Formed in 2008, UAE-based Absolace have earned a huge following across the Middle East with their mixture of progressive rock and metal. In 2010, the band recorded and released their debut album Resolve[d] to critical acclaim. The record, which showcased Absolace’s unique rhythmically oriented sound and mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Paradise Lost, et al) was unveiled at launch gigs in both Dubai and Lebanon, and went on to generate impressive album sales both regionally and internationally.

The combination of their intense, dynamic live shows and the professional standard of musicianship on Resolve[d] have enabled Absolace to build up a large following in a short space of time, and the band have played several large shows across the region, including the Formula 1 celebrations in Abu Dhabi and support for UK prog legends Anathema in Beirut.

2011 saw Absolace go from strength to strength, headlining and playing to packed venues locally (including the Peace One Day Festival at Irish Village, Dubai), featuring in local and international music media (Rolling Stone Middle East, Classic Rock Goes PROG! UK), commencing writing and production of their second full length feature and recently supporting US rock giants 30 Seconds To Mars at the prestigious Byblos Festival in Lebanon

2012 promises to be a landmark year for the band; releasing their highly anticipated second studio LP "Fractals" locally (UAE) through Spellbind Records (local distribution) in late Feburary. Produced by drummer Greg Cargopoulos and Dubai based U.S. producer Joshua F. Williams (Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Flo-Rida) and mastered by Grammy Award winning Gavin Lursson @Lursson Mastering in Los Angeles, "Fractals" shows Absolace evolve and expand their signature sound and groove and branch out into new sonic territories. Themed around the concept of chaos theory, "Fractals" has already generated major interest locally and globally; and was independently released globally in late March.

Absolace are four musicians who share an innate love of music. The result is an epic sound that transcends the traditional rock band, and makes them one of the most exciting new acts to emerge from the regional scene.

Straight up Nu Metal all the way from Dubai, UAE, Alpha Kenny Buddy started off in late 2008 by ex Nikotin bassist Ahmed 'Dirty' Bachari and now inactive A Shot of Adrenaline guitarist Salman Maqsood aka 'Sally'. With just a rough idea for a few songs, they already found a gig to play hence the search for members began, Ahmed got in touch with Ali Mohammadi aka 'Ali Square' who agreed to fill in for bass and is now a full-time member of the band.

Next, they needed a drummer which is when they met Sami Al Turki who helped them shape up the few songs as the gig got closer, with a mixed bag of expectations they hit the stage and blew the audience away with three complete originals and a cover by Korn, The band definitely left their mark when they got off that stage. Today, the band has a completely new image with new members Harsh Singh on Lead Guitars and Tesson on Drums.

They released an EP on May 17, 2013, which was mentioned in local as well as global webzines and print media. Unfortunately their drummer Tesson had to leave the country for his studies, which is when they needed a new drummer, That is when Ziad was approached to join as a permanent member. Currently, the band started work on fresh new material for the upcoming debut album and tested some of these new tracks to give everyone a taste of what's coming, on Thursday 6th of February 2014 they won the Sound Smash Battle of the Bands sponsored by Jack Daniels.

ANURYZM started out in Lebanon in 2003 as a music project between college friends; and in just under a year, the band had already played a couple of local festivals & begun recording their first demo.

Over time, John focused on his songwriting and eventually moved to Canada in 2007 to revive ANURYZM; but after slow progress, he decided to move back to his childhood city Abu Dhabi in 2010. He immediately joined forces with his old high-school band mate/vocalist Nadeem Bibby, and invited renowned drummer Martin Lopez to perform on the album. After hiring more musicians to complete the line-up, the long-awaited debut album ‘Worm’s Eye View’ was finally released in late 2011.

2015 saw the release of their second opus "All Is Not For All," which garnered very positive reviews in the heavy metal media globally and saw numerous features and covermount single inclusions in some of the biggest magazines such as Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Kerrang to name a few.

