BARZAKH, a story of resilience...

Barzakh is a Metal band that draws its inspiration from the abyssal depths of Tunisian folklore. After a decade of absence, they announced their big comeback through a series of releases. We have met Ghassen Horrigue, lead singer and lyricist for an interview. Barzakh is a story of resilience !

Ardh, Rissala, Forsen, Mennar... You have released a lot lately...

Yes ! In 2011, we announced the split of Barzakh intending to focus on our personal projects... But the fact is that Sami Khouja (drummer) and I kept meeting every Thursday evening, at the same hour of our usual rehearsals with Barzakh. And... one day, we were invited to play at the opening of a concert at the dome of El Menzah. In that occasion we have formed the trio "Barzakh side project" with bassist Ragueb Ouergli. This first appearance on stage was a Hit ! In September 2018, Haythem Mahbouli (guitarist) proposed the official comeback of Barzakh. We immediately started composing new titles. Rissala, Massir, Bled el 3imien, each of us put his blood and sound into these new songs just to find back the core, spirit and soul of Barzakh.

What does inspire you most in your writing process ?

We get most of our inspiration from our individual experiences and the discussions between the band members. Bled el 3imien is the story of a man who spent his life climbing the ladder until he forgot his values, sold himself for a promotion, no longer cherishes what is, in fact, most precious to him: his family, his friends, his children... Everything acquired is ultimately only a bandage put on a void that gnaws at him. Yet he has his salvation within reach, with those who are linked to him by blood, or by friendship... In Bled el 3imien, we denounce this modern tendency to fill the emotional void by the accumulation of material things. Ardh, Mennar and Massir form the continuity of an epic tale which traces the adventures of a character in search of his dreams. We are particularly proud of these titles because of their musical composition and their writing. We hope our fans enjoy it as much. Moreover, we have just published Massir, a title full of emotions.

Tell us more about your production process...

Barzakh is an independent band, we do everything ourselves. We rehearse and record at the music school of Sami, our drummer. We are also lucky to have Haythem working as a sound designer. Once the instruments and the voices have been recorded, we send them to Haythem, who takes care of the mixing in Montréal. After consensus on the rendering, we upload the titles to all digital platforms: Spotify, deezer, Google play, YouTube...

Anything to add ?

This break has been for the very best ! Today, we are way more mature. We have gained more experience. We are determined to continue our fight and to share our vision of the world.