Mascara, shorthand for "Massive Scar Era" is a band that kicked off in 2005 from the scenic seaside city of Alexandria, Egypt. Cherine Amr was driven with the idea of forming a band out of her passion for playing guitar and singing since she was a teenager. Due to her Family's restrictions she was only allowed to play music with girls, so the only way for her to play music was to form a band. After a few false starts at maintaining a cohesive band, she found in the violinist Nancy Mounir her musical companion. They clicked straightaway even with their distinct musical backgrounds. Influenced by both metal, classical and Middle Eastern music; the band started to garner interest from audiences who were absorbed by the fusion of all those elements. From 2005, MSE kept on exploring that unique mix of influences, with frequent changings in the remaining members the band was able to write and rehearse a diverse and large number of songs, allowing the style and sound of the band to evolve and establish itself quicker and to develop a sound of their own among the music scene by landing a multitude of local gigs and appearances such as in Bibliotheca Alexandrina and in the S.O.S. Music Festival.
Microphone and touring and 2010 EP (unfamiliar Territories)
In 2010; Mascara were part of the Independent International award-winning Film; Microphone where they performed their song Ab3ad Makan 2010 the group played on the American Cornerstone Festival, among others with August Burns Red, Demon Hunter, The Chariot and The Devil Wears Prada. This was followed by the release of their EP Unfamiliar Territories. In June 2011, the group shared stage with Acrassicaudaat the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. They did more concerts in the United States in New York City and Chicago.
2012 EP release (Comes around you) and 2013 Single release (My ground) and Touring
2012 and 2013 were big for the band as they self-produced and independently released their most known work, EP: Comes around you and their single; My ground ; My ground talks about sexual discrimination and sexism typical what the band members faced in both their musical journey They went on "Sorry We Don't Speak the Language" summer tour 2012 in Poland, Czech Republic and Germany and they played in SXSW 2013, Freakstock Festival -2013- Germany and Inferno Metal Festival- 2014-Norway. Also in 2013 they were featured in the documentary Before the Spring, After the Fall, which explored the lives of a group of metal musicians in Egypt, including members of the band, in the years leading up to and during the Egyptian Revolution of January-February 2011.
Worldwide recognition
For the first time the band went through their victory at the International Music Competition attention when the band won in three categories. It followed tape portraits in international music magazines, including the German Heavy-Magazine, the Middle East Online magazine, in the Indian version of Rolling Stone and in The New York Times and The New Yorker and The Guardian. Also in Mark Levin's book Heavy Metal Islam, the band is mentioned. The group also participated in the Egyptian film Microphone with which in 2010 celebrated its premiere and at the Cairo International Film FestivalMASSIVE SCAR ERA Hardcore Metal band from Egyptl won the first prize. This film was also on the Festival Toronto Film listed in 2010. More broadcasts of the film were on the International Istanbul Film Festival, the London Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Thessaloniki. On all three festivals of film for an award nomination. In Turkey Microphone won the Golden Tulip. Europe, too, could make the band attracted attention as the band in Sweden on the Sweden Rock occurred. Later even an appearance on the American followed Cornerstone Festival. Recently, in April 2019, Mascara went back to perform for the first time in years at their home country, Egypt. They were taking part in the DCAF festival in downtown Cairo with several other independent artists from around the world. Their show was an attempt to combat the stereotype found in Egypt regarding how death metal bands are usually dominated by male artists, proving that women are an integral part to the heavy metal scene.
