Malta
Photo credit: Janet Lechman

Maltese Metal: A Look at the Island's Diverse History of Heavy Metal


Malta, a remote country located in southern Europe in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily (Italy), has forged a unique metal community over the past few decades. For a population of less than half a million people, this small country contains a large contingent of metal bands in various sub-genres who are more musically united than other countries.

One of the longest-running Maltese bands who have achieved International success is extreme death metal band Beheaded. Formed in 1991 in the southeastern region, Beheaded are highly regarded in the death metal community and have toured the world, including several trips to the US. However, according to Beheaded bassist David Cachia, touring internationally was difficult in the beginning and is a major problem for most Malta bands. “[In the early days] it was much more of a problem because we didn’t have Internet back in the mid ’90s,” Cachia says during a recent Zoom chat. “I did everything through snail mail and tape trading and buying fanzines and shirts and everything. Nowadays, it’s very expensive to tour, but back then it wasn’t a problem. But if we are going to talk about now, the only problem now is when we had the Coronavirus and flights are being canceled at the moment. We had problems back then, but we solved them. We have problems now and we have to solve them.”

Another leading pioneer of Maltese metal is epic doom metal band Forsaken. Also forming in 1991, Forsaken are one of the first Maltese bands to get signed to a non-Maltese label, thus paving the way for newer up and coming bands on the island to achieve bigger things. Forsaken bassist Albert Bell (also of Nomad Son, Albert Bell’s Sacro Sanctus) concurs with Cachia on the difficulty for most Maltese bands to tour internationally, especially while first starting out. “It was very difficult, not just in terms of touring, but just getting the band beyond the Maltese shores,” Bell explains during a recent Zoom chat. “In those days, the best way of getting the band [noticed] would be through tape trading with contacts you’d have abroad. It was really difficult, especially before the Internet and social media. But at the same time, all that sacrifice was really worth it, because we built lasting friendships, and they served us well to get the band and touring abroad. Because in the underground, it’s not just about the business side of things, but there’s lots of bonds of friendship that you can tap into because you have credibility and you’re respected in the scene. And that’s how I sought to push all of my bands forward.”

Although there’s an abundance of metal bands in Malta, the lack of music venues for bands to play is a problem, as there’s only one club that caters to metal (The Garage). For the bands who unfortunately can’t afford to tour internationally, this creates a problem of overexposure within the Malta music scene. “When we started out, I had contacts through tape trading, and with that, I managed to get Beheaded out of Malta,” Cachia says. “If a band is starting out and is just doing local shows, they are playing too much locally. And eventually for the bands, people will get fed up with them. So, they need to work it out to go abroad. And how do you do that? You do that by getting in touch with bands outside (of Malta). That’s exactly how we did it. Even though it’s different times, it’s much more easy for them because there’s the Internet. Back then we didn’t have the Internet. It’s not easy for a new band to start out, but if they believe in themselves, they will succeed.”

There’s a rich history of music on the island dating back to the early ’80s. The 2017 documentary Brotherhood: A Story of Metal in Malta by Figure of Speech Productions, produced by Michael Alden and directed by Nicolas Binello, captures the essence of the Maltese metal community and brings to light some of the amazing bands on the island, including The Ranch, Killing Adrenaline, Loathe, ClubMurder, Abysmal Torment, and more.

The documentary does a fantastic job of portraying the Maltese metal community as a brotherhood. Although there is heavy competition amongst the many bands, there’s also a camaraderie between them. “I think the (Maltese) metal scene is relatively and comparatively very strongly united,” Bell says. “Keep in mind that Malta was a British base until 1979, so we’re very close to British culture. We used to get all the magazines from the UK and US television shows. So, we were exposed to the music. Also Maltese radio, you did have some specialist rock and metal shows which used to expose us to the big names. And the music has a rich tradition in Malta.”

Malta
Photo credit: Janet Lechman

Under British rule for more than 150 years, Malta achieved independence from the UK in 1964 and became a republic in 1974. In 1979, the British armed forces abandoned all the property they were using on the island. One particular army barracks — one of several in the area that were allegedly used as a POW camp for Italian and German prisoners at the end of WWII — was located at the far end of the Tigné peninsula on the east of Malta. In the early ’80s, several young bands invaded the area and used it as a rehearsal space by christening the Tigné barracks as a rock village. The Tigné movement was very important for the development of the music scene in Malta.

