Tasnim - "The Holy Land" [1998]

Artist: Tasnim
Title: The Holy Land
Genre: Melodic Death Metal / Punk
Country: Libya
Release date: 1998

Track List:

1. The Holy Land
2. Shame And Regret
3. The Bitter Nature Of Hypocrisy
4. The Birth Of Evil

We all know about the dramatic events that are going on right now in Libya, and that's why I decided to post some Libyan music here. Tasnim is probably the only more or less known metal band in Libya (however, there are two more bands listed in Encyclopaedia Metallum, but it seems like their releases are impossible to find anywhere).
Tasnim was started by two Benghazi citizens in 1998, and by the year 2000 they (already a 4-piece band) became the most influential metal band in Libya. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), the quality of recording on their demo is quite poor, but it varies from track to track. Some tracks (like "Bitter Nature Of Hypocrisy") are just awful, some are decent. Overal, not bad for a band from a country with almost non-existent metal scene, but some of their songs sound really much more like raw punk than metal.
According to their biography, "the subject matter of their lyrics sounds aggressively political most of the time, but they stated that they have their own open tolerant mind". Well, they're political band, but on which side they're now? Who knows... but taken in account they're from Benghazi, they're probably supporting the rebels. As for me, i once was very impressed by Qaddafi's "Green Book", but now I just don't know what to think about him...

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