JEDDAH, 24 April 2007 — Five young guys are on a mission to prove that Saudis can rock with the best. The men, members of a heavy metal band called Wasted Land, managed to set the milestone of the nascent (or perhaps virtually non-existent) Saudi rock music scene by achieving a second runner-up position in an international Battle of the Bands contest held in Dubai in December.

Since then the band has received a slew of invitations to play live in different Arab countries. They said that they even got invited to Dubai to play in the opening session of the famous Finnish metal band Norther.

The members of Wasted Land, who are mostly in their early 20s, include Imad Mujallad, vocals, Ayman Al-Ghamdi, guitar, Ahmad Khoja, guitar, Sultan Al-Ghamdi, bass guitar and Tameem Hilmi on drums.

“It was an exhilarating experience,” they said adding that they never expected to get such high scores and fan acceptance. The fact that the band was comprised of Saudi members had ignited enough enthusiasm among both organizers and fans that were cheering the name of the band long after the awarding session.

The contest, which was named, Shamal Battle of the Bands, was an event opener for the annual Desert Rock Festival that includes many internationally famous rock bands and music legends.

Mujallad, who is studying English literature at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, said it was a different experience to stand on a stage facing hundreds of people.

“My whole body shivered with an adrenaline surge when I saw the crowds head banging to our music. It was a feeling of a lifetime,” he said.

Ayman Al-Ghamdi, employee at the General Authority of Civil Aviation, said that is was a dream come true to play their songs to the public in such an event.

“The whole feeling and experience of a rock band was amazing,” he said.

Khoja, student of architecture at King Abdul Aziz University, said that after they finished their three-song session, people were surrounding them with greetings and questions.

“No one could believe we were Saudis,” he said.

Sultan Al-Ghamdi, employee at Saudia Airlines, said that he loved the feeling of interaction with music.

“It feels satisfactory to see people reacting to your music. I would certainly do it again and again,” he said.

Hilmi, student of architecture at King Abdul Aziz University, said that it was a scary feeling in the beginning, but it gradually turned into a burst of self-confidence and high spirit.

The band is currently recording a demo album to give away to production companies around the world. They have met a couple of American freelance producers who added some of Wasted Land’s songs in compilation CD’s and distributed them in the United States.