Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda meets Metallica

Acrassicauda had been through hell as a rock band in wartime Baghdad. Its practice space was bombed. Its members were branded Satan worshipers and received death threats for making Western-style music. Then they suffered through two purgatorial years as refugees in Syria and Turkey, killing time and dreaming of rocking out in the land of the free, writes NY Times.

Acrassicauda’s rock ’n’ roll faith was traced in a documentary, “Heavy Metal in Baghdad,” released in 2007. That film portrayed the members as ordinary if tenacious rock Joes amid the most extraordinary circumstances, and they continue to embody those roles in their new lives.

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pFTnNAiBJ4[/pro-player]

And on Sunday night, two days after the last of the band’s four members was resettled in the United States, they enjoyed what any metal fan would have to call heaven: bearhugs and “Wow, dude” heart-to-hearts backstage with Metallica at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Before the show, the three band members were ushered through the production labyrinth backstage, where they were showered with attention from their heroes. Each of the four members of Metallica came separately — attended by numerous handlers — to pay respects, talk shop and hold up the devil horns for photo after photo.

It probably wasn’t necessary for James Hetfield, Metallica’s lead singer, to surprise them after the show by handing over one of his guitars, a black ESP, and signing it “Welcome to America”; their minds were already blown.

“That’s for keeping the faith,” Mr. Hetfield said, adding as he disappeared with his entourage down a corridor, “Write some good riffs.”

Acrassicauda meets Metallica's James Hetfield

Kirk Hammett, the lead guitarist, came by last, diligently warming up his fingers on his unplugged guitar as he talked. “You guys represent the passion that comes along with playing this music,” he said.

The members of Acrassicauda arrived back at their apartment in Elizabeth well past midnight with armfuls of Burger King food for their dinner, but Mr. Talal went straight for the new guitar he had just received from Mr. Hetfield and plugged it into a tiny Peavey amplifier on the floor. With the volume low, he started playing Metallica riffs, and looked up.

“Wow,” he beamed, and then went back to the guitar.

Get your copy of Acrassicauda’s documentary “Heavy Metal in Baghdad”.