Naser Mestarihi EP is the eponymous debut EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 of Doha

Doha

Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...

 based hard rock

Hard rock

Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 guitarist Naser Mestarihi

Naser Mestarihi

Naser Mestarihi is a Qatari born Jordanian-Pakistani guitarist based in Doha, Qatar who has been on the Qatari music scene since the age of 15...

. The release of the album marked the first official release of a rock album out of Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

. All the lyrics and music on the album were written by Naser Mestarihi and he plays on all the instruments with the exception of the drums.

Music

Naser has described the album as a "cathartic output which helps people deal with difficult issues." Most of the lyrics and subject themes on the album are introspective and deal with overcoming turmoil by conveying a positive and uplifting message.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Naser Mestarihi

Naser Mestarihi

Naser Mestarihi is a Qatari born Jordanian-Pakistani guitarist based in Doha, Qatar who has been on the Qatari music scene since the age of 15...

1. Phoenix - 6:17
2. Blazing Temple - 6:00
3. Salvation - 4:13
4. Astral Voyager - 9:42

Release

The album was released on December 31, 2010. Upon its release, the album received positive critical reviews with Rolling Stone magazine's Anthony McGregor describing it as a "Technically profficient EP." Additionally it was hailed as a "huge sounding impressive debut." The album also received a positive review by Sur la Terre magazine in which Naser's guitar playing is described as "guttural riffs threaded beautifully, if not maniacally, with the screeching whine of fast licks." In the same review his licks are described as "almost computerised-sounding builds that you can't help but double-back on and listen to over and over again."

Personnel

• Naser Mestarihi - lead
  Lead
  Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
  
   and backing vocals, lead guitars, rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars and bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  .
• Ateek Chima - Drums

Production

• Bader Al Sada - Producer
  Record producer
  A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
  
  , engineer
  Engineer
  An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
  
  .
• Naser Mestarihi - Co-producer (musical arrangements).

Additional Personnel

• Penny Tselikis - All artwork illustrations, logos and designs.