Bangladeshi heavy metal or Bangla heavy metal was originated from the evolution of British and American heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth have had the greatest influences on Bangladeshi heavy metal musicians. Other 1970s bands to influence are bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Motörhead. The first bands to play heavy metal in Bangladesh were bands like Warfaze and Rockstrata. The most prominent era for heavy metal movement was between the early 1990s to early 2000s. Warfaze, Rockstrata, Aces and in Dhaka are often considered as the "big four founders of heavy metal". Other 2000s metal bands are bands like Artcell, Aurthohin, Cryptic Fate, Powersurge, Mechanix, Metal Maze, Vibe and Stentorian. Alternative bands like Nemesis, Arbovirus and Black also played some alternative metal songs over the years. Warfaze, Artcell and Aurthohin together are the most popular rock/metal trio of Bangladesh.
History
1960s and 1970s (Pre-history)
Antecedents: 1960s (Blues rock) Although there were no Bangladeshi metal bands formed in the 1960s and 1970s, some blues-based rock bands helped to emerge heavy rock in Bangladesh. Such a band was Windy Side of Care, formed in 1964, Dhaka, who became one of the earliest rock bands to form in Bangladesh. Mainly inspired by rock n' roll artists like Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, they mixed psychedelic rock, hard rock, blues rock with Bengali Classical music. Initially they did not intend to record their output but to play gigs. They used to jam at Shahbag Hotel. They jammed at high volume, so loud that they were told to turn down their volume by their grandfather. Their long instrumental jamming through high amps, powerful distortion and frequent whammy bar sets an early example of heavy rock in the Bangladeshi music scene. They did not become commercially successful but their early works and experiments indicate the major movement of heavy rock in Bangladesh. Although they are not as well known to modern fans, some of their records were recovered. They made a deal with EMI record labels to record an album in 1968.
Heavy rock influence: Mid to late '70s Later in the 1970s, many pop rock and psychedelic rock bands were formed in Bangladesh. Although most of them did not play or contribute much to heavy metal but some bands like Miles, Feedback and Feelings played some hard rock songs in their concerts drawn from psychedelic and blues rock. Miles, despite being a pop rock and blues rock band, used to play few hard rock songs in their live concerts, around the early 1980s. James from Feelings (now known as Nogor Baul) was a pioneering psychedelic rock artist of Bangladesh. He too performed heavy rock riffs and solos. Late Ayub Bachchu was a member of the pop rock band, Souls, who later formed his own band, LRB. Ayub Bachchu, too, came forward with his technical guitar playing by following the bluesy styles, which also helped emerging heavy rock in Bangladesh.
1980s and 1990s (Origins) Foundation: 1980–1993
The 1980s was the most important decade for the foundation of heavy metal in Bangladesh. Heavy metal and hard rock became very popular among young music fans. The young musicians picked up their instruments and started to cover hard rock and heavy metal songs. They also followed the styles of English and American metal bands styles – growing long hair, forming bands with English names, wearing tight jeans, t-shirts, boots, etc. However, due to cultural impact and strictness, many boys were not allowed to grow long hair until they became famous.
Back in the 1980s, there was no Internet connection or many broadcasting facilities in Bangladesh for foreign heavy metal bands, but there was also a local shop called "Rainbow", in Dhaka, which used to distribute foreign metal bands' albums. The shop played an important role in inspiring Bangladeshi musicians with foreign metal acts. The shop is still active.
Primarily drawing influences from NWOBHM bands such as Iron Maiden and Motörhead with an early influence of the 1970s traditional heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, many underground hard rock and heavy metal bands were formed in Dhaka from early to mid-1980s. It was an immediate response to New wave of British heavy metal music from Bangladeshi musicians. Many psychedelic rock and blues rock artists of Bangladesh also inspired them to go forward. While some young guitarists at that time were also impressed by the guitar playing of neoclassical metal artists such as Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker and Paul Gilbert.
The first ever Bangladeshi heavy metal band to be formed was "Waves" on 25 December 1981, Frankfurt, Germany. The band was formed by three Bangladeshi teenagers - Iftekhar, Mahmud and Mithu living in Germany. Their early influences include hard rock and metal bands like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy and Van Halen. They returned to Bangladesh in 1983. In 1984, Waves recorded three songs for BTV for its upcoming Eid show but BTVs GM called the entire show an Opo-Shankscrity and decided not to air Waves. Following that incident, Waves was banned from performing at venues in Bangladesh including BTV. Many line-up changes happened while some of the members moved abroad. They covered "Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath in 1985. Video footage can be found on YouTube about their lead singer asking their audiences if it was right banning Waves from performing on BTV and if they (the audience) would want to cut Iftekhar's (their bassist) long hair. Waves disbanded in 1985 and after almost ten years they released their only album, Purono Smriti. They have been inactive since 1996.
