Akher Zapheer ( ar, أخِر زَفير meaning Last Exhale) is a

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

ian grunge

Arabic rock Arabic rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the Arab World. Although no major Arabic rock bands existed before the year 2000, the alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Alternative rock ...

band from Amman,

, formed in late 2007. The band was founded by

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and guitarist Basem Sayej who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line-up changes. The current line-up consists of Basem alongside Rami Alqasem (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

) Amr Abukhlif (

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

) and Masis Mardirossian ( drums,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

)

History

Formation and debut album (2007-2012)

Akher Zapheer's frontman Basem Sayej discovered his passion towards

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

at an early age mentioning that he started writing

songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

when he was 12 and kept writing during his adolescence before forming the

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

. The band's name, which means "Last Exhale" simply refers to the relief after getting things off chest. Basem Sayej also mentioned that the name was inspired by Kurt Cobain’s exhale while performing Nirvana’s "

Where Did You Sleep Last Night "In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back ...

". Basem co-founded Akher Zapheer with his childhood friend and neighbor, guitarist Salem Dallal. Basem said that he used to write songs in English, then he stopped and starting writing in Arabic instead. Basem and Salem kept writing songs until they met drummer Kayed Qunibi and then they started jamming together at Kayed’s building which made them face troubles with the neighbors,so they moved their instruments into Mohamed Salem’s library in one of Amman’s loudest and busiest streets so no one could be annoyed by their jams. The band’s first bassist was Mohammad Awwad who was originally a guitarist but he agreed to turn into Bass in order to join the band. Akher Zapheer kept rehearsing together until they met

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

and musical producer Sari Abuladel who liked their music and decided to make an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

with the band. Akher Zapheer started working on the new album besides performing live shows which helped building a

fanbase A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

for the

ian rockers. The bassist Mohamed Al ali left the band between 2009/2010 and was replaced by bassist Yazan Risheq. In 2011, Akher Zapheer released their

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

and most successful song to the day "Akherto Lahen Hazeen" as a

video clip Video clips refer to mostly short videos, most of the time called memes, which are short videos of silly jokes and funny clips, most of the time coming from movies or any entertainment videos such as YouTube. The term is also used more loosely to ...

. It was the first single from their debut album ''Converse Culture''. Starting from October 2012, Akher Zapheer started releasing their album which consisted of 11 songs as a song per day. On January 2, 2013, Akher Zapheer released "Arba’ Seneen" the final song of their album as a Video clip. "Converse Culture" was well received by the audience and helped the band to expand its fanbase and become one of the best bands in the

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

scene. At late 2013, Akher Zapheer released an acoustic version of their new single "Bein el waraq" which featured only Basem Sayej and Yazan Risheq on acoustic guitars.

Hiatus (2013-2016) - (2016-2018)

Akher Zapheer took a break for 3 years due to Basem's engagement outside of

. Basem took advantage of these 3 years writing new material for their new album ''Emm Elmousiqa''. The band reformed in 2016 with 3 new members: bassist Rami Alqasem, guitarist Abdulrahman Alatari and Drummer Motaz Almasri, replacing the former ones to start promoting for their new album. The new formation of the band performed four live shows together between

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

before going on a

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: *Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * Gl ...

once again for 2 years.

Comeback and new music (2018- )

In September 2018, a shocking comeback was announced when Akher Zapheer's name headlined

ian

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

" Music Park 2 ". The band returned with the same members except for guitarist Abdulrahman Alatari who joined Autostrad during Akher Zapheer's hiatus and was replaced by guitarist Amr Abukhlif. The band mentioned during its first interaction with the fans after the comeback that as soon as they are done with "Music Park 2" they are gonna be fully active and will start working on their new album ''Emm Elmousiqa''. Basem Sayej also added that he wrote new material in 2018 for a 3rd album that will be named ''Tho’ban''. On October 5, 2018, Akher Zapheer performed at Music Park festival for an epic comeback performance. The

setlist A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

featured songs from their debut album ''Converse Culture'' and their next 2 albums ''Emm Elmousiqa'' and ''Tho’ban''. In March 2019, It was announced that Akher Zapheer are participating in Redbull Soundclash in

playing against

ian band Autostrad on April 4 of the same year. Akher Zapheer showed a huge talent at Redbull Soundclash and their performance was admired by the thousdands who attended the show as they played a couple of their most rocking songs on the Warm-up round. And covered Egyptian veteran

Mohamed Mounir Mohamed Mounir ( ar, محمد منير; born October 10, 1954) is an Egyptian singer and actor, with a musical career spanning more than four decades. He incorporates various genres into his music, including classical Egyptian music, Nubian mus ...

