Two unprecedented events happened within one week in
Lebanon. The first was the Radio One's Jim Beam Rocks show hosting Blaakyum. It
is definitely not the first time a Lebanese Metal band is interviewed on the
Radio, but for the first time since at least the 90s Heavy Metal was played on
a Lebanese Radio at PEAK TIME! We all remember the Dark Wave and Rock shows
hosted on RML by Mr. Jyad El Murr and his efforts to keep a bit of Metal aired
on the radio, but never was Metal aired on a peak time ever since the illegal
rock stations were closed by the end of the 90s. So there we were between 7 and
8 pm a Radio peak time Heavy Metal was pouring out of Radio One, and it was not
just any Metal it was purely Made In Lebanon. We thought as a band that they
will only want to play the soft songs, for that I would have said: "Then
why interviewing a Heavy Metal band?" but when we approached Maximus (the
host), his reply was:"oh yea we will play Metal no problem". But
Blaakyum was not the one who succeeded in being on air, definitely thanks to
Radio One Lebanon and Jim Beam this happened, but what made this a milestone in
the Lebanese Metal Scene was the amount of people who contacted Radio One
during the show, Radio One has a Whatsapp number for people to contact the station,
and the response was enormous. Both hosts Maximus and Stephany were impressed
and told us that never have they received so much response while hosting a
Lebanese band, the interview will be uploaded soon and you can hear that for
yourselves.
That was on the 25th
of July, on the 2nd of August Blaakyum performed at Byblos international
festival. Never before did an international Lebanese Festival approach a local
Lebanese band… This is a step forward for the Lebanese Metal Scene to get the
recognition it deserves, we are not noise, we are not marginal people, we are
not drug addicts nor people of the occult, we are talented musicians and people
with a peculiar taste in music, we are free thinkers, we question everything
and this is reflected in our music… For this we need to thank Buzz Production,
Byblos Festival organisers, Epica band and management, Radio One crew and
management, and Jim Beam… Truly as is Jim Beam slogan, they are making History…
We shall Rise with the Scene \m/