To date, the band has performed extensively in the local & regional scenes as well as embarking on European tours and major festival appearances.They have also shared the stage with artists such as Black Sabbath, Avenged Sevenfold, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nightwish, Epica, Dark Tranquillity, and more.

Stay tuned for a third major release soon!

The band started when the friends Michael and Fadi gathered and started jamming in 2010, after few sessions the chemistry was undeniable and the result was some very interesting ideas. The band is joined by Serge who is part of the songwriting process.

The name came from the Ancient Arameans who lived in the region where the band musicians hail from, with their very rich mythology as they worshipped Assyro-Babylonian gods such as Haddad (Adad), Sin, Ishtar, Shamash and Nergal, and Caananite-Phoenician deities such as the storm-god, El, the supreme deity of Canaan, Anat(‘Atta) and others.

Assaad Lakkis better known as Bull Funk Zoo

The birth of Bull Funk Zoo made a strong impact in the Dubai music scene, playing non-stop shows all over the country and internationally. In March 2013 Bull Funk Zoo opened for Sting with all his original material played in front of an audience of 10,000 people and the response was incredible!!!

Bull Funk Zoo played almost every venue in the region of UAE and toured internationally. Concerts with audiences from 5,000 to 30,000 people.

The debut self titled album got the highest rating for unsigned band in Rolling Stone, also the album got entered into the IMA Awards USA, he has been on numerous publications, radio shows & TV features. The album can also be found worldwide online through iTunes and many other sites. It was also a best seller in Virgin Megastores in the UAE. The album is also featured on all Emirates Airlines entertainment with an exclusive interview that will be heard by over 50 million passengers a year.

He is currently touring the region with numerous gigs on hand, he is considered one of the hardest working musicians/producer in the UAE, with best act nomination for Time Out awards. He also has major support from Red Bull.

Bull Funk Zoo developed his talent for music in the US where he lived and studied for a number of years. During his time there, he played with practically every conceivable kind of musician and band.

He continued his music journey in 2000 when he moved back to Dubai and was involved in projects like Abstrakt Collision (3 albums recorded), Stroobiya, Abstrakt Roots and performing as a session guitarist with various acts throughout region.

Things started to get exciting again when he formed Bull Funk Zoo band in 2011. The first showcase of the band was in collaboration with Hamdan Al-Abri. To open for Sade at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, Bull Funk Zoo played Hamdan Al Abri’s music. The response was overwhelming! Sade personally said Hamdan Al-Abri featuring Bull Funk Zoo were amazing and they were the best opening act she had had during her 2011 world tour!

He produced a music video with Adnan Mryhij (CTG productions) & Hadi Sarieddine for one of his tracks "Shit House Blues" from the self titled album, which was released in February 2015.

He also produced and released a single featuring Malikah (The queen of Arab Hiphop) with a video (directed by Fares Sokhon) that went viral across the Middle East in July 2015.

Bull Funk Zoo is always featuring different musicians that would suite his musical endeavor.

Currently Bull Funk Zoo is working on another album, and this one is special! he is composing, performing, engineering & producing all the elements for the album by himself. The new album will also have four music videos that he is producing with Hadi Sarieddine. All these will be released during 2016.

Bull Funk Zoo is always working on new material, videos and other creative endeavors, he never stops. "Creativity is my drug of choice, it has got me in a vise"

Chronicles of Khan emerged into the UAE music scene in 2013 when they performed at the Middle East Film & Comic Con that year.

Chronicles of Khan was best described by Rolling Stone journalist Matt Ross as an entity between a rock band & a solo act. Founding member & vocalist Faraz Khan describes it as a “multinational musicians collective where musicians from various countries together to create rock n roll music.”

Whichever way fans look at them, the band has created an uplifting reputation in UAE as being one of the best Rock acts around. Having played at festivals such as Beat on the Beach, Capital Vibes & Out of the Box DxB, Sole Dxb, Fete Dela Musique Dubai, the Chronicles have garnered popularity due to their eccentric performances & intelligent songwriting.

