“Mabool� is a story of the Three Sons of Seven (an allude to one of the band’s favorite albums of all time, Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.�) These three sons of each monotheistic faith are assigned an animal totem symbolic of each of their special traits. They prophesize the destruction of the world by a flood. Of course, no one listens to them.

Hence, the story progresses accordingly, fittingly, a flood of multilayered sound comprising elements of all types of metal (most often black and power), progressive rock, Mizrachi (Middle Eastern ethnic) music, orchestral, fusion and jazz. They also have that Type O Negative soundscape thing going, using sound effects as accoutrements to intensify the drama of their songs.

Vocalist Kobi Farhi projects true emotion and his traditional Jewish influences when he’s singing, and when he’s screeching or growling, the black metal influence prevalent in Israel is obviously reflected.

Guitarist Yossi Saharon weaves his spell throughout each differing track with guitar heavily influenced by Middle Eastern and classical styles, sometimes undiluted and sometimes through the beloved distortion of quintessential metal solos. Snobs regarding technical precision will be duly impressed by the ability displayed on all fronts even if Orphaned Land’s unequivocally unique style is not to their taste.

Excuse the drama, but there are some songs on this album that are truly majestic, especially “The Calm Before The Storm” instrumental and “The Storm Still Rages”. Although that track exhibits some uber-progressive tendencies in the middlish beginning, it’s powerfully heartrending metal at its finest afterwards.

The acoustic set provided in the limited release special edition 2 CD set was recorded live in Israel. Orphaned Land provides an entertaining cover of “Mercy� by Paradise Lost (with whom they’ve just wrapped up a European tour) as well as some simply beautiful acoustic renditions of material from their previous albums “Sahara� and “El Norra Alila.�

There’s really no way to categorize the versatility of this band. Saharon describes it as “universal metal�. Check it out at their official website.

DevilDriver’s apocalyptic second release “The Fury of Our Maker’s Handâ€? makes vocalist and lyricist’s Dez Fafara’s former act Coal Chamber look like Rainbow Brite. Don’t get me wrong. Coal Chanber was fun. But Devildriver is much more fierce. They exhibit admirable technical prowess on all instrumental fronts and decidedly vicious vocals. Altogether, they reflect a black metal style laced with hardcore groove and brutality. There seems to be a Scandinavian metal influence as well as the ubiquitous Pantera strain in some places. By grace of these virtues they have already received accolades via word-of-mouth by some in the Israeli metal community, specifically from guitarists. Definitely recommended.

“Strength Through Vengeance� is a flashback to pre-Black Album Metallica and Pantera suffused with hardcore rhythm and classic metal guitar. There’s some sludge floating around in there, too. They bear resemblance to Merauder, and shreds of Swedish metal strain and Iron Maiden peek out as well.

Drummer Yan Chausse displays a respectable array of technical aptitude including double-bass speed drumming skills a la Slayer, whose influence on this band is undeniable. According to their Victory Records bio the band used 25 separate mics to record the drums alone. They were aiming for the most natural sound possible. And it sounds like it was worth the effort.

It’s interesting when vocalist Kevin Randel sometimes debarks from his Phil Anselmo train of style mid-rasp and starts wailing a la 80’s power metal. There’s no escape, Randel really sounds like Phil Anselmo except he possesses a very original actual singing voice. But it fits. The music is an apt vehicle for the lyrics – each song is a verbal depiction of relentless fury.

This disc definitely deserves respect. It’s a good soundtrack for someone who needs to take strength from music and rise from any muck they’re in. A Perfect Murder have an endearing manner of taking the best of metal and hardcore and infusing it into their own malignant sonic embryo. What they have now is pretty damn good, but I say embryo because this band has a lot of latent talent. Combined with all these notable influences, their sound will undoubtedly evolve even further.

from the Yellow Submarine show in Jerusalem with Birth on August 25.
more soon…

Some nasty fungus in the Borgo Pass laboratory has chemically exploded into an audio Blob ready to devour the nearest listener with demon speed. Their debut LP Nervosa boasts vicious, tight groove permeating the entire creation in different incarnations, a natural evolution from their critically acclaimed EP Slightly Damaged.

