Chicago Tribune, Jan. 06, 2008, "Get to Know These Relative Unknowns":"Al-Thawra
Its fan base is minuscule and the band doesn't have an album out, but Al-Thawra has been written up in Rolling Stone and has been the subject of a BBC documentary. As one of the handful of American bands identifying itself as Taqwacore, or Muslim punk, local duo Al-Thawra gets a lot of notice. Blending anarcho-punk tradition with Middle Eastern-sourced samples of music and dialogue, the result is a dense, crunchy sound collage. Live, the band is a duo of guitar and keyboards, and the stage presence doesn't quite keep up with their noisy sound, but the band's vision -- incorporating modern Rai music into punk's crust -- is complex and the duo is working steadily toward it.
Tuesday, 9 p.m. at Ronny's, 2101 N. California Ave. $7, mpshows.com."
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Chicago Innerview, December 2007, "Previews":"Al-Thawra
There are few things as polarizing as religion, politics, and heavy metal. While the first two can be life-altering as well as life-threatening, the latter simply is life-defining. But make no mistake, fans of grimy sludge rock can pose the same intense devotion as those vowing loyalty to a party or deity. So when Chicago's Al-Thawra fused all three, it was a match made in....well...heaven. Frontman Marwan Kamel is an American-born Syrian, whose band takes its name from the Arabic translation of "The Revolution." As one of the faces of a burgeoning Muslim punk scene, Al-Thawra has further carved out its niche this year as part of the Taqwacore tour - a three week excursion taking its name from the Arabic word, "Taqwa" meaning "god-consciousness."
Possibly the biggest draw on the 5-band bill, Al-Thawra's tar-pit thick chords and phlegmmy growls can be as captivating as they are devastating."
Texas Observer, December 14, 2007, "Muhammad Rocked the Casbah":Muhammad Rocked the Casbah by Lydia Crafts - The Texas Observer...Free Music Weekly, November 2007, "The Taqwacore Network":
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"Al-Thawra (Chicago, Illinois)
Think- Al-Thawra is definitely the hardest band here. With growling
metal vocals, ugly distorted bass, machine gun blasts and explosions
breaking through the music, and the seemingly most out of place Tablas
and, Sitar? loops.
Try- Whadi"
Globe and Mail (Canada),"A Muslim Meld of Punk and Piety," December 28, 2007: " Al Thawra
Hometown: Chicago
Vitals: Notable for its significantly harsh sound, the band's name means "the revolution" in Arabic. Behind a wall of thrashing guitars and imposing vocals there are a few Middle Eastern instruments, a little like a death metal band crashing a Beirut speakeasy.
Sample Lyrics: Alienation / Alone in the West / Alone in the East.
From Wahdi"
La Repubblica XL (Italy):
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