The Band That Was...

Four teenagers, living in this tiny musically inert desert country, together saw a dream of seeing millions of crazy fans headbang to their music.

They saw the dream alright. What they didn't see was the future, when they'd have to part ways in order to secure their respective backup plans of "safer career options, just in case."

Nasir Mestarihi, 17, Yoann Larrieu, 19, Yassine Benmosbah, 19, and Ateek Chima, 13, were a heavy metal band in Qatar.

They weren't hopeful that the 'harsh' music they created and played would be very well accepted and followed in this country. But they were sure they were good. And the teenagers they were, they didn't give up trying to prove it to people here.

Until the unavoidable call of further studies beckoned upon them.

Though Asgard Legionnaires, the band, will "live on" in some part of the globe, Yoann, guitarist and vocalist, and Ateek, the drummer, won't be part of it.

Half-French-half-Egyptian, Yoann by now would be in Ontario, Canada, trying hard to adjust into a completely new environment and make a few friends in his university, where he's going to be studying psychology.

Half-Pakistani-half-Jordanian, Nasir and Algerian Yassine would be in Sharjah busy setting up their university hostel rooms with Iron Maiden and Amon Amarth posters. They're hoping to obtain degrees for Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah.

They've left behind their 13-year-old drummer Ateek, who has plenty of years left to finish his schooling here.

Asgrad Legionnares flew in the airplane to Sharjah with lead guitarist and vocalist Nasir, the frontman, and Yassine (Bass guitar).

"It won't be the same," says Nasir, sitting in his room, occasionally strumming the guitar. "But we'll have to find new members to replace Yoann and Ateek."

"But there is a chance Ateek might still be in the band, because his parents are yet to take a decision on weather they would move him to Sharjah or not," Nasir adds.

Yoann's long curly hair covers his face while he sits beside Nasir with his head bent down. "It was fun," Yoann says softly. "It's over now though."

Ateek and Yassine, who are on vacation in their respective countries, have said their goodbyes.

The band has split as gradually as it was formed.

Three years ago, then 14-year-old Nasir, a fan of heavy metal music since the age of seven, decided to hunt for likeminded musicians to start jamming.

By word of mouth, he found a few off and on, but not as serious as he was.

"There were some who joined me, but they left," he says. "They weren't consistent."

In December 2003, at a Juice Shop in West Bay, Nasir spotted a boy with curly hair wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt. He walked up to him and their passion for metal music gave way to all initial formalities. That boy was Yoann, who played a little bit of the guitar then.

The following year, a friend told them of his 12-year-old brother who played the drums.

Obviously, they laughed.

After much persistence, Nasir and Yoann agreed to see the 12-year-old percussionist.

"Just two seconds after Ateek started drumming, I told him to stop. 'You're in', I said," Nasir recalls.

Ateek is considered "one of the best drummers that exist in the Middle East."

A month later, Yassine, a "friend of a friend", joined the gang.

Henceforth, came into being, in Qatar, the first ambitious hardcore heavy metal band Asgard Legionnares, which means warriors of the realm of Viking gods in Norse mythology.

"I was always fascinated by Norse mythology," says Nasir, stroking his long goati-beard.

They didn't do many shows here. Not that they didn't want to, but there were "hardly any opportunities in Qatar." More so with the kind of music they played.

"Somehow there is this major misconception that heavy metal is associated to Satan and death, and is negative," says Yoann. "It's so not true."

"Metal music has philosophy behind it. It's artistic. When you listen to it, you don't do other stuff like cleaning up your room or doing your homework. When you listen to metal, you just sit and listen to metal," he says.

"It's a derivation of hard rock, classical, and blues. It's very technical and mentally and physically challenging. It's art," seconds Nasir.

He adds: "The music, the lyrics... it's opinionated. It's related to what those creating that music feel, about society, about life, or death. It could be anything. It's deep."

They agree their music is "noise to quite a few."

"But they're the ones who haven't given metal music a fair chance," says Yoann.

"You need to understand the music. Not listen to it. You have to give it time," Nasir adds.

Asgard legionnaires performed publicly just twice in Qatar - once, in the Battle of the Bands earlier this year, and once at a self-organised event in West Bay.

"Performing in West Bay we realised, heavy metal music will not find many followers here. We had arranged for snacks and barbecue at the compound we were performing at. 150 tickets were sold, but in front of our platform, there were no more than 25 people listening to us. Everyone was busy munching far away in the corners," says Nasir.

They recorded their first four-song demo last month.

The music, the lyrics, the recording, basically everything there is to do from making music to making a demo was done by the four teenagers themselves.

"The studios are too expensive. A good one costs about QR 5000 a day, which we certainly couldn't afford. So we recorded it at home (Nasir's place)," says Nasir.

Their self-titled song "Asgard Legionnaires" was composed in a way that every section of the song would sound purely an epic. The concept of the song is mainly the call to war. The deep growly vocals signify a Viking Chief's speech before war, a motivation his warriors.

"Charge with me Warriors, Charge with me and I swear, to ascend to Asgard, Asgard Legionnaires."

"Falkirk" is a number based on a battle between the English and the Scots during the reign of Edward "Longshanks". The lyrics describe moments prior to the battle, present within the battle, and the aftermath of the battle. The one featured on the demo however is a shortened version of the original 13 minute song.

"Judas Iscariot", based on the accounts of Christ's betrayal, and "Thee Ivy & Thy Tree", based around a theme of unrequited love are the toher two songs on the demo. Obviously, the quality isn't as good as it would have been in a studio, but they still ranked 164 on http://www.audiostreet.net/, a well-known and recognised music hosting web site viewed by tens of thousands of people the world over.

Though not many, Asgard legionnaires, nevertheless had fans here in Qatar who religiously attended all their jamming sessions.

But like Yoann said, "It's all over now."

"My plan to move to Canada for studies was made much before this band was formed. I couldn't have changed it," says Yoann, whose parents "don't really appreciate his craze for music."

"I don't blame them. I am a very lazy person, who shows no interest in studies. Suddenly they see me with a guitar all the time, obviously they'll be angry," he says.

"But I will not stop playing music. I understand their dislike for my passion. But at least I have some passion for something," Yoann adds.

As he said, Yoann, even as you read this, might be asking around for bands he could join in Ontario.

Meanwhile Nasir and Yassine, who have joined the same university in Sharjah only to keep Asgard Legionnaires alive, would be looking for replacements for Ateek and Yoann.

In Pakistan, Ateek would probably be preparing himself to return to Qatar to rejoin school well aware that we will no more be heading straight to Nasir's house soon after the 1pm bell with his drum sticks.

But all four of them, wherever they are, will always know, Asgard Legionnaires came together in a tiny desert country facing the Arabian Sea when they were still teenagers.

BOX
Heavy metal is a form of music characterised by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosi instrumentation. Heavy metal is a development of blues and rock. Its origins lie in the hard rock bands who between 1967 and 1974 took blues and rock and created a hybrid with a heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound. Heavy metal had its peak popularity in the 1980s, during which many of the now existing subgenres first evolved. Although not as commercially successful as it was then, heavy metal still has a large worldwide following.