Scattered within the CD are rock radio hits waiting to happen such as “Acedown” because of its general ambience, “Dead Summer” because of its unbridled emotion and “Rid Myself of You,” which could be the next angst anthem on overkill radio play – anyone can relate to its emotional gist. This release bears no lack of listenable melody interlaced with what is sure to satisfy the appetites of any metalhead slavering for their fix of brutal sludge. One notable example of classic metal intensity is “14 Days That Killed Me Slow.” It’s just a fuckin’ awesome song and this album is full of them.

“American Horror Story” is a disturbing Vietnam soundscape of humanistic guitar effects, one lyric repeated continually – they’d never told you you’d never get back home – and background war noise with other words grunted under the Sabbathlike guitar barrage. Tom Crane and Paul Rosado provide the necessary guitar duties throughout the entire release with the skill any respected former Black Sabbath cover band demands. Considering Borgo Pass is a respected former Black Sabbath cover band on the Long Island, New York rock circuit, this makes a lot of sense.

Vocal shredder and lyricist James Tamarazzo spills his guts throughout this almost dangerous album – most of the lyrics are influenced by personal experiences. He’s been compared to Phil Anselmo from Pantera but he undoubtedly possesses his own style – he has a good skill set of growls, screeches and actual singing ability.

You can definitely hear where these boys are coming from. “Bad Mother Ocean” smacks of Led Zeppelin. The American home-grown classic rock influence cannot be denied. Some songs bear Pantera technical precision. Others are Black Sabbath sludge homage rendered with the Borgo twist. Check out the Wizard like elements in “Follow Me To Nowhere” as a good example of the way they incorporate elements of their musical background into their songs. You know it when you hear it, but what they’re doing is very much their own.

“14 Minute Diveâ€? is a masterpiece by the black beasts of Jerusalem, Shworchtsechaye. The album was recorded in the year 2000 in Jerusalem. The band, veterans of the Jerusalem metal scene, was founded in 1996. This record is the band’s third release after the “Nightmarealityâ€? demo in 1998 and the Jerusalem metal compilation “Demons of Jerusalem”.

The album itself contains five tracks and it’s 14 minutes long. None of the songs cross the 4 minute line in length. This album is totally a blast! It leaves you on your knees with an ear-bleed after being attacked by massive old school thrash! Shworchtsechaye’s music is based on the speed and power of the crazy guitar riff including elements of death and a bit of oriental music. The text of the songs is mostly political text related to the extreme right and to the low class of the Israeli society. The album starts with the song “One Way Dive”. Great bass and drums work. The album moves on to the song “To Be Accepted”, a song which mourns the society of our time which is based only on materialism. The song starts with a bass riff and blasts forward with quick riffs and the screams of frontman Yehi Zaken. The third song, “Gave Up Your Soul” is full of emotion and also contains a solo from guitarist Roey Ilouz that sounds like he was temporarily possessed by Kerry King. And the best is saved for last. The fourth and fifth songs actually comprise one song called “I Blame.â€? The song is about the place of man in the world and about masks and lies. “Welcome to the plastic life, put your mask and come inside.” This song is a strong punch in the face to society. With raised fists and blood in their eyes, Shworchtsechaye takes you into a spin of “14 Minute Dive!â€?

Matanya “Lemmy” Keller

🙂

This review was originally published on www.blistering.com

The Barbie is a vamped up warehouse that regularly hosts most of the metal shows in the area. Since it was Purim, some people were dressed in costume but most wore the standard metal uniform of t-shirts like Iron Maiden and Sepultura, others of Israeli bands like Orphaned Land, Salem or Hangman.

There’s no real difference between Israeli metalheads and those anywhere else, other than the energy at shows is fucking intense in a way few crowds can match. And the crowd at this show consisting of Deface, Matricide and newly signed Roadrunner Records act Betzefer, was no exception.

Deface, the first band up, possessed a technically apt drummer, morbidly intricate guitars, death vocals and a basically hardcore type of Megadeth/Sepultura vibe with groove. Actually, they performed suitable covers of Sepultura’s ‘Roots’ and ‘Territory’ as well as their own material. It was a nice appetizer for Betzefer, but there was still one more act to go first:

Matricide. The singer emitted some decent screeches, playing death vocals ping-pong with the grunting guitarist. Their first song had a Slayerish sort of ‘Seasons In The Abyss’ tone with Oriental style guitar. The next, ‘Epitaph In Apathy’, had the crowd jumping in the general homeboy “Go, go, go” style and to be sure, their drummer was truly nothing to fuck with. His obviously Slayer influenced double bass fury and Pantera type of groove pulled everything together quite tightly. And they pulled off a cover of Slayer’s ‘War Ensemble’ – the place went nuts.

