Interview with Through Sunken Eyes

 THROUGH SUNKEN EYES – BAHRAIN

Interviewed by: Fonda

Warm greetings to TSE! So how are you Hostile? What were you doing before answering this shit?
Hani - I’m great thanks. I should say something cool like I just finished my second bottle of Jack, but actually I was just getting a bite.

Ahehe, no need to pretend to be cool man! TSE started as a 1 man band. Was it really that hard to find Bahraini guys who is into this music? How did you meet the other members?
Well, there’s a lot of Bahrainis into metal, but the trouble is finding committed musicians who share the same vision you do. I had a bunch of guys I used to jam with for a while and we had some original songs that we were planning to record, but to be honest I was the only one who was really committed. That’s why I decided to just go ahead and try to do the record on my own. It was either that or sit around feeling sorry for myself. Later, after I released the CD and it started getting attention, I got some offers by some musicians I knew, and some I didn’t, to start a band. I guess they liked the music and liked the direction of the band and they wanted to be part of this thing. That’s basically how the band came together.

True, there are bunch of people who just want to be in a band, but never commits, glad that TSE members is complete now. I mean, seriously speaking Hostile, you composed and played the instruments in all those songs in the album?! Are you a fucking gifted child? (hehe) You have your own studio right?
Gifted? Yeah right! At the start I didn’t think I could do it all by myself. I was thinking of recording a dark album with just an acoustic guitar and me singing. After recording a few acoustic tracks I got bored and said fuck it, I wanna record some metal shit. Its pretty funny now that I think about it. Anyway it took me a long time to do the tracks especially cause my drum skills aren’t that great. I really had to practice. But shit, I stuck with it and somehow got the job done.
I recorded the whole thing on a Korg 16-tracker at home. The machine is pretty cool. I recommend it. I don’t have a proper studio, just a couple of decent mics and an electric drum kit.
Well, the album turned out great. When did you discover the metal blood is within you? When did you start learning all those instruments?
When I was 11 years old, I picked up “…And Justice For All” by Metallica. It had just come out at that time and it totally changed my life. Then I started listening to all the other great thrash bands at the time like Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth, Nuclear Assault, etc. I was hooked on that shit and I still am. I started playing guitar when I was 13 and I put together a band in high school. I had this room outside my house where we used to practice and the band would keep their instruments there so I started messing around the drums. But, my guitar playing is by far my strong point. I don’t feel too comfortable with any other instrument so I guess I aint that fucking gifted.

Hey, who knows you might get used to drums later on! When I got your “FB & PC” album from Pedro, I really don’t know what to expect. I was having a bad day until I played your music & started banging.. and laughing at the same time! Did you really planned to put humor in it?
I’m glad you liked it! Yeah. I wanted the lyrics to be funny and abusive and entertaining too. I basically made fun of everything that pissed me off in Bahrain. I like to keep the lyrics funny and entertaining even when the subject matter is serious or whatever. I love Jello Biafra’s (Dead Kennedys) style of writing lyrics. He really influenced me a lot. Even when he has something serious to say he says it in an entertaining way and makes you laugh. I think that’s better than preaching and being too serious. Music is supposed to be fun at the end of the day.

Yeah, preaching wit humor would be fun, the whole package was really great. Military groupie song, yeah, some girls are like that! Are you anti-american or just anti-war? If a chick from the military will help you get a green card, will you accept it? (she have this big muscles and big tits, hehe)
I like big tits, but I don’t know about the big muscles bit. And no thanks I don’t want a green card. I like where I’m living. And no, I’m not anti-American, or any other nationality. I am anti-war of course, but the song isn’t really about that. We have a lot of US troops stationed in Bahrain and the song is about this phenomenon we have where certain women try to hook up with US military guys cause they think those guys will marry them and take them back home. They think the US is like heaven or something. I guess they believe all that crap they see on TV about freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Anyway, I’m just making fun of these people in that song.

Same here, like what Obama said “I am not against war; only stupid war”, but that first song can get anyone interested in listening. Dumb girls, our country have groupies like that too. Anyways, how will you know the difference between posers and true metalhead? How will you influence or educate young listeners about the UG scene?
True metalheads are always around supporting the scene, going to the shows, promoting the bands and checking out new talent. They don’t care whether its cool to listen to metal or if its in fashion or if it will get you chicks or whatever. They just love the music and its in their hearts. You don’t have to have hair down to your ass and be tattooed and pierced all over to be metal. That’s just image and it doesn’t mean shit. I know guys who wear suits all day cause of work and are clean cut, but they are true metalheads cause the music is in their hearts. You can usually tell if somebody is really passionate about something or whether they’re faking it, for whatever reason.
I just want listeners to know that there is a scene in the Middle East and we are a force to be reckoned with cause we got a lot to say and I don’t think the world has heard it yet.

