One of Bahrain’s renowned metal bands, Necrosin have been blazing the stages locally and internationally with fast-paced riffs and snarling sounds of thrash. Apple Sharma caught up with the cofounder, Mohammed Tael, to chat more about the band’s metal journey.

fact: How did the band come together and what first drew you to thrash and extreme metal?
MT: Mahmood Al Ansari (drummer, backing vocals) and myself (lead vocals and guitars) have been around in the metal scene since our teens, meeting at events, gatherings and shows in town. Around the end of 2017, I bumped into him at another show and since both of us didn’t have any active bands at the time and were interested in playing together (he’s a fantastic drummer), we founded Necrosin in early 2018. And as soon as we were in a room together, things seemed natural and the chemistry was fantastic, and it just gets better as the years go by.
In 2023, we played our first show in Dubai, opening for Incantation and that’s when Omar Zainal from the bands Hellionight and Smouldering in Forgotten jumped in on bass and has been a part of our live trio.
As for thrash and extreme metal, there’s such a duality to the music where it could be complex, technical and lyrically deep or it could be simple and straight to the point. Either way, it’s a free form of expression and a medium for profound storytelling.

fact: Bahrain isn’t particularly known for its metal scene. What’s it been like creating and performing here and how has it changed since you started?
MT: Bahrain’s metal scene may be small but it’s a dedicated and loyal one – we’ve always been supported and felt our friends and family backing us up. I remember back when we were teens in the early 2000s, shows were largely comprised of local cover bands, and that has definitely changed. There are currently bands on their second and third original releases. We have a lot of local talent.
We’ve had multiple shows over the years that hosted legendary bands in Bahrain that, as a teenager, I would only have dreamt of seeing, let alone share the same stage in our own beloved hometown – thanks to the efforts of Metal Fest and the crew behind it. We also have friends who always come to the shows from around the GCC and the region, like Saudi, Kuwait and Oman – our Omani brothers always show up in full force and we love it. The metal scene there is picking up, and they are a dedicated group of awesome people.

fact: This year, you won the Wacken Metal Battle Middle East and played at Wacken Open Air, the world’s biggest metal festival. How did it feel to be the first Bahraini band to do so?
MT: It was all surreal. Wacken Open Air is the biggest metal festival in the world and is visited by about 80,000 people every year, not to mention, it’s every metal fan’s dream to attend let alone play! And we are definitely grateful and so honoured to have been the first Bahraini Band and one of a handful of bands from the Middle East to have ever played it. It had its set of challenges and teaching moments, and we are all the better for it. Also, friends from Bahrain and Oman came out to see us and that meant the world to us. We got to meet a lot of bands and people from all corners of the world and made some great, hopefully, lasting connections and friendships. It was very cool to see how such a massive operation operates behind the scenes.

fact: Who are your biggest musical influences and how do they shape the Necrosin sound?
MT: Our Influences vary; we listen to a wide variety of metal and music in general but, bands like Judas Priest, Slayer, early Sepultura, Metallica, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, W.A.S.P, Bolt Thrower and Death, have been massive influences.
Necrosin’s songwriting is a melting pot of our influences, but we definitely do not try and sound like any of them. We may take inspiration from the way they write lyrics or play their instruments, using it to widen our musical vocabulary and philosophy to compose and understand structural ideas, but I also believe that we allow our sound to express our current states of being, using our surroundings and experiences to help us compose and get our music’s message across. It could be a personal journey or one that’s inspired by literature, movies or even current or historic events. No boundaries.

fact: With Metallica coming to Bahrain in December, how excited are you to have them play on your home turf? Any thoughts on sharing the stage with them one day?
MT: I feel like I’m dreaming; it was such a proud moment when I heard the news – it spread like wildfire! I recall when I was in school and learnt parts of their song Master of Puppets on guitar and called my friends to play it to them over the phone. We would spend days listening to and studying Metallica. So, having them play in Bahrain is beyond a dream and the prospects of us sharing the stage with them one day would be the realisation of that dream and a major gateway for local musicians to reach for the stars.

fact: Your first EP dropped in 2023. Is there another release in the pipeline, and what can fans look forward to this time?
MT: That is correct! Hard to believe it’s been two years and some changes since that release – so much has happened in between. We’ve been enjoying a bunch of great opportunities and it’s getting us excited to get back in the studio and forge the next release. We have a few songs written and some are only skeletons that are still being constructed, but we are hopeful to be able to start recording by mid-2026. We enjoy the process of writing and watching our ideas take form and come to life, immensely!

fact: If you could jam with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?
MT: Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead would be my choice. I would definitely enjoy listening to his take on things and I’d jump at the chance to pick his brains on music, life and the history of rock and roll – he’s been through most of it. He was a roadie for Jimmy Hendrix, witnessed the creation of punk rock and was an integral part of why thrash metal exists. Ask Metallica! ✤

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