Kurban

Kurban originated in 1995 as Outside, a four-piece lineup featuring vocalist and guitarist Deniz Yilmaz, drummer Burak Gürpinar, bass guitarist Kerem Tuzun, and lead guitarist Umut Gokcen. By 1997 the musicians had adopted their permanent name, Kurban—a Turkish term carrying the dual sense of “victim” or “sacrificial animal” in religious ritual—and placed third in the Roxy Music Days competition. Their self-titled debut album appeared in 1999; its fusion of weighty hard-rock riffs and punk energy, uncommon among Turkish rock acts at the time, propelled the single “Yalan” to widespread notice. That same year the quartet was invited to open for Metallica at a stadium show in Istanbul, where they took the stage in skirts and endured vocal disapproval from fans who deemed them insufficiently metallic for the thrash legends.

In 2001 Özgür Kankaynar stepped in for Umut Gokcen on lead guitar. The band issued the covers collection Sert in 2004, its muscular reinterpretations of “Sari Cizmeli Mehmet Aga” and “Aglama Degmez Hayat” earning particular favor. Insanlar, the group’s second album of original songs, followed in 2005; departing further from punk roots, it incorporated darker Turkish vocal inflections and displayed a more seasoned persona while preserving the band’s irreverent streak. Shortly afterward, in May 2005, the members elected to disband: Deniz Yilmaz launched Panik, Burak Gürpinar joined Athena, and Kerem Tuzun began performing with Demir Demirkan. Nevertheless, late in 2006 Kurban declared their return.