District Unknown is a psychedelic metal band from Kabul, Afghanistan. Formed in 2008, it is thought to be the first heavy metal band from the region. After a number of changes, the lineup currently consists of founding members Qasem (bass guitar, synthesizer) and Pedram (drums, percussion), Yo Khalifa (lead vocals, keyboards) and Sulleiman (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals).
District Unknown is considered the first heavy metal band in Afghanistan. The quartet of thunder performs both cover songs, including "These Dreams" (Marilyn Manson's version of the Eurythmics song) and new originals at parties all over Kabul and now is looking for cross-border audiences. As this is the birth of Afghanistan's heavy metal scene, stay tuned to find these guys taking the genre, and their country, in entirely new directions. For security reasons, the band asks to perform loud but nameless, at least for now.
District Unknown was formed in 2008 by cousins Lemar and Qais, and brothers Qasem and Pedram through filmmaker Travis Beard. Originally starting as a doom/thrash metal band, the quartet began experimenting with psychedelic music in order to carve out their own sound. Originally playing small shows with a series of covers and original songs "The Nightmare" and "The Dying Bride", threats towards the band began arriving from ultra-conservative and Taliban militants who were opposed to the group making music, so the band had to play in secret, wearing masks and not revealing their names.
In 2011 the band experienced a change in lineup with Lemar moving abroad, with Sason and Fa'ez joining the band to bolster the lineup and Nasir Ahmad of Afghan pop group Arian joining temporarily on keyboards. After stopping wearing masks the band began to gather attention from international media outlets who gained an interest in their story, such as the BBC, CBS and Rolling Stone.
In 2012 saw further changes in the band as District Unknown reverted to a 4 piece band, with Yo Khalifa joining as the new lead vocalist and Sulleiman joining on lead guitar.
In August 2014 the band released their debut album, Anatomy of a 24 Hour Lifetime, and in June 2015 the band, along with documentary film Martyrs of Metal, won the Global Metal Award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, held in London on June 15, 2015.
In 2016 the band regrouped and released new track "64" on July 8.
The group calls their music "Psychedelic Metal". Playing this sort of music in Afghanistan can be very dangerous due to the large amount of conservatives, as a result, when they originally began playing gigs, they wore masks so their identities were hidden from extremists.
The name "District Unknown" came from the movie "District 9" which the band found relate-able to their situation.
AWARDS
Global Metal Award - August 2015 - Golden Gods Awards - Metal Hammer Magazine.
Global Metal Apocalypse Awards 2012 - Event of the Year (reader's choice).
Formed In: 2008
Status: Active
Years Active: 2008-Present
LINE UP
Qasem Foushanji - Bass
Pedram Foushanji - Drums, Percussion
Yusof [aka Khalifa] - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Sulleiman Omar - Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Country of Origin: AfghanistanQasem Foushanji - Bass
Pedram Foushanji - Drums, Percussion
Yusof [aka Khalifa] - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Sulleiman Omar - Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Location: Kabul
Genre: Heavy Progressive, Pscychedelic and Post-Metal
Current Label: Oxus Music
CEO: Pedram Foushanji
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/districtunknown
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/district-unknown-kabul
DISCOGRAPHY
64 (Single - 2016)
Released July 8, 2016
Anatomy Of A 24 Hour Lifetime (Full-Length Album - 2014)
Released August 4th, 2014