But that was nothing compared to the frenzy Betzefer elicited in the first few chords of their opening song, ‘Fucking Rock N’ Roll’.

Some basic information about Betzefer: They opened for Fear Factory in Belgium last summer and consequently signed to Roadrunner Records a month or so ago. They’re one of the most beloved acts of the thousands-strong Israeli metal underground. They’re actually not supposed to be giving any foreign press until Roadrunner starts promoting their June 6th Downlow European release. So guys, remember, you heard it here first: this band is about to tear up the world. And this show was proof of the pudding.

At first, the security guards were trying to keep the fans a few feet away from the stage but they soon scurried away when confronted with the frothing maelstrom of the mosh pit. Many fans knew the songs by heart and screamed along. Notice I say screamed- vocalist Avital Tamir isn’t exactly crooning here. His tortured shrieks and growls shredded the mic against the backdrop of Betzefer’s bluesy AC/DC, Panterish, Sepultural wrecking ball. One of the most memorable segments of the act is when Tamir, lights glowing green on his face, stood for some moments of silence with hand lucidly set to ear in “Shh, what’s that?” fashion before unleashing a piercing hellscreech in time with a sonic assault from the rest of the band. Guitarist Matan Cohen’s dreadlocks were flailing in the strobe lights like a scene out of a Predator sequel as he provided the guitar work lacing through the severe rhythm section of barefoot, barechested, bare almost everything Berman on drums and Glida (Ice Cream) Rotem Inbar on bass. Most of the material came from their 2003 New Hate EP – guess they’re waiting to share the goods till Downlow comes out. It was an amazing show that my neck is still feeling the effects.

this interview was originally published on www.blistering.com

Imagine yourself stuck in Transylvania. Sitting at the bar, drinking a Bloody Mary, you’re still thirsty for some good music. So you leave in mad haste – the campy horror movie organs have begun to grate your nerves. Searching high and low for a sound to quench your craving, you find yourself lost in a dark forest. Creeping through the woods, you suddenly hear a growl. An amped-up, guitar driven, dark sonic groove with enough meat on its bones to give Dracula’s monthly food stash a run for its money. Borgo Pass.

This band is some of the strongest, richest brew the metal vein has had on tap for years. Since their inception in the mid 90’s covering acts like Sabbath, AC/DC, Hendrix, and Metallica, Borgo Pass has evolved into an act reputable enough to self-finance headlining mini-tours from coast to coast in the States. And in the last 14 months alone they have shared the stage with Superjoint Ritual, Type O Negative, Life Of Agony, Anthrax, Biohazard, High on Fire, Clutch, Suffocation, The Misfits, and Kittie. They’ve also headlined Phil Anselmo’s House Of Shock in New Orleans, LA on Halloween night for the last two years.

Their five-song EP, Slightly Damaged, was produced by ex-Scatterbrain guitarist Paul Neider. It has been critically acclaimed on an international level. Their sludge, a particularly dark blend of rage and despair set against classic 70’s metal sensibility, is a staple of heavy rotation on the New York City region’s 89.5 WSOU as well as in its rock club circuits.

Currently, Borgo Pass is in a Freeport, Long Island studio recording under the auspices of producer Crispy Chicken.

James Tamarazzo, Borgo Pass’ amiable frontman who looks like he could moonlight as one of the scariest bouncers never to fuck with, shares with us some insight on the nature of the band and its plans for the future.

Aviva: What’s the Borgo all about?

James: In a nutshell we were all born and raised on Black Sabbath and were writing some dark music. We had a hard time coming up with a name for the band. After tossing dozens of names around, our drummer Joe Wood, came up with the name Borgo Pass after reading a book on Dracula and Vlad Tepes. It sounded cooler that all the shitty names we came up with, so we kept it. It is what I like to affectionately call Dracula’s Driveway, the passage to Dracula’s castle.

Aviva: When did you decide to switch from being a cover band to do your own stuff?

James: The covers were done for a very short period of time to get started. The band in its infancy stage started out as a hard rock/metal cover band called Slow Painful Death. We were doing Sabbath, AC/DC, Hendrix, Metallica – you name it. Starting out, you do what you have to do to get gigs and make what little money you can to put back into the band to move forward. We still like to throw a cover or two in with the sets to show respect for the bands that made us want to play music.

