4C
THE DA
ILY ASTOR
IAN • FR
IDAY
, JUNE 26
, 2015
PART
ING SHOT
A w
e
e
k
l
y
s
n
a
p
s
h
o
t
f
r
om
T
h
e D
a
i
l
y A
s
t
o
r
i
a
n a
n
d C
h
i
n
o
o
k O
b
s
e
r
v
e
r p
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
e
r
s
The M
i
lky Way peeks th
rough the c
louds and t
rees above Svensen June 17
.
EDWARD STRATTON — The Da
i
ly As
to
r
ian
ODD
ITY
A h
e
a
v
y m
e
t
a
l e
s
c
a
p
e f
r
om m
a
y
h
em
I
r
aq b
and go
e
s
f
rom w
a
r
-
to
rn
B
aghd
ad to
an Am
e
r
i
c
an
s
tud
io
Fa
r away f
rom the
i
r fam
-
i
l
ie
s bu
t l
iv
ing in peace
, the
g
roup cou
ld now focu
s on
w
r
i
t
ing mu
s
ic and bu
i
ld
ing
a dome
s
t
ic fan ba
se th
rough
l
ive pe
r
fo
rmance
s
.
T
oy
ing w
i
th
A
rab
i
c b
ea
t
s
By V
IV
IAN SALAMA
A
s
so
c
ia
t
ed P
r
e
s
s
NEW YORK — The
name o
f the a
lbum i
s “G
i
l
-
game
sh
,” the anc
ien
t Me
s
-
opo
tam
ian k
ing w
i
th supe
r
-
human s
t
reng
th and cou
rage
who unde
r
take
s a pe
r
i
lou
s
que
s
t to d
i
scove
r the sec
re
t
o
f e
te
rna
l l
i
fe
.
The ep
ic ta
le embod
ie
s
the comp
lex
i
t
ie
s o
f l
i
fe and
f
ind
ing one
’
s se
l
f tha
t the
fou
r
-man heavy me
ta
l band
Ac
ra
s
s
icauda be
l
ieve i
s
symbo
l
ic o
f the
i
r own jou
r
-
ney f
rom wa
r
-
to
rn Baghdad
to an Ame
r
ican reco
rd
ing
s
tud
io
.
W
i
th roo
t
s in Saddam
Hu
s
se
in
’
s I
raq
, the band
membe
r
s d
i
scove
red the
i
r
love fo
r heavy me
ta
l th
rough
S
laye
r and Me
ta
l
l
ica ca
s
-
se
t
te
s
they dug up
in
the b
lack
ma
rke
t
s o
f the then
-heav
i
ly
sanc
t
ioned coun
t
ry
. F
i
f
teen
yea
r
s la
te
r and ha
l
f a wo
r
ld
away
, they
’ve re
lea
sed the
i
r
f
i
r
s
t fu
l
l
-
leng
th a
lbum w
i
th
song
s they fee
l a
re t
rue to
the
i
r pa
s
t bu
t w
i
l
l speak to
anyone
, rega
rd
le
s
s o
f the
i
r
pa
th in l
i
fe
.
“Th
i
s a
lbum i
s l
ike a
d
ream com
ing t
rue
,” sa
id
Ma
rwan Hu
s
se
in
, 30
, the
band
’
s d
rumme
r and one o
f
i
t
s found
ing membe
r
s
. “And
i
t
’
s a
l
so been funded by the
fan
s
. I
t
’
s such a huge th
ing
fo
r u
s to have such suppo
r
t
,
AP Pho
to
/Bebe
to Ma
t
thews
Membe
rs o
f the I
raq
i heavy me
ta
l band “Ac
rass
icauda
,
” lead voca
l
is
t Fa
isa
l Mus
ta
fa
, le
f
t
, d
rumme
r Ma
rwan Husse
in
,
cen
te
r
, and gu
i
ta
r
is
t Muhammad A
l Ansa
r
i
, rehea
rse in New Yo
rk
. The band fo
rmed in Ju
ly 2000 in Baghdad
.
g
loba
l suppo
r
t
.”
The
re
’
s neve
r been a b
ig
heavy me
ta
l scene in the
I
raq
i cap
i
ta
l
, pa
r
t
icu
la
r
ly
p
re
-2003 when Hu
s
se
in and
fe
l
low band membe
r
s Fa
i
s
-
a
l T
a
la
l and F
i
ra
s a
l
-La
tee
f
we
re g
row
ing up
, when ac
-
ce
s
s to any
th
ing bu
t reg
ion
-
a
l mu
s
ic wa
s s
l
im
. The U
.S
.
inva
s
ion k
icked o
f
f in 2003
,
bu
t Ac
ra
s
s
icauda con
t
inued
to rehea
r
se and pe
r
fo
rm fo
r
the
i
r t
iny fan ba
se
, de
sp
i
te
the upheava
l tea
r
ing I
raq
apa
r
t
.
“W
a
r ha
s a
lway
s been a
damage po
in
t
,” sa
id T
a
la
l
,
31
, the band
’
s lead s
inge
r
.
“A
s a mu
s
ic
ian f
i
r
s
t o
f a
l
l
you t
ry to su
rv
ive
, make su
re
a
l
l you
r loved one
s a
re se
-
cu
re
, and then o
f cou
r
se
, you
ge
t in
sp
i
red
. Y
ou ge
t a lo
t o
f
idea change
s in you
r head
.”