“The buildings were taken over by the Maltese government and Tigné became this village for sports and culture,” Bell says. “It wasn’t just the metal bands or the rock bands that were there, but you also had various sports associations setting up shop in these barracks. You’d have Judo classes, you’d have karate classes, but then further inside the barracks, that was dedicated to the bands. And you had a shitload of bands there playing. That was a very fertile and productive ground for Maltese music. Tigné was this huge melting pot where the bands would have their own rehearsal spaces. Unfortunately, nothing like it ever was replicated over time. Eventually, the barracks were taken over by private interests and now there’s private development there with expensive residences. The whole historical barracks were practically knocked down and maybe just a few buildings are left from the whole complex. It was a huge complex with several bands, I’d say about 30 to 50 bands in one place.”

While Forsaken and Beheaded are duly given credit for spearheading the Maltese metal scene, the younger generation were taking notes. Teenage death metal band Morsrot from Malta’s southern region is one such newer band who owe their determination to the two legacy bands. Featuring Kieran Brannon (guitars, vocals), Gabriel Gellel (guitars, vocals), Jean Gouder (bass), Alex Fenech (drums), the band just self-released its four-track demo Carnal Enslavement. “My first ever experience of a live band was Forsaken at The Farson’s Beer Festival when I was about 7 or 8 years old and I remember totally loving it; those guys really showed me what a band should be,” Brannon says via e-mail. “I would say that later on I always found myself obsessing over music coming out of other countries, but that’s not to take anything away from the local scene, as there are some extremely creative and talented bands here.”

Another up and coming Maltese band who gives kudos to pioneering Malta metal bands is Align the Tide from the northern region. Formed in 2015, the band’s modern metal/metalcore influences permeate throughout its latest album Hollow (released on August 26th via Cleopatra Records), proving that diverse musical influences sit at the heart of Maltese metal. “We are lucky to have local artists such as Forsaken and Beheaded gaining international recognition in the metal music scene and thus we look up to them for the industry business acumen, humility, professionalism and try our best to follow in their footsteps,” drummer Danny Dalli says through e-mail. “Moreover, there are several other local bands such as Martyrium and Pilgrimage who are currently gaining ground internationally.”

Apart from the local weekend gigs in Malta, there are several small-scale and bigger festivals on the island that showcase local metal talent as well as attract major international bands. Malta Doom Metal Festival (organized by Forsaken’s Albert Bell) was a prominent festival started in 2009 and gained significant ground, becoming a music highlight from 2010 to 2018 until the event took a breather in 2019. Then of course the global pandemic reared its ugly head in 2020 and doused any chance of reigniting the festival. But Bell is optimistic that the festival will resurface in 2023 or maybe 2024. “Nothing’s in the cards yet, but we did it for 10 successive years, and it really projected Malta as this haven for doom metal in the Mediterranean,” Bell says. “I’m really happy with that. It wasn’t just doom metal, some were what we call associated genres like New Wave of British Heavy Metal and old school stuff that we like. But mostly, it was doom-focused.”

In addition, the Metal City Festival (Malta’s biggest showcase of rock and metal bands), is a significant showcase for the growth and camaraderie of the Maltese music scene. The annual Rock The South festival, Malta Death Metal Fest and the Farsons Beer Festival are also well-attended summer festivals held on the island. “I would say that the Metal City Festival is probably the one of the most important we’ve played, especially since that was our first,” Brannon says. “The reception was great and we got to know many other musicians in the metal scene. I think festivals like that really bring the community together and sort of ‘wake up’ all of the metal fans over here. There are many people who enjoy this style of music, but have no clue where to go watch bands play and these festivals give them that chance.”

According to Cachia, the future of Maltese metal is looking rather bright. Newer bands such as the aforementioned Morsrot, Align The Tide and several others are flying the Malta metal flag high. When younger bands look up to the older bands, it gives hope that the tradition will continue for many more years. “For example, Morsrot… I went to visit them at their practice place; very nice guys,” Cachia says. “(They’re) very young; they actually remind me when I was starting out back in ’89. I feel very happy that these kinds of bands are doing something very good and very positive. So I hope that day will continue and will mark a spot on the Maltese Island again. There are new bands coming out and they are excellent. Sometimes I go and watch them at the rehearsal room, because I get very interested in the Maltese scene. From what I’m hearing, and from what I’m seeing, and from all the information I’m gathering, I think it will strengthen. I have very good faith in the Maltese scene.”