“Solitary confinement marks you. It tortures your soul. You’re living day-by-day in fear and uncertainty”: This is what it’s like to be jailed by a repressive regime for playing in a metal band

Iranian metal band Confess posing for a photograph in 2011.

Has anyone endured more for metal? In November 2015, Confess singer/guitarist Nikan Khosravi and DJ Arash Ilkhani were jailed in their native Iran for making heavy music. The pair spent 18 months in prison, including three in solitary confinement, before getting out on bail and smuggling themselves out of the country.

Reuniting and reactivating the band in Norway, Confess released their third album, Revenge At All Costs, in 2022, chronicling their experiences. With follow-up Destination Addiction now in the world, Nikan offers Hammer the lessons he’s picked up so far.