The Ace of Spades.

UPDATE: Just out today (Ja!).

Above: An illustration I made for the NYTimes Book Review for a review of Mark LeVine‘s, ‘Heavy Metal Islam,’ a new book focusing on metal bands across the broader Muslim world. Yes, my beloved Aya Sofia. Para tu!

From the NYTimes article by Howard Hampton, who describes strangely familiar images, ‘…disheveled Moroccan riot grrrls, virtuoso Egyptian metalheads, Lebanese “muhajababes” (young women wearing full head scarves, army fatigues, tight black T-shirts and Hezbollah wristbands), Tupac-influenced Palestinian M.C.’s, “the Israeli Oriental death-doom metal band Orphaned Land” (complete with a devoted Arab following) and rapt Iranian Iron Maiden acolytes.’

Sounds compelling, no?

Above: Cover, the book is available through Random House, and here is a Freemuse posting with an interview/talk with LeVine.

Above: Iraqi metal band Accrassicauda seeks asylum in Istanbul (of the Spike Lee produced film, Heavy Metal in Baghdad.)

My thanks to Nicholas Blechman for this opportunity and mabrouk for LeVine’s far reaching work. We so desperately need these new stories from afar.

UPDATE: Excellent BBC story on a metal Capuchian monk.