Aside from several of their own songs, members frequently collaborate with artists that transcend various music genres such as Funk, Hip Hop, Metal, and infusion, allowing the Chronicles of being creative with their talents in music.

Coat of Arms are a four-piece band stemming from Abu Dhabi, UAE originally put together by Mohammad Rayan Bailouni. After gaining some local attention the band underwent some member changes leading to Liam taking over on bass, and Kareem on drums.

Coat of Arms released their first album "Inheritance" in 2009 featuring 15 tracks. "The Make or the Break" became their biggest hit up to that point. After the release of the song, Coat of Arms won numerous polls and awards online as the "Best Upcoming Musical Artist". The first official single to come out of the album was "Open the Dams", with the band recording an official music video. "Inheritance" was reviewed by Metality.net, explaining; "there is no doubt that the guys are on the forefront of the modern metal scene in the Middle East".

In 2010, the band started a country-wide DIY tour,"The Str8 Edge Tour", the last date ending with Coat of Arms opening for German Thrash band HATRED at the Metal Asylum Open Air Festival 2010. The band was later featured in Germany’s biggest metal magazine “Legacy Magazine” alongside HATRED.

Aside from opening for local legends NERVCELL in January 2011, they went on to compete at the RAM Battle of the Bands and were crowned “Best Band”, winning a 5-date tour of Malaysia. The band recently played at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Rock Factory, held before he "30 Secs to mars" concert.

The band has featured in Rockablity Magazine, The National, The Gulf News, and aired on Abu Dhabi TV following their show at the YAS. Their newest release “This is Manslaughter” was released on the 17th of March, 2011. Songs such as “Ballad of the Mariner” and "Timepieces"which made its way on to multiple metal compilations.

From 2011-2013, Coat of Arms took time off to write and record their latest release "Sun & Satellites". The album was mixd, mastered, and produced by Diego Farias of the California-based Djent band Volumes. The album sees the band take a completely different musical direction and looks to set a new movement in the genre of metal music in the Gulf. The album date is to be announced soon...

Darren Somerville is a professional percussionist from Ireland who is currently based in Dubai.

Well known and loved for the ringmaster character he embodies at Cirque Le Soir, his mastery in percussion and his ability to read the crowd is enough to take the energy up to 11 at any venue.

"Hera's Heidi Habib deserves to be celebrated as a woman who has created a new platform for Arabian music." - Free Malaysia Today, Goddess of Rock/Metal (May 10, 2012)

"Heidi Habib and her band HERA is a new face on the UAE metal scene, she uses strong Arabic musical elements in her tracks and has made quite an impression on us, she also sings in Arabic, something that seems to be quite unusual in UAE metal." - Mentality UAE, Women who rock the UAE: Heidi Habib (HERA) (Jan 09, 2012)

"Hera is Heidi Habib’s one-woman band. Her unique Arabic rock and metal style landed her the runner-up position in the Female Act category at the recent Bite My Music Global awards. It was no easy feat as she competed against independent musicians from over 50 countries." - FMT News/Eyestrane, 13 Indie acts to watch out for in 2013 (Jul 06, 2012)

"One of the biggest rock acts of UAE, Heidi Habib of Hera, has been selected as one of the global celebrity judges for VIMA MUSIC AWARDS 2013. Hera pulled off an amazing double accolade at the recent Bite My Music Global Awards, where she landed the silver for Best Overall Female Act and also was placed 8th of the top 10 songs in the Song of The Year category. Bite My Music Global awards is considered the world cup of independent music and featured nominees from over 50 countries" - Siva Zaphod Chandran, Founder of VIMA and Bite My Music Global Awards, VIMA Celebrity Judge: Heidi Habib (Oct 14, 2012)

"When we first heard Hera’s songs, we were blown away. Her unique Arabic rock had us spellbound and the global judges for the BMMG awards agreed. We are thrilled to have her on our judging panel and her clash of genres would be perfect to evaluate nominees under the Best Genre Bender category" - Siva Zaphod Chandran, founder of VIMA and Bite My Music Global Awards, VIMA Celebrity Judge Heidi Habib (Oct 14, 2012)

