‘Peace, For the price of tyranny. He explains, At first freedom is the process, He explains, In the end, The Republic, Is the process’ (سر / Secret)

Haram (Forbidden) first emerged in New York a decade ago, exploring through vocalist Nader’s eyes how the horrors of the September 11^th attack had irrevocably reshaped the relationship between the city and its Arabic community, as well as his own struggles to reconcile the conservatism of his upbringing with his own identity.  This first phase saw the band release a full-length, 2017’s ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ (When You Have Won, You Have Lost) and three EPs, culminating in their 2019 7-inch, وين كنيت بي ١١​/​٩؟ (Where Were You On 9/11?).

They now return in utterly rampant form with their second full-length, ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ (Why Does Paradise Begin In Hell?), provoked by the murderous military assault on Gaza and the paramilitary brutality of ICE on the streets of the US.  The fundamentals of the band’s sound remain firmly rooted in primitively rhythmic, swirling hardcore.  Yet, it has also become notably more expansive, without diluting its essential ferocity.

The production sounds much fuller, which in turn enables each element of the band’s instrumentation to assert itself more forcibly.  The sinuous Middle Eastern guitar melodies and Arabic chants are braided even more ambitiously though the band’s song writing.  Meanwhile, the distinctive cadence of Nader’s Arabic vocals is a touch less harsh, but more assuredly strident and intriguingly varied, providing a powerfully rhythmic counterpoint to the wider battery.

This progression ensures that an album of thrillingly forward thinking hardcore unfurls. Highlights abound.  The moment when the cow bell cymbal segues into the scorching climatic solo to the fiercely contagious كافر (Sinner).  The serpentine rhythms that fuel مسئولية من؟ (Whose Responsibility?).  The woozily swinging bass line and chanted vocals of خبي جميلتك هذا لالك (Hide Your Beauty, It Is For You).  The searingly atmospheric riff that shrouds the bleak spoken word of بدون طيار (Drone).  Throughout Haram reaffirm their desire to confront and to expand the boundaries of hardcore.  Not through performative provocation, but by posing the uncomfortable questions and taking their music in ever more inventive directions.

For more background on Haram check out, The War On The Other.