Why Warfaze is the GOAT of Bangla rock music
If there’s one day to shamelessly fanboy over Warfaze, it’s today
If you're reading this, chances are the clickbaity, tabloid-ish headline ruffled a few feathers. For when someone labels an entity as the 'greatest of all time', it probably leans more towards subjective fanboying rather than a dispassionate objective analysis—essentially, it's Messi vs. Ronaldo all over again.
In the search of objectivity, I reached out to a handful of industry stalwarts for comments. Although they were in massive appreciation of the band, not all of them would necessarily pin the GOAT status on Warfaze. That's absolutely fine; even the staunchest of supporters should never overlook the impact and musicality the LRBs, Rockstratas, Miles and Nagarbauls of this world left on Bangladeshi rock.
Having said that, if there's one day to shamelessly fanboy over Warfaze, it's today.
At the time of writing, it hasn't even been 24 hours since the announcement of Warfaze receiving the Ekushey Padak—the second-highest civilian award in Bangladesh and this article strives to establish why a rock band, now in its fifth decade of operation, could very well be one of the greatest—if not the greatest—bunches of musicians Bangladesh has ever seen.
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And on top of that, I would go as far as to say that Warfaze has not merely thrived within the realm of rock and heavy metal. They didn't make music solely for the headbangers, but for everyone—be it the heartbroken romantics, the defiant souls who choose to move on rather than sulk over a lost love or for the nihilistic teens.
In essence, they wrote for every individual under the sun. Which is why I would say Warfaze's true greatness isn't constricted by the boundaries of rock— they did it all, and they arguably did it more consistently and more effectively than anyone else in the business.
The firsts of many
"We were the first to make rock music in Bangla. Others were making contemporary music [adhunik gaan], but no one had really done heavy metal before us. And over the past forty years, we have successfully delivered and touched multiple generations with our music. It's not an easy task, and not every band or musician is destined to reach such heights," said Monirul Alam Tipu in an earlier interview with TBS.
You can agree with the drummer's sentiments or choose to denounce them—that's your call—but what you cannot ignore is the diverse discography Warfaze boasts. Validating this claim is the regular influx of different members, often from younger generations, joining the band over the years to inject contemporary flair into the music.
While there are certain criticisms regarding Warfaze's supposed inability to maintain a single lineup for long, in hindsight, this only attests to the allure of Warfaze as an institution. No matter the era, it would be difficult to find a Bangladeshi musician who would ever say no to the chance to join Warfaze permanently or even tour with them temporarily.
Expanding on a point that I touched on earlier, when I had the privilege to interview Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal a few months ago [soon to be published], he casually pointed out Warfaze likely being the first band to write songs of romantic defiance.
In the late eighties and nineties, while most bands stuck to the tried-and-tested formula of writing songs about romantic despair and heartbreak, Kamal believed Warfaze's 'Nei Proyojon' went against the grain of the era.
"I think 'Nei Proyojon' was one of the first songs where someone said, 'It's okay if you have left me; I can move on and be fine without you, and I don't really need you,'" said Kamal.
The guitargasms
Be honest: if you're a lover of distorted guitars, can you really point to any other ensemble that has played as heavy, as consistently, and as diversely as Warfaze? More often than not armed with three guitars, the nuances Warfaze can boast of—when it comes to the six strings—are quite unparalleled. Kamal even joked during our interview: "I don't think there's any band in the country who can be louder than us. Come on, we pull up with three guitarists on stage!"
Let's set the "loudness" aside for a moment and address the beauty of their guitar work. Warfaze's riffs can pump you up with unmatched adrenaline, their progressions can take you on a journey, and their solos can send you into utter bliss. From "three-notes-per-string" shredding at the speed of light to sombre ballads featuring sumptuous bends and slides, their guitar repertoire is essentially a scripture for any budding musician. If one can master these tracks, they can truly consider themselves an accomplished player.