I am the fourth singer in Borgo Pass and the rest of the band has been the exactly the same since day one. I really think we found the best possible chemistry under the sun. Upon this transformation we started to write ungodly heavy songs and really pushed the edge of the envelope and came out with some awe-inspiring stuff that we are extremely proud of.

Aviva: When’s the new stuff coming out?

James: We have five new songs recorded mixed and waiting to be mastered. The songs have all been played live. They include ‘Wrong Man’, ‘Nervosa’, ‘14 Days That Killed Me Slow’, ‘Rid Myself of You’ and ‘Acedown’. We have released two tracks as singles until the full-length record comes out in late May or early June 2004. We are going right back in to do three or four more tracks that are ready to go.

Aviva: How did you guys all hook up?

James: Joe (Wood, drummer), YT (bass), Tom (Crane, guitar) and Paul (Rosado, guitar) have been together for a few years as Slow Painful Death. I had been a fan of Borgo from the area and I answered an ad in a local rag for the open singer slot. Joe had seen me playing drums and singing in my old band Ritual 6 and kind of knew who I was. Paul and I spoke for some time on the phone and I came down for an audition. We jammed some Sabbath and a few of the existing songs and we all were standing there with big ass grins on our faces at the end of the night. I was the first guy to come down and ended up getting the job but not at first. They tried out 40 more singers and I met with around 25 more bands. A few more jams and few weeks later we met at local bar to see a friend’s band and agreed to move forward. Why the hell did we wait!? It was real easy and very comfortable. I think the unique thing about Borgo Pass is that we are all great friends, brothers and that is the most important thing for me being in this band.

Aviva: Describe your band in five words or less:

James: Impossible, but I will try: Destructive, Unique, Powerful, Heavy, Classic.

Aviva: What are your plans now?

James: Basically, to finish the full-length record in the next few weeks and tour relentlessly. Ozzfest is an ultimate goal in the future. We are shopping the new material in hopes of securing a deal. Any interested parties…we are for hire!!

Aviva: When is the video coming out?

James: I am hoping very soon. I have come up with a few treatments that I am kicking around with a very talented indie filmmaker that wants to work with us. It will probably be for the song ‘Acedown’ or ‘Wrong Man’. We are going to try and have it aired locally and shoot for Uranium and Headbanger’s Ball if at all possible.

This interview was originally posted on www.blistering.com.

Stemming from the actually quite impressive Israeli underground metal scene, Betzefer takes the meat and bones from all its varied influences and throws it into a chulent (Jewish soul food resembling stew) that satisfies the urge for some good fuckin’ rock and roll (the name of one of their songs, actually).

You may ask, “What the hell does Betzefer mean?”

Matan Cohen, their Goldstar (Israeli-beer) swilling, dreadlock sporting AC/DC acolyte of a guitarist explains that they started out as a cover band for one gig only at school playing AC/DC, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix and whatever else, “so we thought of the name Betzefer-school band. In Hebrew we write it in slang (Betzefer, rather than Beit Sefer).”

Since then, they’ve become a well-established act that has played to audiences numbering in the thousands. In the coming months, they’re going to Belgium to record a release that will be produced by Denmark’s Tue Madsen (Mnemic, The Haunted, Aborted, etc).

Matan, drummer Roey Berman, who likes to play chess with himself, and vocalist Avital Tamir, who moonlights as a photo developer and asserts that – “If I see one more fucking wedding picture I’m going to freak,”- all grew up together in a small suburb of Modiin called Maccabim-Reut.

Now, they all live in a Tel Aviv studio/party house together, except for the new guy – bassist Rotem, (aka Glida – Ice Cream) whom they are trying to convince to move to Tel Aviv from Haifa. School’s out and Betzefer is having a great time doing what they love.

You can hear it in their music. Betzefer has a brutal sound but they’re not vicious. They hate but it’s a fun kind of hate. It’s like when two old friends, drunk off their asses, meet for the first time in months and during their overjoyed reunion beat each other senseless.

Avital elaborates through mouthfuls of soybeans. “We don’t follow any specific breed of music. This is music that’s really like the roots – Pantera, Sepultura, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Soulfly…” Their sound is really versatile. In one song they’ll have a Panterish southern Black Label Society/C.O.C. groove. In another, they’ll make use of Slayer speed and technical prowess. And in another they’ll mix hardcore beats with classic metal guitar.

Check it out. It’s good shit.