Afreet – My Land is Breaking – All Metal Everything

“Virtual post-metal duo Afreet consists of singer-songwriter Sulleiman Omar and frontman Yousef Shah. Formerly the frontman for groundbreaking Afghan heavy metal band District Unknown, Yousef Shah (aka Khalifa/ Bhooda) has been the face of the Afghan metal scene for most of his professional career. Continuing on the trailblazing path he began with District Unknown in 2012, Yousef brings an impassioned artistry and aggressive tone to the dark and moody stories of Afreet. Along with his former bandmates, Yousef was the recipient of Metal Hammer’s Global Metal award at the 2015 Golden Gods award ceremony. Having personally faced persecution and imprisonment in Afghanistan for his involvement in the metal scene, Yousef’s unrelenting dedication to metal music has been a breath of fresh air in a region polarized by opposing cultural movements. Afghan-American singer-songwriter Sulleiman Omar was recruited by fellow university classmate Yousef Shah to the ranks of District Unknown in Kabul during the fall of 2012. Omar’s creative savvy made an immediate impact on District Unknown, culminating in the release of the band’s first full-length album and well-received single “64,” featured in a Loudwire top-10 list. Afreet released their self-titled EP March of 2019 and followed up with their Until the End of Time EP in March of 2020. They released “My Land is Breaking” in 2020 on bandcamp and are working on a full-length album slated for 2025.“

Released around 3 years ago, My Land is Breaking really strikes an emotional cord with me and I’ll tell you why: almost 2 years ago, I lost the best friend I’ll ever have. Madeline was very in touch with her Afghan roots and very passionate about the destruction caused throughout the war by the US Imperialist machine and by religious extremism and cultural disenfranchisement among the Afghan people by their government. It was something we discussed often and at length. Seeing this video and hearing the track so beautifully illustrating the devastation in Afghanistan makes me think of Madeline and all that she wished she could do for her family’s country. Afreet has very poignantly captured a subject matter that continues to be swept under the rug.

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