Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
WEKU
WEKU
Malaka Gharib

'Scream for Me, Africa!': How the continent is reinventing heavy metal music

A screenshot from a music video depicting members of the Batswana heavy metal band Overthrust. Tshomarelo "Vulture" Mosaka, the lead vocalist, bottom center, talks to NPR about why his country has been a powerhouse in the African heavy metal music scene. (Youtube)

Skinflint. Vulvodyinia. Metal Orizon. Wrust. Demorogoth Satanum.

You probably haven't heard of these names, but they're just some of the many African heavy metal bands featured in Edward Banchs' new book, Scream for Me, Africa! Heavy Metal Identities in Post-Colonial Africa. The book examines the hard rock and metal scenes in Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Togo to understand why artists and fans flock to this extreme subculture — and how bands have turned this predominantly white, Western musical genre into something uniquely African.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.