As a seasoned music producer, I've sculpted soundscapes across diverse genres, from World to Pop to Rock, fostering connections with people of varied cultural backgrounds. With a portfolio boasting 30+ created and produced records, alongside the meticulous mixing and mastering of over 40 tracks, collectively garnering 100,000+ views, my proficiency in the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) realm is unmatched. Armed with in-depth equipment knowledge spanning microphones, amplifiers, and speakers, I continuously strive to elevate sonic experiences to new heights.

Jay Wud is a 4-piece, Dubai-based band named after its frontman, the Lebanese singer/songwriter and guitarist. With influences that range from Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails, to Mark Tremonti, Alter Bridge and Steve Vai, Jay’s electrifying stage persona and inimitable guitar chops form a blistering combination with the rest of his multinational band. Serbian-born guitarist and backing vocalist Bojan Preradovic brings his indie and progressive rock roots and pop sensibilities to the table, which are complemented by the low note-slinging of Latvian Eriks Dilevs and thundering beats of American drummer Joe Rickard.

Jay Wud have supported the likes of Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and Skunk Anansie.

It started out when I was in 3rd year highschool, influenced by the mainstream alternative rock bands that brought me to play the guitar. It's kinda hard at first cause' I really don't have interest in music at all, but after watching some live shows and gigs I did start enjoying it.

A while later, having exposed to different kinds of music, my interest diverted to Black Metal and Power Metal. Yes I know, "wtf?" right?, but it's the feeling of being challenged. Whe you see those guys on the stage playing insane riffs and lead solos, It's amazing. That was my music for three years.

Second year college! Another transition began, I shifted to classical music and fingerstyle guitar. It was a regular day, surfing videos on youtube for some lead solos and then somehow I got to the video of "Edgar Cruz - Bohemian Rhapsody". After watching this, I was like in awe, I want to play guitar like this man... combining the bass notes, vocal notes, drum notes, melody and rhythm all in one guitar.. that was the shit dude, that was the shit! I've never seen or imagined something like that before. Pure Genius!

...and from there, I studied this type of music and basically got to know other "fingerstyle players" that boosted my inspiration. I then realized that this type of music was for me, I liked it, and I LOVED it. It's something I can call - passion.

Metarust is a talented Alternative band based in the United Arab Emirates.

Playing venues from festivals to the local hotspots with music showcased on multiple platforms including Apple Music and Spotify among others.

Playing a strong blend of hardcore, influenced by bands like The Ghost Inside, Hundredth, It Prevails and a wide range of other hardcore acts. Their sound is a refined mixture of melodies and hard-hitting hardcore breakdowns that are like a punch to the face. MIDWAY has been delivering their highly energetic shows all across the UAE, in support of 2010's debut self-titled album (as, A Blessed Aftermath), while quickly gaining a strong following in the process.

MIDWAY has already shared the stage with a diverse lineup of acts, ranging from the UAE death metal titans NERVE CELL, German thrashers HATRED, and US hardcore kings CDC.

I’m Nader, a 37 year old rock and metal guitarist. In love with the genre, it brings a lot of emotions musically and lyrically, and has influenced my life a lot.

Up until now I haven’t performed in Dubai, however I’ve done couple performances back in the days in Egypt, I’m excited to be back and perform here in Dubai.

Formed in 2000 as one of the first extreme metal bands to emerge from Dubai, U.A.E. and having supported legendary metal bands such as Metallica, Morbid Angel, Deicide and Suffocation – Nervecell have become the most prominent band to arise from the Middle East and truly are the torchbearers for a Middle Eastern wave of metal. Delivering a unique blend of Middle Eastern death / thrash metal, and maintaining a reputation for highly energetic live performances, got the folks at Metal Hammer Magazine to include Nervecell as one of the "DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH" – listing the band as one of the "50 Heroes Of The New Metal Revolution" in 2011.

