Band of the Day: Dark Phantom

When a message comes through asking if we’re interested in metal bands from Iraq, there was only one obvious response… to send them our Band of the Day questions!

Simple things first – where are you guys from?

We are Dark Phantom from Iraq.

How did you meet?

We met in university and on social media such as Facebook.

How long have you been playing as a band?

We have been playing since 2009.

Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?

It comes from our city. There is always a black cloud in the sky of Kirkuk City. The city is one of the richest petrol areas and no one is benefiting from the wealth, only the spoilers from the government.

What are your influences?

Our influences include Metallica, Slayer and Lamb of God.

Describe your music. What makes you unique?

The raw, authentic and rough sound with a Middle Eastern theme of the music is what makes our music unique.

Do you have any particular lyrical themes?

Yes, our lyrics are about corruption, politics and the problems in our country.

What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?

Our show is small like in a café or university in different cities in the north of Iraq, because it’s a little bit safer. Metal is dangerous in Iraq.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?

The wildest things for us are when we get a deal to play a show that is then cancelled after they listen to us. They say “you make satanic work” and many times we get messages on Facebook from unknown accounts that say “We are going to kill you if you play music.”

What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?

We use a simple drum kit because we can’t find a good drum kit in our country. For guitars we use ESP Ltd, Schecter, and Spector bass.

What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?

We get support and promotion from Defox Records who are from Italy, and have a record label in Belorussia called United by Chaos.

What are your plans for the rest of 2017, into 2018?

We are working on our next upcoming album and we plan to have a show somewhere in Europe but we are still looking for a sponsor or someone to send us an invitation because the visa is hard to get and expensive for Iraqis.

If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!

We are always dreaming of opening for one of our influences; Metallica, Slayer or Lamb of God.

Previous Band of the Day Requiem Laus ask: What’s the metal scene like in your country?

There aren’t many local bands in Iraq and especially a band we’d like. We’re the only band around.

BotD Chemicide want to know: Which band do you like best from your country?

There is almost no scene in our country. There are a few metalheads and almost no metal bands. Basically we can say non-existent.

From another BotD, Kemerov: Do you think that a music band should have a clear social and/or political stance with their lyrics and general attitude or should music and politics never mix?

I think every artist or band should have a clear point and message and it could be political or any other matter.

And from Tomorrow is Lost: If you could only take one thing on tour what would each member of the band take?

Our instruments, of course!

Can you give us a question to ask a future Band of the Day?

We see metal as a massive power that talks about important subjects in life and calls for the greater good of man. The question is “Why do you play metal and not another kind of music?”

Dark Phantom: facebook | twitter | bandcamp | youtube

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments