Thank you for doing this interview. Yes, my friend, we are very happy. We couldn’t imagine it would come out this good, both production-wise and overall. We went beyond our expectations.

Well, first and for most, we don’t see ourselves as a Melodic Death Metal band. I guess most Melodic Death Metal bands don’t see themselves as such, but I hope we do have something slightly different from the regular formula of how Melodic Death Metal bands write and perform their material. I guess we take a lot from the American early Death Metal scene, what was later called “Technical Death Metal” – such as Death, Atheist and Cynic, and we also blend some Progressive and Thrash Metal influences. Overall we have no choice but to admit the final product is a Death Metal album, which tends to the melodic side of the spectrum, but unlike Arch Enemy and Dark Tranquillity for example (both are great bands), we try to make the music a bit unpredictable and technical.

Actually yes, our drummer Iftah Levy finished his studies in the L.A. Music Academy in 2006. He was an excellent drummer before his studies, but he definitely became one of the most professional drummers I met after that.

Well, politics and Israel usually don’t mix well, or even at all. In my opinion, both left-winged and right-winged politicians offer the same deal, so it has nothing to do with a man’s political perspective. We all believe in “live and let live” in the end, and none of us holds much regard to organized religion in any form – but some of us can be looked as men of faith. Moral issues are matters that most Israeli people have to deal with in the early parts of their life, when being drafted to the Israeli army of defence, for example, by law – at the age of 18. Both man and woman should understand by then that they have great responsibilities for their country, and in order for this country to exist, those laws should be followed in general perspective. Of course there are exceptions, but each case for its own. I can say for sure that people who doesn’t strive for peace at all in our region, from both sides, and believe in war till the end of one of the sides, are considered by me as completely insane. We all should strive for peace, and the question that rises is “at what cost”. We do try to live up to our views, and every one of us bares a different perspective about life in Israel, but it all matters not when it comes down to music. Not a person in Israel shares the political view like the next person beside him, but after all – politics, and especially politicians, are all alike.

Well, the band started after we all gathered up by the call of Yaniv (our founding member, the guitar player and mastermind behind this album). Yaniv, Amir (bass guitar) and I took part in a majestic tribute concert for the late Chuck Schuldiner, the man behind the ‘Death’ legacy. We did a really long concert in the end of 2005, consisting of 22 ‘Death’ songs, and after that show we decided we should do something original together. We waited till Iftah returned from his studies in the U.S. and start playing together. When it comes down to business, I think the albums which influenced us the most were “Symbolic”, “Individual Thought Patterns” and “Sound Of Perseverance” from Death, and personally I can say that I tried to capture these albums’ atmosphere with my singing.

No doubt it’s harder to be a Metal band from Israel than from Germany or Sweden, but it’s not because of the opposing religious groups. Those religious groups have much bigger fish to fry, like half-naked pop singers, before they come asking us questions, so this far no religious group took a bad interest in any Metal band that I can recall. On the other hand, being surrounded by religious countries, and not the very founding of Israelis in general, makes touring a bit harder. I guess there are some Metal bands in our surrounding area, but we don’t have many connections with them, and when Israeli bands go on tour – it’s usually to Europe, and by flight – which makes the cost of the tour much harder on most of the bands.

Well, we encountered a bit of racism on the web, mostly from Russian Metal forums, but we’d rather take the fact that we sound un-Israeli as a compliment. It’s not that we don’t like Salem or Orphaned Land, but we really don’t want to be their clones. I know we don’t play the most original music and we ain’t inventing anything new, but we like to play the music we like to play, rather than trying to be original by force. Overall – I don’t think our music could be compared to Salem or Orphaned Land. We all play Metal, but Orphaned Land tends to be much more ethnic in their music. Salem left their ethnic musical roots back in 1998 I think, but that’s a band which never sounds the same.

