Dubai might not be the first place people think of when it comes to epic heavy metal, but Tabernacle are changing that perception. Formed in 2019, the trio channel the spirit of classic US and European heavy metal with adventurous song structures and tales of underdogs, history, and resilience. From their raw demo Terror in Thrace to the ambitious full-length The Iron Tabernacle (2025), they’ve proven that heavy metal’s fire can burn anywhere — and they’re only just getting started.

Interview

TheNwothm: Greetings! Can you please introduce the band and where you are from?

Tabernacle: Thanks for the platform! We are Tabernacle, a three-piece based out of Dubai. Shawn on drums, Ashwin on bass and myself (Rayner) on guitars and vocals. 

TheNwothm: How did you get together and choose the band name?

Tabernacle: We got together in 2019. Shawn and I were playing Priest, Accept and Satan covers for a few years before that. We got a full lineup together in 2019, with former members Jasper and Yasir on bass and guitars respectively, and started putting together the songs that eventually made their way on to the demo. The band name comes from Manilla Road’s ‘Morbid Tabernacle’.

TheNwothm: Dubai isn’t the first place people associate with epic heavy metal. Has that worked in your favour or made things more challenging?

Tabernacle: The most obvious challenge is that we’re located so far from where our target audience is so we’re not as ‘visible’ to them as we would have liked to be. But we have the resources here to rehearse and record so it’s not too bad at all.

TheNwothm: What’s something about the UAE’s music culture or local scene that outsiders might be surprised to learn?

Tabernacle: The local scene has been growing over the past couple of years. Post-Covid we’ve had bands like Destruction, Aria, Incantation, Heathen and a whole bunch of other big names play here. Not much of a crowd for heavy metal, but the extreme stuff has a decent growing fanbase.

TheNwothm: What’s your take on the current state of the heavy metal underground? Anything you’d like to see more of?

Tabernacle: I think there are some fantastic bands going. Demon Bitch, Chevalier, Eternal Champion, etc are somehow putting out some very interesting music in a genre that’s 55+ years old! I would personally like to see more bands in the style of the old US metal scene- the sound of Helstar, Liege Lord, Jag Panzer, with the over-the-top banshee vocals. Or a proper John Arch-era Fates Warning type band. Those styles are very challenging to play and sing though of course, so maybe that’s why we don’t see that a lot. 

TheNwothm: What’s your current live or studio setup in terms of gear? Any favourite pieces that never leave your side?

Tabernacle: The studio setup for us is usually pretty meat and potatoes. For the guitars, it’s usually just a mic’d amp. We used a Tube Screamer for the demo coz we were recording at home and couldn’t crank up the amp. What never leaves our side is the instruments themselves!

TheNwothm: Your first demo was “Terror in Thrace” (2021). What’s the story behind that title and how did the release come together?

Tabernacle: ‘Terror in Thrace’ was based on a little short story written by our former bassist set in the time leading up to the Battle of Adrianople, about a woman named Bludwyn fighting the injustice and corrupt Roman powers, after her husband was slain fighting for them. The songs themselves were influenced by such acts as Manilla Road, Omen, Warlord, and some doom. We recorded that one in a garage we were rehearsing at! 

TheNwothm: Fast forward to “The Iron Tabernacle” (2025). What was the vision behind this full-length, and how did the writing or recording process differ from your earlier work?

Tabernacle: The idea was to get more “adventurous” with the song structures, while keeping them memorable of course. We didn’t really want to do the ‘verse-chorus’ type of structure or songs that end exactly where they started. I think we were able to pull this off best on “These Crying Seas”, and with the next batch of songs the arrangements will get more seamless which is ultimately the end goal. Lyrically, all the songs are underdog tales. The most special to me personally, is the story of Malik Ambar- an Ethiopian man enslaved and sold in India by Arab merchants who rose to become ruler of the Deccan area. 

TheNwothm: What is the most meaningful song to each of you off the record?

Tabernacle: “These Crying Seas” for Shawn and myself, just by virtue of being closest to what we set out to do. Ashwin prefers “The Curse of Akkad”

TheNwothm: Has living and creating in Dubai shaped your sound or lyrical themes in ways you didn’t expect?

Tabernacle: In terms of lyrical themes and sound, not really. We all got into this kind of music by just mucking around on the internet a long time ago. Being here has given us a lot of opportunities to play live, though, so that has certainly helped.

TheNwothm: What’s something about one of your bandmates that fans would never guess?

Tabernacle: We all like Depeche Mode, The Bee Gees and Abba.. a lot!