| Band name | Anoushbard |
| Location | Teheran, Iran |
| Band Members | Sherwin Baradaran (vocal, Guitar) Siavash Motallebi (Guitar) Sasan Soflae (Drums) Arman Tirmahi (Bass Guitar) |
| Similar Artists | I am not going to say that we are very special but I guess there is no band in Iran that we can name as similar |
| First release | Mithra (2020) |
| Links | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram |
| The Music Addict’s Verdict | Anoushbard beautifully melds traditional metal with Persian music and skillful songwriting. Horns up for this kickass band from Iran, a country where metal shows are actually outlawed. |
How was the band formed?
Sherwin Baradaran: The band was formed in 2017 by Siavash Motallebi and I. Siavash used to be a famous guitar player in pop music bands and beside his career as a player, he has been working in studio as a sound engineer. Before I joined Anoushbard, I had a band called The Owlets and we were active between the years 2009 and 2016. After disbanding The Owlets in 2016, I was looking for a good musician and reliable bandmate to start again. In 2017 I met Siavash and we decided to establish a new band.
What’s your songwriting process like?
It depends on songs and situation but most of the time we come up with the main idea or concept then try to make some riffs for it. At the same time, we try to write lyrics for it and in the end, the feeling of that song will be the most important part of it. If it can represent the idea and feeling clearly, it is ready for final recording.
What are your influences?
There are a lot! From Persian traditional music to very speedy and harsh metal music but if I want to name them I have to say Swedish metal bands like Opeth, Amon Amarth, Soen, Arch Enemy and American bands like Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer have a great influence on our band.
How would you describe your music?
We have tried and will try to represent an unique music which is a combination of traditional Persian music with western metal music like using some complicated traditional time signatures and also some modes and scales. In lyrics we try to use some materials related to Persian history and Persian poetry or mythology which is very unique in the world.
What’s the one thing that makes you/your band stand out from the rest?
We dedicate ourselves to our culture and our roots, by writing about Persian history and stories. We also use traditional scales in metal music, something really new in the metal genre.
Describe your live show.
Unfortunately we haven’t had any live show because of some problems. First, we were too busy producing the album and second, we had to overcome all the obstacles that have been placed in our path, for example: it’s illegal to have a metal concert in Iran.
What are your plans for the next few months?
Right now we are working on our second album.
What’s the metal scene like in Iran?
A couple of years ago we had some metal concerts which was not bad even though we faced with some limitation. But right now it is illegal to hold metal concerts. I can name two famous metal band in Iran: Kahtmayan and Farshid Araabi .
He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
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