Saturday Morning Soundtrack: "Garden of Stones" -- Acrassicauda

Right now, in our rock and roll writing class my students are finding rock music that inspires them and creating flash nonfiction pieces we are calling "Liner Notes" where they try to capture their elusive, sometimes visceral reactions to the music, using lyrical language, a critical eye, and vivid imagery. This week's entry comes from Dan Joyce, a music blogger who runs the website Green Chamber Studio and a longtime friend.


About Dan:

Music has always been an important part of my life, so I've decided to write about it. There is so much to learn about every type of music out there. You can't judge a person at first glance, and you can't assess a band just by listening to one song. Just as our lives twist and turn, so does the music around us. One of my missions is to spread the word of metal because there's so much great stuff out there, and because I feel there's a lot of misconception. If you listen you can hear a lot different influences in metal music that you might not expect. Who knows, maybe you'll even find something you like. This is rock. This is life. What are you listening to?

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"Garden of Stones" -- Acrassicauda (2010)

While many bands struggle to make it big in their hometown, trying to bring their music to as many people as they can, Acrassicauda has faced hardships few of us can imagine. As an Iraqi death metal band, formed in the latter years of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Acrassicauda sought to bring their music up in a hostile environment in which their sound was illegal. 

Stop and think about gravity of that for a moment. 

We take for granted the freedom of choice in our art and music. But even amid suffocating oppression, music finds a way. The subjects of the documentary, Heavy Metal in Baghdad, you see the band’s struggle as they and their fans literally risk their lives to play and experience the music they love. Seeking refugee status, they fled Iraq for Syria, Turkey, and finally the United States.

Only The Dead See The End Of War is a 4-track EP, easily available in the US. This tight, concise EP summarizes their sound and their struggle. Here, the album’s title is not a gimmick, but a stark representation of truth. With songs, “Message From Baghdad,” “Garden Of Stones,” “Massacre,” and “The Unknown,” Acrassicauda play an updated and dynamic version of old-school thrash (think Slayer and Metallica’s pre-Black Album years). With lead singer Faisal Talal’s haunting howl they demonstrate love for their craft and share their journey through the best medium they know. “Garden Of Stones” charges ahead with tight, muted guitar and precise drumming. Lyrically, the group explores the tragedies of their world. “I heard the angels cry / I crave what's mine / All that I have known / Now buried beneath / The garden of stones.” The lives and people they have known are buried (often literally) in the rubble of dictatorship and foreign intervention. The music is not dark or sad simply for effect, but like the EP’s title, the music represents the truth of their experience and that of their fans and fellow countrymen that have seen the end of the war. 

Acrassicauda has also been featured on NPR. The documentary, “Heavy Metal in Baghdad,” has been available on Netflix, but can also be found in its entirety on YouTube.

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If you would like to write a Guest Entry for the "Saturday Morning Soundtrack" series where you creatively respond to one of your favorite rock songs, don't hesitate to contact me with queries.