ACRASSICAUDA, LIVIN’ THE DREAM

At Relapse Records’ CMJ showcase last month, I had the privilege of briefly meeting Tony from Acrassicuada, a.k.a. “that band from Heavy Metal in Baghdad.” I introduced myself and told him I run a site called MetalSucks; to my incredible shock and joy, he knew what MetalSucks is. See, we’d sent the band a care package way back in 2007, which included some MetalSucks stickers; he told me that he’d kept one of those stickers on his guitar for some time. And while it’s entirely possible that he was just blowing smoke up I ass, I don’t think he was – I didn’t prompt him about the care package or anything, he just brought it up. So that was pretty awesome.

ANYWAY, after an incredible amount of struggle, the likes of which I can’t even imagine trying to overcome, Acrassicauda are here in the U.S. and, according to their MySpace page, are getting ready to release an EP:

Obstacles seem to find their way into everyone’s lives. Some people falter the moment they come across them, others push through and overcome anything that stands in their way. Over the course of six years, we’ve been able to connect with a band that has faced difficulties that most bands could never fathom. While other bands dealt with creative differences and arguments, Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda faced death threats, bombings, and had to worry about the safety of their families and relatives. Now residing in the states, the band is proud to announce their first release, Only The Dead See The End Of The War, which will be available March 9, 2010. The four-song debut EP explodes with intensified war metal that could only be fueled by the frustration of a band struggling to continue their passion for over a decade of rejection. Recorded at Spin Studios in Long Island City, NY under the watchful eye of Nik Chinboukas, Alex Skolnick of Testament joined the band in the production process while Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Hatebreed, System Of A Down) mixed the EP. Everyone here at Vice is proud to see how far this band has come and can’t wait for the rest of the world to hear their monumental release. For now you can hear the first song, “Garden of Stones.”

You pretty much have to be happy for these dudes, right? They worked so hard and look at them now, living the dream. Awesome.

“Garden of Stones,” is a really good song, too – so at least you’re not rooting for some no-talent ass clowns who happened to have found themselves in a politically-motivated spotlight. You can download the track here.

-AR

Thanks to Cody Barrick for the tip!