Korozia, the weekly metal magazine on Tel Aviv’s 106FM, disseminates information and news updates about the genre in Israel and abroad – the elements of metal like glam, doom, death, heavy, folk, power, speed, thrash, Viking and black metal.

The central idea is to create awareness of the metal genre, thought of as the underdog in Israel and abroad.

Golan Shai is the name of the guy who decided to try and redeem Israeli radio by creating a metal haven on the air, at least for two hours a week.

“And I like to make long walks on the beach under a foggy moon,” he deadpans.

Golan was into metal since he was thirteen, when he first heard Iron Maiden, Sepultura and Megadeth. He had his long hair and his biker jacket. At the same time, he was constantly messing with his grandmother’s record player, recording his own voice with headphones that he made a microphone out of. And through the years, his passion for metal and collecting original albums grew.

Nowadays, he studies at the Michlala L’Minahel’s School of Communications in Tel Aviv, from where 106FM, a very known alternative music radio station broadcasts. But the station had never dealt with metal music before. So, Golan arranged for a sit-down with the head of the radio station and the other editors.

“Frankly , when I gave them the plot for the show they didn’t know how to digest the music,” he notes. “Most of them are more into the reggae, electro, and classic rock stuff.” But the metal show was spawned in any case, one year ago.

Golan does the editing , the broadcasting, and brings the CDs. He doesn’t receive any college credit or payment for the show. He completely does it out of love for the scene.

“I get backaches for going everywhere with the CDs case,” he gripes.

But it’s worth it. Last month the show was upgraded to two hours because of huge reactions from the metal listeners. The specials he does preceding the shows of foreign bands playing in Israel especially lure many visitors and feedback. For example, he dedicated shows to Behemoth, Paradise Lost and Megadeth before their shows in Israel and gave free tickets to the listeners.

Golan also interviews artists. “I had an interview with Orphaned Land and even invited the Oak Wood Alley band from Be’er Sheva to be live guests on the show, to talk about themselves and get more publicity. I try to put as much as true Israeli metal songs on the show as I can, cause this is a true metal show.”

You can tune into this show online every Thursday , 13:00- 15:00 Israeli time GMT+2 at http://www.106fm.co.il/#program/62 . On the left side of the screen there is an on-demand link where one can hear a previously recorded show.