Meet the metal heads

Benevolent’s Hadi Sarieddine talks about the UAE based metal group’s upcoming Dubai show and debut album.

The Benevolent. Courtesy Dani Sarieddine
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For evidence that the popularity of heavy metal has grown into a regional phenomenon, you need look no further than the rising stars Benevolent.

The group’s founders, Fadi and Hadi Sarieddine, are Lebanese brothers who formed the band in Kuwait in 2007 before moving to Dubai in 2010.

Fadi sings, while Hadi plays the guitar and sings. Their Egyptian bassist Mohammed Gad is still in Kuwait, while their drummer Rahul Hariharan, lives in India.

Whenever the group has a gig, the band members get together a few days beforehand and jam out any cobwebs before taking the stage.

Hadi says the fact that the members are spread out is not a great challenge, and that their professionalism is what keeps the band ticking.

“We don’t waste time,” he says. “When you are working with musicians who know their stuff and have done their homework, then it is not really a problem. We don’t need too much time to prepare, because we get along with each other.”

The four-piece will channel their energy into another fierce show at Bur Dubai’s The Music Room on Saturday night, alongside the local acts Svengali and Perversion, and Iran’s Kahtmayan.

For UAE fans it will be their first live taste of material from Benevolent’s debut album The Covenant, which was released in March.

Hadi explains that the album is a major step forward from their first release, the 2010 extended play, Divided.

“It is a huge jump, sonically,” he says. “It is a lot more progressive and thematic. I had a great time doing the production, which has a lot of celestial sounds in the background. It is the next chapter of the sonic identity of the band.”

Benevolent will perform on Saturday (September 27) at The Music Room, Majestic Hotel, Bur Dubai. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets cost Dh75. For details call 04 359 8888. The Covenant is available at www.benevolent.bandcamp.com