Bouq, based in the Jordanian capital Amman; is the brainchild of the multi-instrumentalist musician and audio engineer/producer Muhannad Bursheh (also in: Abohotho, Tyrant Throne, Augury (Jor)). The one-man project is one of the pioneering bands in pulling the Middle Eastern metal scene from the grassroots to professionalism with a serious approach to musicianship and powerful audio productions. 
 
The venture was originally founded as a side-project under the name "Phex" in 2001, and after a few demo releases, a debut full-length album titled "Transfixion" was out in 2005. In 2007, the band was elevated into M. Bursheh's main project, and was renamed to "Bouq" (war horn); a name that serves as a better fit to the shifting musical style the project was transforming into. 
 
In December 2010, through Horned Helmet Productions, the long anticipated and favorably reviewed 2nd full-length album 'Berserk' was released. It heralded Bouq's new era, where the new sound of the band was introduced, leaving behind the groovy extreme metal style heard on the 1st album and introducing a complex unique experience of ancient spirited epic black/death metal enriched with tribal, barbaric, and warrior-like atmospheres. 
 
Bouq is currently in the studio recording the 3rd full-length album, which will have a musical and thematic focus on the colossal ancient civilizations of the Levant and Mesopotamia.

I am a recording and mix engineer based out of Dublin, Belfast and Manchester.
I specialise in location recording, editing and mixing for classical and contemporary genres.

I am a Cubase and Pro Tools user and operate a purpose built recording rig based around Focusrite preamps. 
My mixing setup includes Focusrite Liquid plugins, Genelec and KRK monitoring.

I run an audio based blog at www.robkellysound.wordpress.com
I am working towards a MSc in Audio Production at The MediaCityUK campus of the University of Salford. My specialism is in stereo and surround sound recording techniques.

Music Producer, Audio Engineer, Music Lover ;)

Abohotho is a musical evocation of the primeval and ancient majesty of the Near East. The aged idea has finally ascended to reality in 2010 by multi-instrumentalist musician and audio engineer Muhannad Bursheh. Personally handling all composing, performance and production duties; the atmospheric sounds created under the banner of Abohotho are based on a mixture of original ethnic Near Eastern music and ambient musical auras; saturated in atmospheres of ancient ethereal transcendence, heroism, poetry, and ancient warfare.
 
The instrumentation used is diverse, however, mostly dependent on the synthesized and/or acoustic sounds of ethnic Near Eastern instruments such as the saz, zurna, duduk, oud, qanun, tar, tableh, daff, among others, as well as the bombastic sound of the timpani, and the occasional use of Western orchestral ensembles. The project’s thematic focus lies on the history, tales, and mythology of the Levant and Mesopotamia - the cradle of civilization - a region that gave birth to our Aramean, Assyrian, Canaanite, Hittite, Babylonian, and Sumerian ancestors to name a few.
 
In August 2011, Abohotho’s debut EP ‘The Primeval Evocation’ was released. It is a small, but sublime 4-track EP that demonstrates the sound of Abohotho. In 2017, the single "'Olmo" was released as a teaser track from the long awaited upcoming full-length album in 2018.
 
‘Abohotho’ is the Syriac-Aramaic word for ‘Ancestors’.

Joining forces from the ashes of former metal and rock bands, Keith and Steff Caffrey unite to form alt-rock/acoustic two-piece Shock Sorrow. Their distinctive signature of impassioned vocals balanced with poignant guitars has earned them their reputation as emotive songwriters in Ireland’s acoustic rock scene. 

The group’s debut EP The Heart Bleeds demonstrates Keith’s honest and profound lyrics, which reflect on love, loss, and grief, while Steff’s blend of acoustic and electric guitars creates a rich and textured auditory atmosphere. Recorded, mixed, and co-produced by the duo in Steff’s Oirialla Production Suite, the EP is inspired by and dedicated to the memory of Aoife, Keith’s soul mate. It is a brooding and haunting journey through profound grief. Mastered by Siegfried Meier at Beach Road Mastering, Ontario, Canada The Heart Bleeds stands proudly in the company of bands such as Kittie and Woods Of Ypres.

Armed with their powerful EP, dual guitars, and years of collective experience Shock Sorrow is now ready to bring their sound to live audiences.

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