 2017 Africa saw the rise of their first progressive metal act. ShangriLah, with their debut Ep- Embrace The Tide.