Massive Scar Era

Massive Scar Era is an Egyptian heavy metal band. The band formed in 2005 and is based in both Cairo, Egypt and Vancouver, Canada. They have been noted for mixing heavy metal with traditional and pre-colonial Egyptian melodies and instrumentation.[1]

Massive Scar Era
OriginAlexandria, Egypt
Genresheavy metal, folk metal
Years active2005–present
Websitemassivescarera.com

Career

Massive Scar Era formed in Alexandria in 2005, and their Egyptian fans often call them Mascara for short. The original members were singer/guitarist Cherine Amr, singer/violinist Nancy Mounir, and drummer Suzie. The band immediately gained attention for its all-female membership.[2] Suzie soon departed and the band has since experienced many lineup changes, with several men included, though Amr and Mounir have remained with the band throughout its history. Their lyrics often address both political and feminist topics.[3] Dylan Wijdenes-Charles is currently the bassist.

Amr had become interested in Western heavy metal in the late 1990s, when the genre became popular in Egypt even though the police were known to round up fans for harsh questioning. Amr formed Massive Scar Era with classically-trained violinist Mounir.[2] They released their debut EP Reincarnation in 2006.[4] The band immediately gained notice for its female membership, often with criticism from family members and religious authorities;[2] these struggles were mentioned in the internationally released book Heavy Metal Islam by Mark Levine in 2008.[5] The band has also faced difficulty in finding gigs and record distributors in their home region due to popular disdain for aggressive music.[4]

The Reincarnation EP gained international recognition, and the band was invited to play the Sweden Rock Festival in 2009.[6] In 2010 they were featured in the Egyptian film Microphone,[7][8] covering Alexandria's arts and music scene. Starting in 2011 the band began to play at European summer music festivals regularly.[9] In 2013 Massive Scar Era was featured in the film Before the Spring, After the Fall, which depicted the participation of Egypt's rock musicians in that country's 2011 revolution.[10] Cherine Amr moved to Vancouver, Canada in 2015 to escape her home country's criticism and harassment toward her music.[11]

The most recent Massive Scar Era release is the EP Color Blind in 2018.[1] In 2020, Cherine Amr adopted the name Cheen and released the folk-oriented solo single "Esmi".[11]

Members

Discography

EPs

  • Reincarnation (2006)
  • Unfamiliar Territory (2010)
  • Precautionary Measures (2011)
  • Comes Around You (2012)
  • 30 Years (2016)
  • Color Blind (2018)

Videos

  • "Ab3ad Makan" – ابعد مكان
  • "Pray" (2012)
  • "Color Blind" (2018)

References
  1. "Egyptian Metal Band Massive Scar Era Stress Importance of Diversity with 'Color Blind'". Decibel Magazine. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  2. "An Unusual Heavy-Metal Love Story". The New Yorker. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  3. Down, Ryotaro AokiMa Maha ElNabawi David MacFadyen Lauren (13 February 2014). "Six must-listen new tracks from around the world". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  4. "Egypt's Female-Fronted Metal Band Massive Scar Era Shreds a Whole New Sound". Bitch Media. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  5. Levine, Mark (2008). Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 9780307353399.
  6. "Massive Scar Era". rockeramagazine.com. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  7. "Girl mettle: Egyptian band Massive Scar Era". The National. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  8. MicrophoneMovie (21 January 2011). "أبعد مكان – فريق ماسكارا – من فيلم ميكروفــــــون". Retrieved 14 October 2016 – via YouTube.
  9. "Egyptian / Canadian Metal Band MASSIVE SCAR ERA Premiere Protest Video via Decibel Magazine". AudioInferno \m/. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  10. Brey, Brianna. "Filmmakers With Impeccable Timing". The Source Weekly – Bend. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  11. "From Heavy Metal to Indie Pop: Massive Scar Era's Cheen Releases Debut Solo Single on Universal". scenenoise.com. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  12. "Massive Scar Era". Retrieved 11 October 2020 – via Facebook.
  13. "Interview with Massive Scar Era (Mascara)". Rock Era Magazine. Rock Era MagazineR. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
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