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The Rise, Stagnation and Revival of Maldives Metal Music

Maldives metal music is a niche genre in the nation but has a community that refuses to go quietly into the night.

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INDEPENDENCE DAY 2019 SHOW / MINIVAN SHOW / DHIVEHI FANNAANUNGE MIUZIKY EID / MUSIC SHOW /

Umar Shan Shafeeq

2025-10-12 09:37:47

Metal music in Maldives is a very niche genre. Dhivehi and Hindi songs tend to drown out various other genres, with metal being at the very bottom. The genre made a breakthrough only in 2006, when some well-known Maldivian bands burst onto the scene.

The Maldives metal music bubble began in 2003 and has slowly seen a decline since 2010, due to various reasons. Support for the genre has always been low, with it only decreasing over time. 

Instances where bands have tried to get people or companies to sponsor them have failed due to disinterest in the genre. There have been cases where metal activities were introduced in Maldives but died down much like a candle that burned from both ends:

  • The Gathering: Quite literally a gathering for music enthusiasts, rock musicians and metalheads, where established and up-and-coming bands perform and showcase their songs and talent.
  • Metal Wars Maldives: An initiative with the sole aim of encouraging new Maldivian metal bands to create new music in an effort to revive heavy metal within the community. 
  • LeCute RockStorm: LeCute is a local retail company that specializes in fashion and beauty. They sponsored RockStorm (2006), RockStorm Chapter 2 Freak Your Senses (2008) and RockStorm Chapter 3 Awake Your Senses (2010), with the third edition being the highlight of the series.
  • Maldives Breakout Festival: This was the first and only international music festival in Maldives. The festival saw Maldivian bands compete for the top spot, with the winner being offered international exposure. Bands from various genres competed in the festival. Traphic Jam won in 2008 and went to the UK. Rock Paper Scissors won in 2009 and played the Malaysian Breakout Festival and London’s O2 Arena. Tormenta won in 2010 but went on a hiatus right afterwards. 

Sadly, these four festivals / activities have been discontinued, with no others in sight as of yet.

While Maldives may have a much smaller metal community and audience compared to the rest of the world, it still has two historical instances where famous and international bands have played for their fans.

  • Arch Enemy: Arch Enemy performed in Maldives on 24th July 2010 where they played at the Alimas Carnival stage. 
  • Opeth: Opeth playing in Maldives is the more notable metal event as not only did it mark the second instance of a famous metal band playing in the island nation, it happened one day after former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government was ousted on 7th February 2012.

These days, there are only a few metal bands in Maldives that are still active, with some of them still up and coming. But when the scene was at its peak, there were a lot of bands for headbangers to enjoy. 

Nowadays, there are still metal bands but not as much as back then. Below are some of the metal bands that are still around and some that have stopped making music:

  • Nothnegal: Nothnegal is a melodic death metal band that was formed in 2006, with the band achieving their first instance of fame in 2009. They signed with Season of Mist, an independent record label and record distributor in that same year. They released their first EP in 2009 titled Antidote of Realism, their first LP in 2012 titled Decadence and a self-titled EP in 2013. The band has been inactive since 2021.
  • FasyLive: Formed in 2004 and officially named in 2006, FasyLive is a progressive/power metal band with influences rooted in rock, blues and metal that are infused with soulful melodies. They released their first full-length metal album titled Vengeance in 2007. 
  • Dittorehead: A thrash metal band that formed in 2006, Dittorehead (not to be confused with Slayer’s Dittohead) released Damnation in 2010, an EP that was in production for three years from 2007.
  • Fini: A rare black metal band that formed beyond the glory years of metal in Maldives. The band formed in 2020 and released a two-song EP, Cold in our Hearts, in 2021. The EP made history by being the first black metal album from Maldives. They were signed to Feral Age Records at the time.
  • Hellbrewed: Hellbrewed is a black/death metal band, the quote-on-quote ancestor of Fini. The band was formed in 2010 and has released Hihsu, their one EP in 2013. They also performed at Decibel Blast 2016 in Sri Lanka. In an interview with Decibel, Hellbrewed said that they were “getting ready to record a full length album”, but it never came to fruition sadly.
  • TormentA: One of the few metal bands in Maldives that are still active, TormentA is a thrash metal band that has been active since 2008 and have since released a six-song EP named Tormented Souls in 2010. They are currently signed to Rock’N’Growl Records.
  • Sacred Legacy and Shahyd Legacy: Sacred Legacy is a power metal band that was formed in 2006, with their lead guitarist, Ahmed Shahyd, currently playing music under the moniker Shahyd Legacy since 2012. He has produced five LP’s in his time. Shahyd Legacy, along with IKU of Sacred Legacy, also formed Mystic Wonders in 2014 and remains active to this day, with a 9 song album having been released in the same year.
  • Serenity Dies: Known to have split up in 2011, Serenity Dies is a thrash metal band that formed in 2004. They released an LP in 2006 titled Murder and an EP in 2010 titled Hacksawcracy.
  • Jester Conviction: A band that formed in 2020, Jester Conviction released their first single Pandemic in the same year. They announced they were writing new songs in 2023.
  • Void Sanctuary: Void Sanctuary was formed in 2020 and also released their first single in the same year titled Torture of Illusions.
  • Zennia: Another metal band that formed in 2020, they released Hepara, their first single in 2020 and then Voices in 2023. The band is still ongoing and has played at the Faruma International Youth Art Festival 2023, Leap of the Dragon in 2024 and Taslaafa Show Eh in 2024.
  • The Monochromacy Project: The Monochromacy Project formed in 2020 as well, with them releasing a demo song in 2020 titled Memoirs of Clay. They released Obsolete, their second single in the middle of 2025.
  • Cryptic Era: This metal band was formed pre-pandemic, put out their first single in 2023 titled Diviner and is inspired by Maldivian folklore.
  • Serial Experiments: Serial Experiments brought their band members together for the 2020 Metal Wars Maldives initiative and released their song Scarecrows in the Field for the competition.

Post-Covid is seeing a slight revival of Maldives metal music, with the younger generation attempting to shoulder the mantle of the genre. In the next few years, we may see an explosion of more bands and artists that burst onto the scene, restarting the cycle anew as it did pre-2010.

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