Dusk

Occupying a musical hinterland that’s reflected by his name, the multi-talented Saudi Arabian is settling down with a solid line-up.

As a musician, producer, promoter and occasional manager, Dusk is an artist of many talents. But which role feels closest to home? “I’m more of a songwriter and producer as managing takes up too much energy!” laughs the man born Meshari Sangora in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1994. “Managing is a pain in the neck, but it’s worth it when you step on stage and see the audience in front of you. But sitting in the studio and making music, that’s the hat that fits me best.”

Now living in Riyadh and with a couple of EPs (‘To Where I Belong’ and ‘Ascension’) and an album under his belt (2023’s ‘Spectrums’), self-described “one-man prog metal unit” Dusk was inspired by enigmatic guitar virtuoso Buckethead in more ways than one. “I loved what he was doing,” explains Dusk. “It wasn’t a band, it was his solo thing and I was always fascinated with this idea. I wanted a nickname that described me and the music. And this is where the Dusk name came from because I wanted to highlight the softer side of the music and also the harder side like the heavy breakdowns. Dusk is relatively close to this as it’s between night and day.”

Having worked with a revolving cast of vocalists and musicians, Dusk has settled into a stable line-up that includes drummer Gilbert Hadad and Kuwaiti singer Abzy.

“When it comes to writing the actual music, I usually do everything,” he states. “The only thing I don’t do is write lyrics. But even when I send the demos over to Abzy, I have a solid idea of the theme behind the song and what I’d like him to write about. So with the latest single, ‘Sleepwalker’, I wanted to talk about mental illness and the things that someone might go through. I gave this brief to Abzy, and he came up with these great lyrics.”

According to Dusk, Saudi Arabia’s prog-metal scene is ascending and second only to Dubai. “It’s getting bigger,” he smiles broadly. “The country is a lot different now. Concerts used to be raided by police but not any more. Now, a lot of the old metalheads and prog fans are coming out to check out new artists.”

See www.dusk94.bandcamp.com/music.