Nervecell independently released their first E.P. entitled "Human Chaos" in 2004. With the release of the E.P. the band opened for international metal bands Sepultura and Machine Head in Dubai at the Desert Rock Festival in 2005. The band later headlined a tour in Australia in 2007 and even performed at Metal Camp Festival in Tolmin, Slovenia that same year to promote the E.P. It was only until 2009 however, when the band released their debut album "Preaching Venom" under German label Lifeforce Records (Europe) and Spellbind Records (Middle East). The band members decided to focus on touring for the entire year to promote the album and set out to establish their new European fan base for the first time. Soon after booking and completing their own European club tour in early 2009, Nervecell immediately set out on an impressive 2009 European festival tour which included performances at a number of well renowned European festivals such as Wacken Open Air, With Full Force, Rock AM Ring, Rock IM Park, Way of Darkness, Metal GDL and many others, clearly marking Nervecell as the first Middle Eastern based band to ever play at such high scale European festivals. In early 2010 Nervecell hit the road supporting New York death metal legends Suffocation for an entire month on the "Legacy of blood European / UK Tour". With another successful tour under their belt the band continued touring extensively for the rest of the year around Asia and the Middle East next– this saw the band open for acts such as Deicide, As I Lay Dying, and Decapitated.

In May 2011 Nervecell released their highly anticipated new album entitled "Psychogenocide", intertwining the raw brutality of old school death metal with modern thrash metal elements of no-holds barred aggression and speed. "Psychogenocide" featured Karl Sanders (Nile) as a guest vocalist on the track "Shunq" – this made it the first ever extreme metal track to included both English and Arabic lyrics. The success of "Psychogenocide" also gained Nervecell an award for being the "All Time Best Selling Metal Act" in the Middle East and North Africa region. The band received a plaque of recognition from Virgin Megastores (MENA) in January 2012 to certify this huge accomplishment. "Psychogenocide" was also sited as one of the "Top 10 Death metal Albums of 2011" by many webzines, magazines and critics around the world. With the ongoing success surrounding "Psychogenocide", the band had carried on touring consistently, taking their brand of Middle Eastern death / thrash metal to all the corners of the world, headlining shows in countries as far as India, Philippines, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E among many others as well as playing the main stages of such great European festivals such as Summer Breeze, Brutal Assault and Rock IM Betonwerk in the summer of 2011.

In October 2011, Nervecell were selected to open for Metallica in front of 30,000 people at the Yas Arena in Abu Dhabi as part of the "World Magnetic Tour". Shortly after the band had gone on the road for an entire month with Tampa, Florida Death Metal icons Morbid Angel, supporting them on the European leg of the "Illud Divinum Insanus Tour" in November / December 2011, marking the end of what was an incredible year of achievements for the band. The legacy of Nervecell in 2012 certainly looks promising, having already confirmed a headlining tour of the Middle East slated for the summer, followed by an Asian tour supporting Polish heavyweights Decapitated in the fall. With the future looking bright ahead and the undeniable perseverance within the band, Nervecell only continue to pursue forward, proving to the masses that heavy metal is indeed alive and well in the Middle East.

Perversion has been around in the Dubai scene since 2006; playing a very straight-up style of death metal in the vein of bands like Dying Fetus and Aborted. Friends and bandmates, Mahmud Gecekusu (Guitars) and Rhama Al Rhama (bass/vocals) have been the driving force behind the band from the word go. While they were once a four-piece, with Mahumd’s younger brother covering lead guitar duties, they were forced to become the only three-piece death metal act in the UAE when Ahmet Gecekusu left Dubai for higher education.

Sticking to their guns, Perversion started to accumulate fans, or as they like to call them “perverts,” by playing local gigs, and with the release of their EP “The Origins of Horror” in 2008 people were able to enjoy such deities as “Venomous Semen” and “Dementia of Devourment” in the privacy of their own homes. Perversion has released their debut album.

