The UAE can be described as a place that thrives in impossible conditions, has immense staying power, innovates as it evolves, and is a melting pot of influences. Interestingly, here’s something else that can be described in the same way – heavy metal music, which began on the fringes of the mainstream, has survived the changing tides of the industry, given rise to diverse subgenres, and reflects the sonic influences of its global footprint.
That, perhaps, is why a genre that began in the ’60s and ’70s as the soundtrack to the lives of working-class youth in the West has found a vibrant home in 2026 under the glittering lights of the Middle East.
Dubai-based Moutasem Kabbani remembers the exact moment he became a metalhead, “In my teenage years, I was firmly on Team Pop. Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson – that was my world. Metal didn’t even exist in my vocabulary. My circle mostly listened to Arabic music or mainstream pop, so I had no exposure to anything heavier.
Then one day, my cousin came to visit Syria and looked at me like I had undergone a full transformation. He said, “You’ve become a metalhead.” I remember staring at him and replying, “What’s a metalhead?” He asked, “Don’t you listen to metal music?” I said, “What is metal music?” He looked at my black-on-black style and long hair and basically diagnosed me on the spot. A few minutes later, he handed me a cassette tape of Metallica’s Black Album. I had no idea I was about to experience a life-changing moment. I pressed play, heard “The Unforgiven”, and got instant goosebumps. It was one of those rare moments where your brain just goes, ‘Oh, this is it. This is what I’ve been missing’. And that was it, the beginning of everything.”
Fast forward two decades, and Moutasem has become a pivotal figure in the UAE metal scene, as a record store owner, live music promoter, and all-round champion of local talent. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but then what journey that is worthwhile ever is?
Moutasem moved to the UAE from Syria in 2005 with one clear goal: to build a career in the music industry. His journey began at the Virgin Megastore as a sales assistant, and he eventually worked his way up to the position of Regional Senior Buyer for the Music category across the MENA region. The role, he tells us, gave him the opportunity “to work closely with record labels, distributors, artists, and suppliers from around the world, and I gained invaluable experience in the physical music business. While I was able to support a wide variety of genres, I always felt that metal, the music I was most passionate about, received very little attention and investment.”
Wanting to make a difference, he set up Metal East Records in 2012, a record label “dedicated to supporting Middle Eastern metal bands by helping them distribute their music across the region and giving them a platform they simply didn’t have at the time.”
Metal as a subculture had previously made its presence felt in the UAE with a boom in the mid to late 2000s. For a few years, metalheads enjoyed live performances, battle of the bands contests, and open air festivals, like the famed Dubai Desert Rock where local acts shared the bill with international icons like Iron Maiden, Megadeth, The Prodigy, Sepultura, and Korn. The good run ended, however, for no discernible reason.
The fans still loved the music but with fewer international concerts in the region and declining opportunities for local bands to perform, the ecosystem had nowhere to grow. He recalls, “As the years went on, I realized that releasing albums alone wasn’t enough. In 2013, I decided to expand Metal East beyond a record label and begin hosting live events. We started bringing international metal bands to the UAE while giving local and regional bands the opportunity to perform alongside artists they had admired for years.” The goal wasn’t just to organize concerts; it was, Moutasem says, “to rebuild a community”.
Slowly, but surely, things started picking up, and a metal scene began to emerge – one with a distinctly Middle Eastern fingerprint. As Moutasem describes it, “You have metalheads from different nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds all living in one place, and they naturally come together through the music. That mix creates a very open-minded and unique community. People here might come from completely different parts of the world, but when it comes to metal, there’s a shared language and connection that brings everyone together. Because the scene is relatively small compared to other regions, it also feels very tight-knit. Everyone knows each other, supports each other, and that creates a strong sense of unity that you don’t always find elsewhere.”
As the scene regained momentum, bands were formed, fandoms were forged, and soon, records were broken. Moutasem fondly recalls one of his most special memories, which was “when Svengali, one of my all-time favourite UAE metal bands, reached number 2 on the Virgin Megastore Top 10 charts for two weeks. Seeing a local metal band’s sales outperform mainstream global releases at the time – artists like One Direction, Justin Bieber, and other major new album drops – was an incredible and proud moment. It felt like a real statement for the scene and for everything we had been building.”
The passion was real, but so were the struggles, some of which still pose a challenge. Moutasem says, “One of the biggest challenges has been the lack of proper venues for small and mid-sized shows. Most available spaces aren’t fully equipped with professional sound systems or backline, which makes production more complicated. When we have to rent equipment externally, the costs add up quickly, and without consistent sponsorship support, that inevitably impacts ticket pricing. It becomes a constant balancing act between keeping shows accessible for the community and covering the real costs of putting on a quality production.”
And then came the 2020 COVID pandemic, which shut down the beating heart of the scene – the live performance. Within the challenge, however, emerged what Moutasem calls “a sense of perspective. People realized how essential live music really is, not just as entertainment, but as a shared experience. When shows finally started returning, there was a noticeable shift. The energy felt different. Both artists and fans came back with renewed appreciation and excitement, and even the smallest gigs carried a stronger sense of meaning than before.”
The live music scene is so central to the community that when asked for advice for young UAE bands, Moutasem says this: “Be present in the scene. Go to shows, meet people, introduce yourself, and build real connections. Don’t rely only on being online; real growth happens when people see you, know you, and share experiences with you in person. In a scene like the UAE, where everything is still very community-driven, relationships matter just as much as the music itself. Support other bands, show up consistently, and be part of what’s happening. Over time, that presence builds trust, respect, and real momentum for your own project.”
For his part, Moutasem continues to champion the cause of the music he loves, by creating spaces for fans, supporting local artists, and providing access to music in physical form at Metal East Records. He tells us, “I’m incredibly proud of the role we’ve played in the revival and continued growth of the UAE metal scene. During one of our concerts. I was standing on the terrace overlooking the venue, watching the crowd, and it suddenly hit me. I had a flashback to our very first show, where we had maybe around 100 people. In less than five years, I was now looking at a crowd of over 1,000 people. It was one of those rare moments where you feel the journey all at once, everything that led up to it, all the struggle, growth, and belief. It was emotional, and honestly, very grounding.”