Faded Grey

What’s this? Where are the distorted guitars? Where are the crushing, heavy riffs?? Where are the growls, screams, pummeling drums, and wailing guitar solos??? OMG 😱 Am I going deaf??

Relax (literally) :) This is my new “side project,” if you will, and it’s aptly called Faded Grey (see what I did there?)

Ok, so forget about my failed attempt at being a standup comedian up there, and let me tell you a bit about this new chillout, lo-fi, and relaxing musical side project of mine

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had an affinity for the softer side of music. Michael Jackson was the first artist I really listened to and enjoyed. Then, even after I was introduced to rock and metal (which I both fell in love with), I still always eagerly waited for my favorite bands to release a ballad or softer album. Think Nirvana’s unplugged album or Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” or Megadeth’s “À Tout Le Monde.” The people close to me know that I could listen to a heavy Slipknot song and then a slow Leonard Cohen track back to back.

This is very much reflected in the way I write music too. In my main musical project Greyfade, you’ll hear what I call Musical Schizophrenia. On one hand, you can hear a blistering heavy track like “Born Denied” and then on the other, a soft ballad like “Life in a Box.” So it should come as no surprise to my devout followers that I would start something like Faded Grey.

I always like to challenge myself and push boundaries. I get bored from writing the same stuff over and over again. I know that it could be very confusing—confusing for the fans, confusing for the algorithm, confusing for the people who help me promote my music (sorry 😊). But hey, what can I do? I write the music that pleases me first and foremost and, if I don’t do that, I feel like I’m betraying myself and selling out.

Some of my favorite moments when I’m jamming on my guitar are when I’m improvising; when I’m playing to no click track; to no rules or scales or music theory. Nothing can limit my creativity. I can literally sit and play for hours and get lost in the moment, shut off the world outside, and just be one with my guitar.

During this time, I’m really not thinking about anything. My fingers are sliding on the guitar, and I really don’t know what I’m going to play next. I genuinely have no control over what sounds are being emitted from my amp and guitar. I’m not going to lie and say that everything I play in that state is musical poetry though.

Sometimes what I play is incoherent, dissonant, and doesn’t really make any sense. But more often than not, magic does happen, and I have to pinch myself and ask, “Did I really just write that? Was it actually me who played this lick?”

So I was talking to myself :) and thinking about what to do next musically, after releasing a heavy EP and a couple heavy singles in the past two years. And then the idea of capturing those “magical moments” on tape and creating loosely structured songs out of them came to me. I immediately called my producer Hadi, and explained this idea to him.

And then he came over to my house. We set up in my living room (that’s why you can hear a “homey” feeling in the songs), and we developed a few basic soundscape canvases. The music just flowed.

With the exception of a couple moments which I took from my jamming sessions and, well, a surprise which I’ll elaborate in the future, everything you hear in this project is improvised. Mostly there are no vocals—it’s just me improvising over the simple, beautiful soundscapes we created in those ethereal moments, using my trusted Strat and Tele guitars.

“Blue Sunset” is the first song to be released from this project. It’s the first song that we recorded. It took a couple of hours (maybe less) to record. We just set up, got lost in the moment, hit the record button, and played what the universe channeled through us. When we finished, Hadi asked me what we should call the song, and I looked past the window from my sea view apartment—the sky was clear and the sun was about to set. So I said: “Blue Sunset.” I picture listening to this song while driving in a convertible car on a beach coast in California, Ibiza, or Lebanon, forgetting about the troubles of the world.

As a side note: lately the world has been going through a colossal clusterf***. War is raging everywhere, and innocent people and children are dying to feed the egos of a few maniacal tyrants. Honestly, I’ve been contemplating whether I should release these songs; especially now. But I talked to some people, and they all encouraged me to do so.

What everyone said, and what I also think basically, is that we all need a few minutes to forget about war, death, and generally, all our problems. That’s why we go out, dine, swim, go to concerts, take walks, travel, watch movies, and listen to music. This will not make us care less or make us less human; we just need a little breather and escape in order for us to come back and face reality.

I hope my songs can provide this escape to those who need it. I hope that they can be their solace in these dire times, even for just a bit.

And now…drum roll…what about Greyfade?!?!?

Greyfade is not going away. Greyfade is still very much alive and strong. Metal and heavy music will always run in my veins—always, even when I’m old and grey. It’s the music I grew up with, and it’s the music that shaped me as a man. It’s the music that made me want to pick up a guitar and write songs. It’s been my dearest companion in times of sorrow, and in times of joy.

To this day, whenever I hear a great riff, I smile and I headbang (albeit with short hair now 😊). In those moments, I feel that the world is a better place. Metal music is therapy to me and, as I’m sure many of my fellow metalheads can attest to themselves, I feel calmer and better when I listen to heavy music.

Expect something heavy from Greyfade in the near future😈🤘

But for now, I feel that I want to explore this side of me more and push the boundaries even further. Faded Grey is my calmer alter ego. It’s my peaceful angel that calms the raging devil inside. Mr. Hyde is on a short vacation; let’s welcome Dr. Jekyll for the time being.