Interview With KAREEM CHEHAYEB (VOICE OF THE SOUL)

Logo by: Edi Udo, Photo by: Talia Leonard, Editing by: Adnan Mryhij
VOICE OF THE SOUL continue to offer melodic death metal in all of its Gothenburg glory, being one of the region's most promising acts.

The band's 2011 EP, Into Oblivion, showed off their straight-forward song writing; competently balancing a powerful blend of melodic death metal with doom metal elements to create a signature sound that makes them stand out from their peers.
The release received great feedback from fans and critics and was featured on a number of radio shows around the world.

If you keep up with the Middle Eastern metal scene or if you're a reader of Metality in general, you're definitely familiar with Kareem Chehayeb, as he continues to be one of the biggest supporters of the region's metal scene in numerous ways. From fronting Voice of the Soul, to writing for this here blog (and other blogs occasionally) Kareem is always a pleasure to catch up with (as the band continues work on Voice of the Soul's debut album).

Read-on as we discuss VOICE OF THE SOUL's latest happenings, and what can fans expect from their upcoming full length, and make sure to blast the band's latest EP while you're at it!

Thanks a lot for this opportunity, it's been sometime since we last caught up. How's everything with the troopers at Voice of the Soul?

Thanks for contacting me! Things are starting to pick up the pace with VotS.  We had a bit of a quiet period because of other important responsibilities and commitments, but I’m glad that Khalid and Monish are both in Dubai now.  This will make a lot of things much easier in the future.  I’ll be back in the Middle East for a year or two, which means we get to play more shows and get more done for our upcoming album.

2011's EP, Into Oblivion, has been a favorite to many fans in the region and abroad for its straight-forward song writing; how would you compare the band's future material to its predecessor?

It’s always nice to know that some people are able to connect with the music we write.  I honestly don’t know how to describe the new material.  It definitely doesn’t replicate our previous works, but I feel like it’s a “step-up”.  Hopefully people will like it, but I’m particularly excited about this because we were able to have a bit of a breather after releasing 3 EPs in 3 years straight.  We’ve experienced so much since August 2011, so that’ll definitely have an impact on our music.  I mean it’s not like we’re going to come out sounding like Whitney Houston or anything!


The band signed a deal with Portugal's Avantegarde Management (which features amongst its roster the likes of Heavenwood and Livarkahil) How did the deal come about? Were they fans of the band beforehand?

I met Filipe from Avantegarde who also happens to have a radio show in Portugal.  We initially talked about playing some VotS tracks on his show.  After he played a couple of tracks, he told us that he received many positive comments about our music.  So he wanted to continue playing our music, and have me featured on the show for an interview.  When we got into the studio to record Into Oblivion in May 2011, he contacted me suggesting we debut the album on his show, and I thought it was a good idea. We kept in touch, and here we are! They’ve been very helpful so far, despite things being relatively quiet since we’ve released Into Oblivion.


Voice of the Soul recently performed at the 'Covan: Wake The F*ck Up!' charity event that took place in Dubai, UAE. Can you tell us about the performance and highlights from the show?

I thought we had a solid performance that night, given the time constraints and other limitations.  We had some sound issues, and we were without Monish that night.  So we were fortunate to have Bam and Joel from Apeira fill in for rhythm guitar and bass guitar under very short notice.  All the bands really put on a solid set, and it was just nice seeing everyone after so long.  There really isn’t ever a dull moment at a Voice of the Soul show.  I think three of us are absolutely ridiculous individuals.  I don’t want to give away too much, because I want people to come to our shows to see for themselves.  Despite that, I really have to mention the prostitutes that swarmed everyone after the show; it was incredibly awkward.  They wanted to take pictures with the bands, and I just wanted to sell t-shirts.  We couldn’t come to a happy medium, so 5-6 potential t-shirt sales went down the drain.

I just want to reiterate how great the other bands were that night as well.  Check AlphaKennyBuddy, Billy Bob’s Blood Drenched Brew, and Soulfuel out.  They seriously are great people and talented musicians.



When might fans get to see Voice of the Soul live again? Do you guys have plans for shows in the Middle East this summer?

I’ve been in touch with many people, and we’ll be doing what we can to get on the lineup of as many shows as we can be on. Things will be much simpler, now that I’m back in the region.  This means that we’re not limited to certain months where we can play shows.  So, if we’re not around this summer, we’ll be much more available throughout the next year or so.


Which bands would you like to take with you on a tour of the Middle East if the opportunity arises?

That’s a really tough question…Testrogen from Lebanon so I can play two sets!  If we ever were so successful to the point where we would be arranging our tour, I would love to take The Weeping Willow with us just, because they’ve opened up for Apocalyptica, Moonspell, Anathema, and Katatonia, but somehow haven’t played outside of Lebanon.


You've also joined heavy rockers, Testrogen, which play tribute to bands like Motorhead, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath. How would you compare playing with Testrogen to when playing with Voice of the Soul?

Playing with Testrogen is very different than playing with Voice of the Soul.  Not being in charge of lead vocals really eases some of the stress you deal with when you have to practice and perform.  The material isn’t as fast and technical, so I just enjoying fiddling around with different solos and what not.   They’ve been playing with a live guitarist while I’ve been away this year, but told me they want to work on an EP.  So I look forward to coming back and checking out some of the stuff they’ve been coming up with.  They’re a very talented bunch!


Thanks again for doing this. Looking forward to the new VOTS full length! Would you like to add anything?

Thanks! It’s been a little quiet lately, but things are going to pick up really soon! We really appreciate the patience and support during this relatively dry period.  Be sure to check out Into Oblivion if you haven’t already, and perhaps buy a t-shirt! We’re really stoked to get this new album underway, and we look forward to playing at a show near you!

Stream Into Oblivion via Bandcamp (support the band by purchasing the release at the price of your choosing).

To order a t-shirt, contact the band via Facebook or E-mail.


VOICE OF THE SOUL online:
http://www.voiceofthesoul.bandcamp.com
http://www.youtube.com/votsband
http://www.twitter.com/votsmetal

Posted By:
Moe E.

"Moe is the head admin/editor at Metality.net. He's currently hating the weekly wait for new episodes of Game of Thrones."

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