Akvan - Forgotten Glory

By Hera Vidal. One of the most unlikely places that black metal would show up in would be in the Middle East. Plagued by war and, in many cases, strict religious laws, metal is not the sort of music that would thrive in this region.

By Hera Vidal.


One of the most unlikely places that black metal would show up in would be in the Middle East. Plagued by war and, in many cases, strict religious laws, metal is not the sort of music that would thrive in this region. However, that hasn’t stopped many people in these countries to make their own black metal and add their own spin to it. Despite the usage of YouTube and Bandcamp for musicians to publish their music, Middle Eastern black metal still remains underground, but that hasn’t stopped listeners to get their hands on it, and enjoy the music that comes from the region.

Is metal (black metal or otherwise) easy to come by in Iran?

First off, metal and Western music is technically banned, even though you can find bootlegged copies of any current US Top 40 artist on every street corner. If you look hard enough, I’m sure you can find some shops that sell bootlegged metal albums, but it would prove an arduous journey. The Internet in Iran is ridiculously slow, especially if you try to download anything. Not to mention that it is heavily censored. But the Iranian people will always be one step ahead of their government and every now and then I’ll run into people who know what the hell I’m talking about when I mention black metal.

From Bandcamp Daily

Akvan is a one-man black metal project from Iran that, despite its ban of Western culture and music, has managed to create a compelling project that tackles both Iranian history and mythology and how its culture can be misinterpreted by its own people. Forgotten Glory is no exception to Akvan’s past demos – it continues to explore Iran’s history through music. What I love most about Forgotten Glory is how the project combines traditional Iranian instruments and black metal tonalities, creating music that sounds somber yet furious. There is a deep rage that comes out through the album, as if Akvan was angry about the current politics in Iran and wants its citizens to listen to read the history, not just focus on the current laws the country has. However, the somber nature, which comes from the tar, adds to that feeling that, despite the rage Akvan feels, looking at the history is nostalgic, back to a time that seemed easier to understand.

It’s very difficult to put what one is feeling through words, but you can’t deny that Akvan’s music is incredibly emotional. For one thing, you can’t help but sympathize with the stories that Akvan presents. In some cases, you can only feel the rage that he presents. In other cases, you can’t help but look fondly at the stories he presents, as if you are too identifying with the lyrics he presents to you. As a foreigner in a country that feels like a second home, I can’t help but try to find comfort in Akvan’s music. By listening to the music and looking at the lyrics, it reminds me that I know almost nothing about my country’s history (unless we are talking about the dictatorships and the systematic killings), allowing me to gain appreciation for another country’s history. Akvan makes it approachable, respecting his origins and also the changes that Iran has gone since its inception.

All in all, Forgotten Glory is an album that pays respect to both its subject matter and the land that allowed it to come forth. Despite the ban, there is no stopping black metal from assimilating itself into other countries, especially when it’s used to talk about culture, politics, and religion. In a country where church and state rule together, Akvan thrives, showing us the resilience of the music that refuses to be limited.