Performed live on TV shows and live concerts and festivals since 2005, one notable concert being the main opening act for the British band KEANE performing in front of an audience of 20,000+.

I also compose music, Theatrical and movie themed styles as well as composing songs from scratch for bands.

My Gear:

-Gibson Les Paul Custom

-Gibson Midtown Custom

-Ibanez S520

-Taylor 254CE

-Epiphone PR5E

-Marshall Code 50

Soulfuel is a young Dubai-based Melodic Death Metal band. The members say the name “Soulfuel” represents the music which is the fuel for the soul.

The band was formed by Sarim (Vocalist) who met Neal (Rhythm guitar) at a club, Advait (Lead Guitar), online who was looking for a band. Ashwin (Bass) from the same university later joined the band and Advait’s brother Akshay now takes on the drums.

Soulfuel was formed during autumn 2009 and wanted to do something different, and so the band came up with a heavy original, Forgiven Forbidden, and ever since have made originals like Justice is sin and Dominatus Uth Barathrum.

We believe music is more than just a collection of sounds... and a band is more than the five people on stage.

To us, music is a medium we use to tell our stories. The people who join us along the way turn into our family, and this family is our driving force.

Our latest album, “Theory of Mind”, expresses some of these stories and beliefs. Over thirteen tracks, we dig deeper than ever before, both lyrically and musically.

Tristan Surina is a highly talented guitarist and singer based in the United Arab Emirates.

Vin Sinners are a hard rock/metal band based in the UAE signed to Universal Music India. The band is the first rock band from the GCC to be signed to a major record label. Vin Sinners released their first album called 'An Element of Surprise' in December 2011 and followed that up with a series of concerts in the UAE. After a tour of India in Feb 2013, the band began work on their second album.

The new album called 'A Mighty Black Box' features former Iron Maiden front-man Blaze Bayley and a host of other musicians making the album an ensemble of collaborative brilliance.

On Feb 18, 2014, the band announced that they had been signed to Universal Music India, and the album was released worldwide soon after.

'A Mighty Black Box' was released on April 5. 2014 at a concert at Hard Rock Cafe, Dubai with a larger-than-life crowd in attendance.

In the months that followed, Vin Sinners faced a few challenges with individuals in the band facing some challenges but according to frontman Vin Nair, 'these situations are not new to us and we will definitely find our way back.

On November 1st, 2014 Vin Sinners shared the stage with the Iron Maidens and that would be the last concert with the original lineup of the band.

After a 6 month hiatus from performing live, Vin Sinners returned at The 1st Anniversary of Musicians United with a new drummer, Don Adikaram following the shoulder injury to a longtime mainstay of the band Naveen.

Soon after, Johan Roy D'Souza decided to leave Vin Sinners to pursue a career in jazz and more focus on his design and film career.

Voice Of The Soul is a death metal band based in Dubai, which first formed in Kuwait on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf in late 2007. 17-year-old Kareem Chehayeb and 16-year-old Monish Shringi released their first EP, ‘Winds of Apprehension’ in July 2009 with the second EP, ‘Eyes of Deceit’ seeking the light of day the following summer.

After playing several shows in Dubai since January 2011, the band opted to relocate to the most popular city and emirate in the UAE before releasing their third EP, ‘Into Oblivion, live on SOS Heavy Metal Radio in Portugal in August 2011. ‘Into Oblivion was undoubtedly the band's most successful record with songs receiving regular airplay across the globe.

In April 2014, the band made home at Haven Studio with producer Hadi Sarieddine in Dubai and recorded their debut full-length album ‘Catacombs’. Rudy Fares joined the band on drums, and long-time friend Bassem Farra joined on bass for live shows allowing the band to further their scopes with live performances.

Digitally released in UAE on 28th September 2014, ‘Catacombs’ will now see an official release in Europe via Hells Hammer and India via Transcending Obscurity on 27th March.