’s " Ashky Lmeen " turning it into a rock tune on " The Cover " round. Akher Zapheer’s performance witnessed their talent in playing different

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

other than

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

such as:

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

Reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and

Electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

. On May 2019, Photos of Akher Zapheer in

rehearsal room A music rehearsal space is a room or number of rooms dedicated to music-making. A professionally soundproofed practice room(s) is an acoustic environment defined by its purpose and layout, designed to keep sound inside and unwanted sound out. Spac ...

showed Masis Mardirossian on drums replacing Motaz Almasri who left the band. Masis played his very first live performance with Akher Zapheer on PPTT Red Online Concert. The band’s performance featured 3 of their big hits in addition to a new song named "Kaslan". In June 2019, Akher Zapheer performed in the celebration of Europe Day in

. In July 2019, Akher Zapheer headlined

ian

"Redbull Local Vocals". In August 2019, Akher Zapheer Played an epic

sold out "Selling out", or "sold out" in the past tense, is a common expression for the compromising of a person's integrity, morality, authenticity, or principles by forgoing the long-term benefits of the collective or group in exchange for personal ga ...

show in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

. The band's performance was 2 hours long and the

contained 22 songs. In October 2019, Akher Zapheer played their very first gig in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Emm Elmousiqa and live gigs

On January 3, 2020, Akher Zapheer released a Video clip of their new song Metfaje’ as the first single of their new album " Emm Elmousiqa ". Emm Elmousiqa is the band's second studio album that came after 8 years from the release of their debut album ''Converse Culture''. The 2nd album was released as singles and contained 10 songs. On January 9, Akher Zapheer headlined the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

Event in

. On March 5, Akher Zapheer played an epic sold-out show at Elsawy Culture Wheel in Egypt.

Tho3ban 2022

On June 8th, Akher Zapheer released the song Shakhsi El da’em ( My Permanent Person ) as the first single from their third Studio album “ Tho3ban “. Shakshi El da’em’s Video Clip was shot in Beirut and was directed by Basem’s sister, Sandra Sayej. On June 14th, Akher Zapheer released Urtuwazi as the second single of Tho3ban. The footage of Urtuwazi’s Video Clip was fully generated by Artificial Intelligence, the first of it’s kind in the Middle East. On June 17th, Akher Zapheer released their third studio album Tho3ban, containing 7 Tracks. DotMsr: "آخر زفير".. رمز الموسيقى الأردنية المستقلة

Musical style, lyrical themes and influences

Throughout its career, Akher Zapheer has been described as

Alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

, Grunge, Hard rock, Punk rock. The band's musical style is hugely influenced and driven by the grunge scene in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. The band has mentioned that they have been influenced by many bands such as:

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

, Duman, Radiohead,

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general, placebos can af ...

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, ...

, Slipknot and Dream Theatre. Akher Zapheer songs are all written by Basem Sayej. The band's lyrics are mainly melancholic and enraged. Akher Zapheer lyrics tackle social issues, political issues, love and depression. Basem Sayej mentioned that all the lyrics are inspired by true events that influenced him to write about. Sayej discussed his writing process mentioning that he always has to be sad in order to write new songs and he has never been able to write new songs while he was happy. File:Akher Zapheer Music Park 2018.jpg, Music Park 2018 File:Akher Zapheer Soundclash 2019.jpg, Soundclash 2019 File:Red bull local vocals-akher zapheer-26.jpg, Redbull Local Vocals 2019 File:Akher Zapheer Europe Day Concert.jpg, Akher Zapheer at the Boulevard 2019 File:Akher Zapheer Alexandria.jpg, Alexandria 2019 File:Akher Zapheer Beirut .jpg, Beirut 2019

Members

;Present *Basem Sayej - electric guitar and vocals (2007–Present) *Rami Alqasem - Bass guitar (2016–Present) *Amr Abukhlif - Lead guitar (2018–Present) *Masis Mardirossian - drums (2019–Present) ;Past *Mohammad Awwad - Bass Guitar (2007-2009) *Kayed Qunibi - Drums (2007 - 2013) *Salem Dallal - Lead Guitar (2007-2013) *Yazan Risheq - Bass guitar (2009-2013) *Motaz Almasri - Drums (2016-2019)

Discography

Albums

*Converse Culture (2012) *Emm El Mousiqa (2020) *Tho3ban (2022)

References

16. ^akher zapheer at music park 2 (2018) 17. ^akher zapheer live at redbull soundclash 2019

External links

* {{Authority control Jordanian rock music groups