In 1984, Warfaze was formed. They were young heavy metal fans from St. Joseph Higher Secondary School. At the time heavy metal was not yet mainstream music in Bangladesh. Mainstream music included genres such as pop, folk and blues. So, Warfaze started as a cover band. They used to cover hard rock and heavy metal songs by bands such as Deep Purple, Iron Maiden and Dokken. After multiple line-up changes and 7 years since their formation, they released their self-titled debut album, "Warfaze", in 1991 under Sargam records. The album is considered one of the most influential heavy metal albums of Bangladesh. Songs like "Boshe Achi" and "Ekti Chele" were big hits. Warfaze continued working on their following albums – Obak Valobasha, Jibon Dhara and Oshamajik in the '90s. Although at the time, there were few bands who played heavy riffs and solos, but there were no bands who had a singer like Warfaze's first singer, Sunjoy. Most of the metal/hard rock bands' vocalists employed melodic vocals with heavy riffs. But Sunjoy's powerful high-pitched screaming voice helped develop the idea of heavy metal singing. He was inspired by and often followed the singing style of Ian Gillan. His screams in "Ekti Chele", which last for about 20 seconds are a perfect example of this style. Sunjoy has been the most influential heavy metal vocalist of Bangladesh. On the other hand, Warfaze's lead guitarist, Kamal's fast arpeggios with alternate and sweep picking, tapping, dive bombs and melodic structures uses created heavy metal riffs and solos in their songs. Kamal is one of the pioneering shredders of Bangladesh. His shredding solos took Warfaze's music to a neoclassical metal edge. Warfaze along with their music also helped to improve rebellious lyrics in Bangladeshi Rock music. Most of their songs were about anti-establishment, complicated lives and socialism. Both of their albums, Jibon Dhara (Living Style) and Oshamajik (Anti-Social) demonstrate this. While Jibon Dhara was more focused on a political theme, Oshamajik was more interested in social struggles. Their lyrics helped push the boundary of romantic lyrics. Warfaze has been the most important rock and metal band of Bangladesh for their influence and consistency, running for over three decades and still going.
Rockstrata, another metal band was formed in 1985. They too were students of St. Joseph Higher Secondary School. They were initially inspired by Black Sabbath. They used to cover various songs of Black Sabbath. Later they gained interest in Iron Maiden. They released their self-titled debut album in 1992. Their music, especially guitar riffs were heavier compared to other rock bands of their time. But after releasing their debut album, they stayed dormant for over 20 years. Although they returned to the scene with their second album, Notun Shaader Khoje (In Search of New Taste) in 2014. Both Rockstrata and Warfaze have been cited as the first heavy metal bands of Bangladesh by music critics. However both being contemporaries to each other, Warfaze and Rockstrata had significant differences in their musical styles. Rockstrata sounded more brutal and heavy which could be compared to doom metal music of Black Sabbath. While Warfaze approached more as a technical and fast-paced band similar to the speed metal sound of Deep Purple.
In Dhaka, another band formed in the late 80s to early 90s, was also influential to hard rock and heavy metal. They released their debut album Nishshobdo Kolahol in 1992. But they too became inactive after mid 90s. Meanwhile, another hard rock trio named Kirtinasha (Destroyed) who formed in 1988, released their debut album, Kirtinasha in 1993 under Asia Voice records. Kirtinasha was one of the few bands who did not release their albums under Sargam label. They were one of the pioneering hard rock bands of Bangladesh who recorded some of their earliest material in 1988 but did not release anything until their debut album. Kirtinasha's songs were about natural calamities, anti-love, conflicts, narcissism, terrorism and deaths. Kirtinasha never went mainstream like Warfaze or Rockstrata. But their song "Dhoroni" (Earth) was successful among hard rock fans of that time. Kirtinasha had no activity after the mid-1990s. Their members pursued their personal lives and left the music industry after the mid-1990s. Aces was another popular rock band formed in the late 1980s. They were very technically proficient but did not release any albums. Thus they faded from the music scene after the 1990s.
Emergence: 1994–1999