Heavy metal is truly universal and Ahoora are the living proof. There can't be too many places in the world where it is more dangerous to be a metalhead than Tehran, Iran, but that is indeed where Ahoora calls home. Maybe Pakistan, for sure North Korea (which may be the one nation with absolutely NO Western pop music tradition at all). Somehow, these dudes from Tehran have beaten the odds and come up with a very strong debut effort, "All In Blood With You". Getting this hot platter of metal in any physical form will be pretty much impossible for us in the West...the Islamic government has banned all of Ahoora's live performances and declared their music illegal. Your best bet would be to go to their Myspace page (URL below) and check out their music.

What kind of metal do they come up with in Tehran? In Ahoora's case, I would describe it as very moody thrash metal with a progressive touch. Visions of bands in far-off parts of the world often yield some sort of primitive, poorly recorded mishmash performed with more heart than ability. Not this time! The Nevermore influence is VERY strong in Ahoora, but I could hear traces of bands as diverse as Mindcrime-era Queensryche, Black Sabbath, Type O Negative and Death in their style. Everything is not perfect, but a lot of thought has gone into these tunes and the guitar sound is very dark and heavy. The lead vocals of Askan are also unpredictable...hushed and Gothic in some places, in others sounding like Pete Steele, and in others shouting out with aggression.

These guys will use whatever is necessary to complete their vision, including acoustic guitar, piano and native Middle Eastern instruments. But the base is always pure heavy metal. "Heart of Darkness", the instrumental "A History of Extinction" and the super-crunchy "The Departed" are the most immediate cuts while "Out of Mind's Walls", "Hunger Within" and "Between Maybe and Never" show the more epic, progressive side of Ahoora. "The Journeyman" is a restrained melodic treat that breaks up the album and shows their Queensryche influence.

What can I say? For these guys to have come up with an album of this quality in a place that is bent on exterminating non-conformists and supressing the arts is not only a tribute to metal's power to inspire, but to the ability of the human will. When the Middle East finally breaks out of the dark ages, I look for their metal scene to be among the best in the world and Ahoora will be leading the way. Get in touch with these guys via their Myspace page and experience "All In Blood With You".