Al-Namrood - Kitab Al Awthan - (Black Metal) | Metalheads Forever Magazine

FFO – Batushka, Krzysztof Drabikowski, Mgła
Released January 20, 2012

Originally released in 2012 by Al-Namrood, this album is now coming out for the first time on vinyl on July 21 2021 in its original sound. The vinyl will be limited to 300 with 200 being black and 100 being splatter orange/black.

That (Black) Metal has found its way into the most remote places in the world is nothing new. Saudi Arabia, however, is still a specialty, after all, it is certainly no picnic to produce such music in an Islamic state of God. Nonetheless, curious and open-minded listeners of extreme musical styles should risk an ear, because AL-NAMROOD is definitely well thought-out – Metal.de

Offers a lot more than Black Metal with a few oriental sprinkles. Here, too, the black art is coherently interwoven with Arabic rhythms and melodies, creating a very unique sound from which the Norwegian roots rarely emerge. The mixture turns out to be extremely catchy and atmospherically gripping, and works in both mid-tempo and faster pace. – Powermetal.de

I wish I could tell you what the song titles mean, but my Arabic is a little rusty. But I can tell you what they sound like. They sound like a massive sandstorm sweeping across the Arabian peninsula. – No Clean Singing

That’s presumably because it’s a lot easier to be in an anti-Christian metal band in the US, than in an anti-Islamic metal band in Saudi Arabia. In America, your obstacles extend to overhearing your mom tell a friend you’re just “going through a phase.” In Saudi Arabia, you face social ostracism and the possibility of imprisonment or death. – Vice News