'Resistance rising from the ashes’: Confess on European Tour and ‘Metal Theatre: Aftermath’
The Iranian-Norwegian metal band Confess made waves across Europe, joining the American death metal band Nile on its ‘Vile Nilotic Rites’ tour. After performing in 11 European countries, Nikan Khorsravi, the founder and frontman of Confess, took part in the ‘Metal Theatre: Aftermath’ project in Berlin.
Nikan Khosravi, Arash Ilkhani, Håkon Løberg, Loenid Melnikov and Jo Aslak Åspås joined the legendary death metal band Nile on their ‘Vile Nilotic Riles’ 2023 Europe Tour. Confess toured 11 out of the 16 European countries part of Nile’s tour, including Poland, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Fans, old and new, welcomed Confess’s performances with enthusiasm, with many positive reviews and impression published across social media platforms.
The ‘Vile Nilotic Rites’ also featured the Swiss-Brazilian band Omophagia, Gohrgone from France, and Californian thrash metal band Vapor. Prior to going on tour with Nile, Confess supported the Copenhagen show of the Polish black metal bands Batushka and Hate on their 2023 ‘European Pilgrimage’ tour.
As a teenager in Tehran, Khosravi founded Confess and was quickly joined by Arash Ilkhani. The duo used their music to challenge authority and religion in their native Iran, quickly leading them to become the target of persecution. Nikan Khosravi and Arash Ilkhani were arrested and imprisoned on several occasions, and eventually Khosravi was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 74 lashes while Ilkhani was given a jail sentence of two years. Both offered ICORN residencies in Harstad, Norway, where they arrived in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Since then, Confess has expanded to include Norwegian musicians and released its third studio album ‘Revenge at All Costs’ in January 2022.
Nikan Khosravi in ‘Metal Theatre: Aftermath’
After the end of the ‘Vile Nilotic Rites’ tour, Nikan Khosravi worked on the ‘Metal Theatre: Aftermath’ project, aimed at celebrating Khosravi’s music and its roots in ‘experiences of turmoil, resistance, and poetics rising from the ashes’ and his fight for freedom.
Working together for the first time, Khosravi was joined by Milad Zendehnam, Feline Lang, Isabel Merten, Brendan Dougherty, Carsta Köhler, all artists from different fields, united by their interest in music and global issues. Re-working some of Confess’s songs and transforming them with new elements, theatrical features, and costumes, the show offers a memorable experience.
The ‘Metal Theatre: Aftermath’ show premiered on June 9th, 2023, at Theater Aufbau Kreuzberg during the Klangteppich Festival for music of the Iranian diaspora in Berlin.
