In a world saturated with noise, few sounds slice through the silence quite like those that echo from conflict zones. On June 17, 2025, as the city of Tehran shuddered under the weight of war, the Iranian metal band REDVI released a statement alongside their new single “Into the Abyss.” Their words, raw and unfiltered, traveled far beyond the city’s battered skyline, resonating with a global community hungry for authenticity and courage.
“In a time of growing silence between explosions – we, REDVI, speak not just as musicians, but as people who look at their city, their families, and the future, held in balance.”
This is not just another band story. This is metal forged in the crucible of chaos—a testament to music’s power to bear witness, to resist, and to remember.
To understand REDVI’s gravity, you have to see where they come from. Tehran is not the first place that comes to mind when you think of djent, post-metal, or groove metal. The city’s underground scene is a tightrope act—balancing artistic ambition with the daily reality of censorship, religious conservatism, and, lately, the deafening background of war.
Iranian metal bands have a history of resilience, often creating and performing at great personal risk. The 2025 conflict has only intensified the stakes. For many in Tehran’s underground, music is both a form of protest and a lifeline.
REDVI emerged from this tension, carving out a sound that is at once brutal and atmospheric. Their style draws heavily on djent—a subgenre of progressive metal known for its polyrhythms, low-tuned guitars, and mechanical, percussive riffs. But REDVI aren’t content to be labeled. Their music is laced with ambient textures, post-metal expansiveness, and a groove that pulses with urgency.
In interviews, the band has spoken about the origins of their name and their vision. “REDVI is about the red of sacrifice and the vi—the Latin for life. We wanted a name that would capture struggle and existence in one breath”.
Their lyrics grapple with themes of societal collapse, spiritual isolation, and oppression. Earlier singles like “Parasomnia” attracted attention not just in Iran, but on international outlets like Unite Asia, Metal Shock Finland, and Everything Is Noise.
June 17, 2025, wasn’t just a release date; it was a reckoning. With “Into the Abyss,” REDVI issued a statement that has since reverberated across music blogs and social media:
“Our latest single, Into the Abyss, was written before this escalation. But today, its meaning has deepened. It speaks to what we all feel—a hymn for resistance, survival, and memory.”
They dedicated the release to the victims of recent attacks, making clear that their art is inseparable from the climate of fear and mourning in Tehran.
“Into the Abyss” is not just a song—it’s a rupture. The track begins with a wall of dissonant guitars and a rhythm section that feels both mechanical and deeply human. The vocals oscillate between guttural growls and almost spoken-word passages, capturing a sense of desperation and defiance.
Metal blog Unite Asia described the single as “ferocious and unflinching… accompanied by a dark, immersive music video”. On RateYourMusic, early listeners called it “heavy, dissonant, chaotic, rhythmic” and highlighted its emotional range.
What’s remarkable is that the song was written before the latest wave of violence. Now, every note lands differently—a soundtrack for a city on edge.
REDVI are not the first Iranian band to use music as a shield and a weapon. Predecessors like Confess faced prison for their lyrics and activism. Yet each new generation raises the stakes.
In their June statement, REDVI wrote: “Music is not a solution, but it can be a voice when the silence becomes too heavy.”
For fans both inside and outside Iran, this is not just rhetoric. As one listener commented on Unite Asia: “When you listen to REDVI, you’re not just hearing riffs—you’re hearing the sound of survival.”
Despite their circumstances, REDVI have managed to break through the isolation of the Iranian scene. Outlets like Unite Asia, Metal Shock Finland, and Everything Is Noise have given them international coverage, praising their technical skill and emotional honesty.
Metal Shock Finland called their earlier single “Parasomnia” a “haunting plunge into the abyss,” noting the band’s ability to weave complex themes into both music and visuals.
Everything Is Noise highlighted the band’s blend of genres, calling their sound “innovative… a fusion of brutality and atmosphere that rarely coexists so naturally.”
REDVI aren’t stopping. In their June 2025 statement, they announced work on a new composition inspired directly by the ongoing war, promising it will be “even more direct and raw than before.”
They see themselves as chroniclers as much as artists. “We don’t know if our music will change anything. But if we stay silent, we lose everything,” one member said in a recent interview.
In the global metal community, war often feels like a metaphor. For REDVI, it’s a lived reality. Their music is not escapism; it’s testimony. In a world where metal is sometimes dismissed as mere style, REDVI remind us that music can be both witness and weapon.
The band’s message is clear: “In the shadow of war, from Tehran, a voice rises. Louder than the silence after the blast. Its name is REDVI.”
For those seeking to support or simply experience REDVI’s music and message, the band maintains an active presence on Instagram (Instagram).
Their music is more than a playlist addition—it’s a call to bear witness, to remember, and to resist.