With influences ranging from the exotic sounds of Jason Becker and Marty Friedman to Petrucci-esque string skipping and the neoclassical styled Malmsteen-like sweeps, Warfaze's guitar verse is nothing short of an encyclopedic dictionary of technique—it has a touch of everything.
A beginner can cut their teeth on the intro plucking and solo of a song like Purnota, while a seasoned shredder can attempt to master Hotasha or Oshamajik to validate their technical prowess. Warfaze truly has something for everyone.
Beyond the technical challenge and musical nuance, they don't really feel like "show-offs" for the sake of it. However, Kamal did attest to the inherent dexterity required to play their music: "When musicians try covering Warfaze songs, only then do they realize how tough most of them are to play correctly," he noted and proudly followed it up with proud claim of never having used the same progression more than a couple of times in their entire journey.
The longevity
There have been many bands—hailing from both the tail end of the 20th century and the early 2000s—that failed to keep producing notable music. Many faltered after their first few albums, while others failed to connect with newer generations, choosing instead to bask in the glory of the past. I don't think anyone could ever put Warfaze into that category.
They set the standard in the nineties, stood tall throughout the 2000s, and continued to thrive in the 2010s. Whether it's a teenager today posting on social media with Purnota playing in the background (from their 2012 album Shotto) or a Gen-Z listener vibing to the Coke Studio recreation of Obak Bhalobasha, the evidence suggests that Warfaze remains as relevant as ever.
Finally, allow me to take off my biased Warfaze fanboy hat for a minute and inject a bit of rationality. By no means could anyone outright state that Warfaze is the sole GOAT of rock music—doing so would be blatantly ignorant because, as stated earlier, you can never exclude bands such as Miles, LRB, and Nagarbaul to put the crown only on Warfaze's head. If any of those legends had received this accolade ahead of Warfaze, you probably wouldn't have batted an eye.
At the end of the day, labeling a band "the best" is a subjective call. Music is not a competition; rather than being contested, these acts should be celebrated. What we should truly celebrate is that, for the first time in the nation's history, a style of music forever stigmatised as "oposhongskriti" (no, you don't get an English translation for that) is finally receiving the official national respect it deserves. This is the real victory.
In conclusion, I urge you to look beyond the sub-genre of rock and celebrate Warfaze for what they have brought to Bangla music as a whole, not just rock or heavy metal. On such an auspicious day for Bangladeshi bands, if you feel the need to lecture me on these 1,300 words of pure bias and cannot see the forest for the trees, I politely ask you to take a hike. My fanboying isn't the problem—the true tragedy is that a band with seven (eight if you count 2009's Pothchola) studio albums and a decades-long legacy still has to work for a living because of a lack of royalties. That is the real problem.
Warfaze is the GOAT of Bangla rock because of their longevity. Not only because they have been doing this for 40 years but that they are still standing strong. I would even say their 'Jibondhara' album itself is good enough to win an Ekushey Padak on its own.
It has to be addressed that when they started, they had no support system whatsoever. Their music was stigmatised yet they were probably the first ones to promote the heavy and distorted music they played. If I'm not wrong, they were also the first ones in Bangladesh to include double bass in songs.
Warfaze are absolute pioneers in their genre. I went to their 30th anniversary concert; they stood tall then and are still standing strong and if it has to be anyone [receiving national awards] it has to be Warfaze. Growing up we used to associate learning cool licks and riffs on the guitar with Warfaze.
In the eighties Bangla music was pop heavy. Warfaze members, especially the likes of Kamal bhai introduced a lot Western rock and heavy metal flavour into the scene. I have also heard stories of Warfaze playing cover shows in the underground music scene and that is also a huge contribution.
When no one in the country listened to or even knew about rock and heavy metal, they created and played and performed such songs everywhere and in front of everyone, quite like LRB. Warfaze songs are in our DNA and the best part is they are still keeping at it.
I loved listening to heavier songs and I grew up listening to Warfaze. We all appreciate rock music and rock bands finally getting recognition from the government and that is huge. I also hope other bands who are as worthy of such accolades as Miles, LRB and Nagarbaul are also recognised.
