Pakistani rock

Pakistani rock is a variety of rock music that is largely produced in Pakistan. Pakistani rock incorporates elements of both British–American rock and Pakistani classical music. Since the 1980s,

New wave of music (1980–1989)#

Rock music in Pakistan began in the 1980s with the arrival of cassettes by Western rock music groups such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Van Halen. The genre began rooted in the ultraconservative regime of President Zia-ul-Haq who had denounced the Western culture and put forwarded the program of Islamized transformation of the country. In mid-1985, Western-influenced rock music began to be noticed by the public, and underground concerts were held all over the country. The quick success of the music jolted the country in a time when the traditionalist President General Zia-ul-Haq was reigning. These political and economic tensions and pretensions, heavy metal, rock music power plays, and the economic prosperity also propelled the gradual expansion of the country’s urban-middle and lower-middle classes. The rock music bands and trios came to be perceived by many Pakistani fans and country’s cultural observers as a “promising new era of cultural revival”. In the 1980s, rock bands including the Strings, The Barbarians, The Final Cut, Jupiters, Junoon, and Vital Signs gained a lot of public appraisal and popularity. The public opinion was generally positive and welcomed the bands for their uniqueness.

Continuing success (1990–present)#

Vital Signs were followed by Junoon, Awaz, Strings, Karawan and Jupiters, all of whom had exploded the pop, rock and heavy metal music genre in the country, bringing the significant shift of country’s transformation into modernism during the 1990s. The popular form of music quickly spread throughout the country and with that came the arrival of various rock bands in the 1990s. Undoubtedly, the rock music has been one major influential force which has truly kept the national spirits high amidst the prevailing social woes which had worsened in since the 1980s, such music included songs like “Dil Dil Pakistan”, Jazba Junoon, Jaago and many more. According to the editorial written in The Express Tribune in 2011, the “Vital Signs and Pakistan’s ingenious rock music was the only “arsenal” the country had against India’s encroaching entertainment industry.”

Contemporary rock#

Several popular bands, including EP, Call, and Noori, have been integral in revitalizing the rock culture in Pakistan.

Heavy metal#

After the successful emergence of Vital Signs in the 1980s and Junoon in the 1990s, the heavy metal music genre began to rise after the 1997 general elections. The roots of Pakistani heavy metal music can be traced back to the new wave of British heavy metal when it was transferred in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the 1980s, the bands Final Cut and Barbarians are considered the earliest Pakistani heavy metal bands. Although they were short-lived, they influenced many other musicians. Guitarist Salman Ahmad gained fame for his unique style of playing Sufi-style and neoclassical musics in heavy metal form. The second wave of heavy metal artists, including bands such as Dhun, which was Fawad Baloch’s more conventional metal project, Black Hour, Ehl-e-Rock, Inferner, and Black Warrant, which still continues to promote the genre. The most notable and productive work on heavy metal genre was bestowed and carried out by Mizraab, whose Panchi album was an ultimate success in this genre. Guitarist Faraz Anwar of Mizraab’s solo instrumental work is widely noticed by the public and news channels dubbed Anwar as “Pakistan’s master of progressive-metal rock.” In recent studies and reports conducted by CNN, heavy metal is one of Pakistan’s most popular genres of music, and country’s radio FMs broadcast the music each week. Although Mizraab, a band led by Faraz Anwar that is considered to be Pakistan’s first progressive metal band, have also played a significant role in promoting the growth of metal music in Pakistan. Furthermore, bands such as Black Hour, Takatak, Messiah and Foreskin are examples of significant metal bands that have surfaced in the past five years.

Famous bands#

Aaroh
Call
EP
Fuzön
Jal
Bayaan
Josh
Junoon
Karavan
The Kominas
Laal
Mauj
Mekaal Hasan Band
Mizraab
Noori
Takatak
Overload
Roxen
Sajid & Zeeshan
The Sketches
Strings
Awaz
Vital Signs