Moderately good black metal with radical lyrics
It goes without saying that Islam, its believers and the Middle East and Arabic world are touchy subjects. Nevertheless the band Seeds of Iblis, supposedly hailing from Iraq, touches upon subjects that are highly blasphemic and Islam-critical. The band is surrounded with a great deal of mystery, with next to nothing about their history and members being completely certain.
The more extreme metal genres - and the whole black metal movement in particular - has a tendency to gravitate toward offensive subjects like devilry and blasphemy. Usually it's Christianity that gets the whole hateful treatment, but few bands will touch Judaism or Islam with a ten foot pole. But with song titles like Inverted Hilal, No Islam and especially Sex with Muhammad's Corpse the quartet aren't exactly avoiding the subject. Rather, they're jumping in with both feet!
The more extreme metal genres - and the whole black metal movement in particular - has a tendency to gravitate toward offensive subjects like devilry and blasphemy. Usually it's Christianity that gets the whole hateful treatment, but few bands will touch Judaism or Islam with a ten foot pole. But with song titles like Inverted Hilal, No Islam and especially Sex with Muhammad's Corpse the quartet aren't exactly avoiding the subject. Rather, they're jumping in with both feet!
"Musically they offer some fairly gritty black metal with all that it entails."
I feel as though the group get disproportionate high ratings and attention because of their concept. Middle-easterners hating on Islam is good press after all. Musically they offer some fairly gritty black metal with all that it entails. Younes' drumming is precise and compelling, but the guitars are mostly drowned out to the point where they become background noise. The trio of vocalists, Anahita, Younes and Yousef, make for a highly varied and unusual choir, altering between your average ghostly rasping and sections of mocking prayer. It all serves the purpose of nurturing the oppressive and thick atmosphere that permeates Jihad Against Islam.
With what little they have at their disposal they've created an EP that is, at its best, slightly alluring, but at its worst characterless and dull. In most aspects Jihad Against Islam is fairly average, and Seeds of Iblis never truly diversify themselves from more characteristic groups like Marduk, Master's Hammer or Ash Borer. Their lyrical and iconographic concept is really all that makes them really stand out, and it is as though they've gotten a free pass to write mediocre music because of it.
With what little they have at their disposal they've created an EP that is, at its best, slightly alluring, but at its worst characterless and dull. In most aspects Jihad Against Islam is fairly average, and Seeds of Iblis never truly diversify themselves from more characteristic groups like Marduk, Master's Hammer or Ash Borer. Their lyrical and iconographic concept is really all that makes them really stand out, and it is as though they've gotten a free pass to write mediocre music because of it.
7/10
Released in 2011 by Legion of Death Records
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