So far "MENA Metal" seems like the more fitting #MusicGenre label for #Spotify to use in place of "Arab" … but the "Middle East and North Africa" acronym is a bit obscure and academic?

The #Spotify "Arab Metal" #playlist currently includes #Znous from #Tunisia #NorthAfrica https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Z5dr3yRC0mbwGzkGoCYyx

They use a lot of imagery and symbols that look #Berber / #Amazigh to me … but I don't know if that's their own identity or what #yanks would call #CulturalAppropriation https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Z5dr3yRC0mbwGzkGoCYyx

this might help… "WE ARE NOT ORIENTAL METAL DO NOT EXOTIFY OUR ART" https://www.znousland.net/we-are-not-oriental-metal-do-not-exotify-us/

cc @kirt @kirt @kirt @Kirt

some of these tags should have scare quotes, but it messed with the post formatting… #OrientalMetal #ArabMetal #MENA #MiddleEastAndNorthAfrica #culturalidentity #MusicGenre #MusicGenres

I'm not a massive fan, as i said before they're a band i vaguely remembered finding last time i was looking for Middle Eastern metal bands.

But this is an interesting little educational case study for me to explore … and I'm wondering why #spotify moved them?

#Wikipedia describes #Melechesh as "an ethnically #Assyrian #BlackMetal band that originated in #Jerusalem and is currently based in Amsterdam" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melechesh

They seem to currently be based in Greece https://www.facebook.com/melechesh
and #EncyclopaediaMetallum list as assortment of locations in Europe https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Melechesh/424#band_tab_members

So… a #European #BlackMetal band who formed in Palestine and have Middle Eastern heritage? #IsraeliMetal seems like an odd label for them?

#Assyrians don't generally identify as Arabs https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/assyrian-people-not-muslim-arab-asian-jenan-younis-meet
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/assyrian-people-not-muslim-arab-asian-jenan-younis-meet

So the #ArabMetal designation seems inaccurate, but I think it's a slightly odd label to use in general. The theme seems to be "metal from the Arab world" https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXaqykGqi6KX8

…but identity is a foggy thing…

cc @kirt @kirt @kirt

(side note - infosec.exchange seems to have a lot more #metal related tags chiming up as suggestions than mastodon.social did? i think i like this server) #MetalHead #MetalBands #MiddleEasternMetal