Plucked from war-torn Iraq, heavy metal band gets first EP

The name of the album is "Gilgamesh," the ancient Mesopotamian king with superhuman strength and courage who undertakes a perilous quest to discover the secret of eternal life.
The epic tale embodies the complexities of life and finding one's self that the four-man heavy metal band Acrassicauda believe is symbolic of their own journey from war-torn Baghdad to an American recording studio.
With roots in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the band members discovered their love for heavy metal through Slayer and Metallica cassettes they dug up in the black markets of the then-heavily sanctioned country. Fifteen years later and half a world away, they've released their first full-length album with songs they feel are true to their past but will speak to anyone, regardless of their path in life.

"This album is like a dream coming true" said Marwan Hussein, 30, the band's drummer and one of its founding members. "And it's also been funded by the fans. It's such a huge thing for us to have such support, global support."
There's never been a big heavy metal scene in the Iraqi capital, particularly pre-2003 when Hussein and fellow band members Faisal Talal and Firas al-Lateef were growing up, when access to anything but regional music was slim.