Iranian Refugee Metal Band Confess Drop New Song, “Megalodon”

The Iranian metal band Confess, who in 2018 were jailed in their home country for lyrics that are anti-religious, atheistic, political, and anarchistic — ya know, metal — successfully fled Iran in 2019. After a stop in Turkey, the two key members of the band are now safely resettled in Norway. And they can likely never return home, where they’ve been sentenced to a total of 14.5 years in prison (between the two of them) and 74 lashes.

Onward and upward, then: Confess have announced that their new album, the appropriately titled Revenge at All Costs, will arrive in January via Rexius Records, and they’ve just unveiled its first single, “Megalodon,” along with a music video.

So often when bands gain widespread media attention as they flee persecution, they find it tough to compete in the larger pool of bands from the rest of the world. Remember the Iraqi band Acrassicauda? Once the hubbub of their incredible story died down — and indeed, on a humanitarian level, it was tremendous — their music never really took hold, just one of hundreds of bands vying for the same attention and coin.

So here we are with Confess and their first major release. Is it a cut above? The song’s stomping main riff reminds me of Sepultura meets Lacuna Coil, and the vocal style is Sepultura all the way. It’s a solid tune, the performance is impressive and the production is top-notch. But will Confess find that they’re able to break through from the crowded metal field they now find themselves in? Only time will tell. We’re certainly rooting for them!

Give “Megalodon” a stream below. Revenge at All Costs arrives on January 21 via Rexius Records; pre-order here.