In
t
en
s
e wa
r
,
s
e
c
ta
r
ian s
t
r
i
f
e
Saddam wa
s gone
, bu
t
w
i
th the U
.S
. inva
s
ion came
a pe
r
iod o
f in
ten
se wa
r and
sec
ta
r
ian s
t
r
i
fe
. M
i
l
l
ion
s f
led
the coun
t
ry and many mo
re
we
re d
i
sp
laced
. Baghdad
,
once a cen
te
r fo
r cu
l
tu
re
, a
r
t
and mu
s
ic
, had become the
scene o
f b
lood
shed
. Heavy
me
ta
l
, a
s i
t tu
rned ou
t
, wa
s a
g
rea
t e
scape
.
“The rea
son we wan
ted to
p
lay in a me
ta
l band i
s be
-
cau
se we we
re k
ind o
f fed
up
,” sa
id Hu
s
se
in
. “
In
s
tead
o
f go
ing to the
rapy
, o
r g
roup
the
rapy
, o
r hav
ing po
s
t
-
t
rau
-
ma
t
ic s
t
re
s
s .
.
. we ju
s
t come
he
re and we s
ing abou
t i
t
,
ta
lk abou
t i
t and p
lay
. W
e
come ou
t o
f th
i
s doo
r fee
l
ing
be
t
te
r
, fee
l
ing re
f
re
shed
.”
A
s fa
te wou
ld have i
t
,
the
i
r mu
s
ic wou
ld a
l
so be
the
i
r t
icke
t to Ame
r
ica
. The
g
roup wa
s fea
tu
red in the
2007 V
ice documen
ta
ry
“Heavy Me
ta
l in Baghdad
,”
wh
ich de
ta
i
led the band
’
s
s
t
rugg
le to s
tay t
rue to the
i
r
a
r
t in an I
raq tha
t wa
s in
-
c
rea
s
ing
ly ho
s
t
i
le to fo
re
ign
mu
s
ic
. S
tud
io
s we
re be
ing
de
s
t
royed by m
i
l
i
tan
t and
m
i
l
i
t
ia g
roup
s
, and the cap
-
i
ta
l wa
s in mayhem
.
The in
te
rna
t
iona
l recog
-
n
i
t
ion wa
s g
rea
t fo
r the
i
r
ca
ree
r
s
, bu
t a th
rea
t to the
i
r
l
ive
s
. The g
roup f
led to Sy
r
-
ia
, and w
i
th the he
lp o
f the
documen
ta
ry make
r
s
, even
-
tua
l
ly ea
rned the
i
r way to
the U
.S
.
Bu
t yea
r
s wou
ld go by
be
fo
re the g
roup wa
s ab
le to
f
ina
l
ly ge
t in
to a reco
rd
ing
s
tud
io hav
ing to wo
rk mu
l
-
d
t
ip
le job
s to ea
rn money an
suppo
r
t the
i
r new l
ive
s
. Then
d
la
s
t yea
r
, a f
r
iend sugge
s
te
r
they launch a K
ick
s
ta
r
te
c
rowd
-
fund
ing to ra
i
se the
money fo
r s
tud
io t
ime
. Fo
r
ty
day
s and $37
,000 la
te
r
, they
we
re in the s
tud
io
.
“W
e have song
s we w
ro
te
l
ike f
ive yea
r
s ago
, bu
t we
d
idn
’
t have the budge
t
,” sa
id
Hu
s
se
in
. “
I
t
’
s such a huge
th
ing fo
r u
s to have such
suppo
r
t
, g
loba
l suppo
r
t
.”
“
I
t
’
s awe
some
,” sa
id
Moza
r
t a
l
-Hamawand
i
, 23
,
an I
raq
-bo
rn gu
i
ta
r
i
s
t who
jo
ined the g
roup a
f
te
r they
moved to the U
.S
. “W
e have
some endo
r
semen
t
s happen
-
ing .
.
. and we
’
re wa
i
t
ing to
ge
t some tou
r
s
, have some
b
ig band
s ca
l
l u
s
, maybe
we
’
l
l tou
r w
i
th them
.”
Now the men in Ac
ra
s
s
i
-
cauda
, the name o
f a b
lack
sco
rp
ion found in the I
raq
i
de
se
r
t
, a
re tu
rn
ing back to
A
rab
ic mu
s
ic fo
r in
sp
i
ra
t
ion
.
The g
roup say
s i
t
’
s toy
ing
w
i
th some A
rab
ic bea
t
s to
b
lend in to the
i
r heavy me
ta
l
mu
s
ic to c
rea
te a one
-o
f
-a
-
k
ind sound
.
“
I
t
’
s fun to be I
raq
i
,”
joked T
a
la
l
. “W
e love the
coun
t
ry
. I
t
’
s a
lway
s a pa
r
t of
who we a
re
.”
On
l
ine
: h
t
tp
:
/
/ac
ra
s
s
icau
-
da
.com
/
Wh
i
l
e o
t
he
r
n e
w s
p
a p
e
r
s g
i
v
e
yo
u l
e
s
s
,
The
D
a
i
l
y As
t
o
r
i
a
n
G
IVE
S YO U
MORE
O
u r new
a t
e for
y
o
u
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