Oh yes, there are plenty of them. I don’t know why most of the Israeli bands sounds better to me as a listener, but I guess Israeli Metal bands HAVE to work harder than other Metal bands in order to get famous, so statistically speaking, they’ll sound better – or they wouldn’t be famous at all. Take bands like the up and coming The Fading which won the Metal battle in Wacken 2008, a fine Israeli Melo-Death band, and Phantom Pain are a really good Death Metal band in the vain of Morbid Angel. We also have a softer side in Israel, like Distorted, who play great mix of Gothic Doom and Melodic Death, and Edgend and Acropolis, two promising Power Metal bands. Israel has it all.

I honestly think the three major parties are the same crap, and I’ll vote for the one I’ll like the most because of the economic approach rather than the approach on national security. In the end, I believe, the American government is dictating to our government the measures and deeds that should be done on the national security level – so it doesn’t matter who’s leading the charge, they’ll do the same in the end. So in those measures, it’s like chasing ghosts a bit. People who consider national security as a top priority will probably vote for the more experienced candidate, but in this level this point is useless. I just hope (probably falsely) that the government that will be elected will take our economic problems first. A country which is torn apart by poverty can’t actually deal with other countries on national issues, like Russia couldn’t really deal with the U.S. in the end of the Cold War.

No, I’m afraid not. Most European and American Metal bands can’t make a living from Metal music, so I can’t honestly believe we’ll reach that phenomenal economic achievement when I’m coming from such an exotic region as Israel. Considering the fact that no Metal musician in Israel ever made a living from his music, and the hell with it, almost no Rock musician ever made a living from music alone here in Israel, I can’t afford to be that optimistic.

I think so, but it wouldn’t be labelled that way. It will be swallowed by the whole Rock movement and will be considered outdated by most of the music consumers in the future, but unlike Disco or Dance music, Metal will still draw new people every day, and the lasting survivors of this generation, easily Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden and the rest of the giants, will be like The Doors and The Who for future kids.

Well, you hit a hot spot here. My band mates are party people just like the next lad beside them. But me, I’m a really special fellow in the Metal scene. See, I don’t drink alcohol, at all, never did, and probably never will. I can be described as a straight-edge, but unlike most of the straight-edgers that I know – I am living and breathing Metal music. So not the typical party pooper, but I just can’t get enough of that orange juice. Honestly. Other than that, I don’t have a poison.

I can say “Death” will be our first answer, but that’s never gonna happen, So I’ll go with Testament. They are my all time favourite band, and it will be like a dream come true supporting them. Nevermore and Strapping Young Lad come to mind too, and it will be a real huge pleasure playing with Symphony X, but no band can’t say they don’t want to open for Metallica, you know what I mean? No Metal band can honestly say that. Ummm… not including Megadeth.

My all time favourites are Testament – The Gathering, together with the regular epic efforts, you know, Metallica’s Master Of Puppets, Slayer’s Reign In Blood, nothing new. Lately I’ve being listening a lot to The Haunted’s last three albums, and I really like Susperia, a Thrash Metal band from Norway. I’m also really psyched that Matt Barlow returned to Iced Earth, and I keep playing their new release. It’s not the all time favourite – but god damn I missed his voice.

A joke? Well let see. I’ll try – but it will be lost in translation. A duck walks into a bar and get near the bartender. It asks for a cup of scotch and some pretzels. The bartender is amazed that a duck is talking to him and just gives him what he wants. That duck starts blabbering about how he mixed cement in the construction yard all day long, and how the boss is rude to him and etc. Next to the duck sits a man, who is just as amazed as the bartender. That man tells the duck that he is a circus manager, and asks him if he wants to work for him. The duck thinks a bit and says “Wait, isn’t your circus is like, in a big tent?” the circus manager says yes and duck ponders about it a bit more. After a few seconds he says “I really don’t see how you can possibly want me to mix cement”.

Thanks for the interview, I hope the guys who liked the album will keep interest in our upcoming releases, and those who haven’t checked it out will listen to it. We hope to come to Europe this summer for some tours, so hope to see some of the guys out there! Metal on and iron up!