True, its all about the attitude and love for this UG scene; not base on clothes and looks. Don’t worry, NBzine is trying to promote bands here in the middle east! Bahrain is an open country, yet this kind of music is still not accepted? How’s the UG scene there?
I think its better now than ever before. I find cool new music coming out of Bahrain all the time on Myspace.com. I think the internet and sites like Myspace have really helped the scene grow. Before all that shit, metal bands in Bahrain had a very hard time being heard even in their own country. Now, all you have to do is search for metal bands in Bahrain and you’ll find everybody. Its awesome. I get people from Europe and the States and a lot of other places sending me messages on Myspace. Ten years ago that wouldn’t have happened so easy.
As far as metal not being accepted in Bahrain, I think its tolerated to a certain extent but we sometimes get shit from ignorant politicians who don’t understand the music. We had this one politician claiming that there are thousands of Satanists in Bahrain and most of them listen to rock music. Obviously, the guy is full of shit and most people who have a clue understand that. The real problem is religious people who think that rock and metal are evil or whatever and they make it a target for their ignorant fears. Religion sometimes makes even intelligent people stupid. What can you do? Were just gonna keep doing what were doing and I don’t really pay too much attention to morons. That shit just gives me fuel to write more angry music.

Ok, don’t boil now dude, lets just keep on banging the metal scene I usually say. The metal scene in the Middle East is fast and growing (horns up!), what do you think is the advantage or uniqueness of Middle Eastern bands from Europe or USA? What’s your message to those who says M.E. bands are a bunch of posers?
I think the uniqueness of M.E. bands is the fact that I don’t think the world has really heard what we have to say yet. The media don’t give you a good idea of what life is really like in this part of the world and I think music can educate people. Theres a lot of people in Europe and especially the U.S. who never heard about the Middle East until 9/11 happened. These people are real surprised when they hear metal music coming from this part of the world cause they probably think we’re still wandering around in the desert on our camels. Anyway, through the music scene in the Middle East, people from everywhere in the world can learn about this part of the world and hear our point of view on everything. They can hear a different point of view than the one they hear in the media. I think that’s what makes us unique. The fact that the world hasn’t heard from us yet.
People who think we are posers should come down here and say it to our faces.

Yeah, Middle east bandz are fucking amazing! (Sounds bias coz I grew up her in the middle east, hehe ) Uhh… are you really a porno fanatic? =). How many times do you watch Porn in a day? Prefer it hard or slow? Hehe.
I like it hard of course. But I’m too busy to watch too much porn. I wrote that song cause I thought it was funny that in a Muslim country like Bahrain where porno is banned, you can just switch on the satellite TV and get hardcore porn 24 hours a day. When I was growing up, before the Internet, dudes would be sneaking porn tapes in the country and there was this underground trade in porn. It was like buying drugs or something. Now when I look back the whole thing is really funny. Now all you have to do is get yourself a satellite receiver and everybody has pirated cards that let you get all these weird channels from Europe including porn. So anyway, the song is just a joke really.

Ok, no need to be defensive..=) I’m not a racist but why the hell do you think that “some” Americans or Europeans thinks that they are above other nationalities? I like your song Brit Boss, hehe, nice accent mate!
Yeah I’m not racist too but I see all kinds of fucked up racist shit in our country. That song is about some people from the U.K. or Europe that come to our country to work and get treated better than local people even when they’re not qualified for the job. That shit is like racism from employers in our country against local people. I think its fucked up. I can give you so many examples of dudes from the U.K. and Europe who are totally unqualified and have high-paying jobs plus all kinds of great benefits just cause of their nationality. Most locals can only dream of that kind of pay package. I guess there are still some ignorant employers and businessmen who think that people from that part of the world somehow know more and can do jobs better than local people. This shit makes people from the U.K. and so called ‘first world’ countries feel special over here cause they get treated better than citizens of Bahrain and so they get big attitudes. Of course what I’m talking about is not true in every case, but I see that shit all the time and people from here know what I’m talking about. Anyway I’m glad you liked my British accent cause it sucks really.

Seriously, that is true her in the middle east, some Americans & Europeans are treated like they are qualified because they speak english.. WTF?! Lets just drop it mate. Since you are in UAE, any plans to form a band? or how about TSE touring other countries?
Yeah well, I have a bunch of dudes ready to go and play live in Bahrain, but then I moved to the UAE. So, I might have to find another band over here. I will try my best to form a band over here cause I think this music should be heard live. That’s what its all about.

That’s about it!!! Now say the sick things you wanna say to our NBzine readers, your great followers or those who haven’t listened to your music yet. Thanx for the time dude! Up the irons!
I wanna say: KEEP SUPPORTING THE UNDERGROUND SCENE!! Check out Through Sunken Eyes’ music at www.myspace.com/throughsunkeneyes. Our CD “Fried Brains and Pearl Champagne” is available on Amazon.com and Cdbaby.com. Just search for Through Sunken Eyes. Thanks to everybody who bought the CD and sent us letters. Keep posting your comments on our Myspace page. We love to hear from people from all over the world. Thanks NB zine for this interview and for supporting the underground in the Middle East. Cheers!!!