Live review: Metaling Ra'anana - REBORN @ HaMartef, Ra'anana [19/05/2016]

Shredhead

Canine

Unleash The Pain

Ages Of Atrophy

Recently, I've found myself actually heading out of Tel Aviv for shows. I've been to Haifa, I've been to Rishon LeZion and now I've come to Ra'anana to yet another HaMartef (The Basement) for a metal show. As well as mainly coming to support old band mates Canine, I've come to check out Ages Of Atrophy, Unleash The Pain and to see Israeli metal legends Shredhead again. As the venue name suggests, I walk down a flight of stairs decorated with luminous strips/paint to what is apparently a form of youth centre. So it's going to be a pretty sober night, folks!

Ages of atrophy

The first band of the night is Tel Avivian deathcore five piece, Ages Of Atrophy. I have a feeling they may not have done much of a good enough soundcheck beforehand. As the band starts up, it's all a bit quiet apart from the ridiculously prominent double kick. In this type of metal, the double kicks are indeed important but this rendered the vocals pretty inaudible at the beginning. May have also been a mic problem which seemed to sort itself out as the show went on.
  As a drummer myself with sensitive ears, I could hear the drummer sometimes losing pace during blast beats but the impressive finger work of guitarists Ran and Gal takes the focus away. Although I am not usually into deathcore, I do find myself enjoying the band as the set goes on. Some of the beatdowns get me thrusting my body backwards and forth and smiling. I still find the genre as a whole pretty unimpressive and what Ages Of Atrophy play is nothing new but it does seem to hit a soft spot tonight.


3/5

Unleash The Pain

Another band I've never heard of before, Unleash The Pain, take the stage next in a strange costume of torn white T- shirts. Not entirely sure of the meaning behind all that and what it stands for but it seems to be their thing. Could be considered gimmicky but at the same time it does show them as a "united front", as it were.  
  This is apparently an important occasion for the band. Not only is it a comeback show for them but it is 6 years since the band played their first ever show in the same venue. After some mic issues, the band start blasting out some Killswitch Engage meets Lamb Of God style metal. Everything musically and vocally sounds surprisingly quite polished for a live set. Israel's (vocalist) clean vocals on tracks from their Isolated EP actually sound better live than on record. Maybe time and a lot of practice has helped him develop his vocals even more. 
  As well as their old material, the band preview songs from their upcoming album. At one point, Israel says that the next song is called We're Not Gonna Make It. For a split second, I think it's going to be a Presidents Of The USA cover...but I'm wrong. We get treated to another slab of modern metal with some beatdown/breakdown parts. During the set, the band go amongst the crowd, which is always fun. The crowd seem to lap it up.

  Unleash The Pain is certainly not the most creative name I have ever heard. On top of that, the name suggests a more brutal band. There's a little bit too much melody for them to be worthy of the name. But what's in a name? Anyone heard of We Butter The Bread With Butter? 

   Unleash The Pain are worth checking out and are definitely at quite a professional level right now which did not come across as pretentious but quite modest. The white t-shirt costume thing might let them down in terms of being taken seriously, but as long as people judge them on the music alone, they might be ok. I'm interested in hearing the new stuff.



3.5/5

Canine 

Ahhh and now it's Canine.  I will admit that I have come today primarily in support of them but they don't really need it. For some years now, the band has had the confidence and the cojones of a big time band that it's as if they don't really need fans at all. The band turn up tonight with conference-style drop down roller banners with their logo on that take up a majority of the stage. The band hasn't even released their first official album or toured out of the country but have already jumped ahead to such on-stage extravagances. All power to them and everything, but it personally seems a bit too much for a fairly unknown Israeli band who are essentially called DOG. 
  Alighting the stage in a professional style, the band kick of their set with Silence Before Chaos, a fairly old song for their repertoire that has still yet to be released. I am familiar with it from my short lived days with the band, so I'm already going nuts at the get go. It's pure Machine Head, for sure, but it's certainly a great opening song and Ben Saada's more Lamb Of God-like vocals gives it a new twist to the song's previous incarnation. 
  The rest of the band's set also includes some songs which are technically old but are set to be released on the upcoming album, whenever that will see the light of day! Some of the songs take on a more Killswitch Engage vibe with the addition of Saada's clean vocals, which seem to have improved with time. The band also do a cover of Faith Or Forgiveness by The Ghost Inside. My knowledge of that band is close to non-existent so I'm not going to pretend like I knew the song or how the cover compared but those familiar with it are shouting along and getting a pit going.
  As well as both on stage and off stage antics from band members, there is a moment in the set which, for me, is quite sweet. Saada speaks about his former band Eyes Sewn Shut and how they once played in that venue...or something along those lines. He even starts reminiscing with former band members who were quietly standing not so far from me and it suddenly makes the evening all that more intimate.
  Finishing their almost hour long set with crowd members singing and dancing along to their last single, Last Words Live Forever, it's hard to say that Canine are not entertaining. They seem to give the people all the metal cliches that they want in a show and are somehow still managing to just float above the line of generic metalcore. An hour is certainly far too long a set for a band still essentially in their early stages but they pulled it off. It is still a shame (personally) that they completely eradicate all material from their more groove-metal influenced Degeneration EP, but it's a sign of maturity, I guess.

3.5/5

Shredhead 

  Although Canine may seem like the main act of the night, it's Israeli thrash heavyweights Shredhead who take stage to finish things off. I've seen the band once or twice before but it has been mostly to a much larger crowd than this. This is a teen friendly venue in Ra'anana, to be fair, so maybe most of their beer drinking fans from Tel Aviv and elsewhere didn't see the point in travelling over for this. It's a big shame because Shredhead have both the presence and material worthy of a bigger crowd.
  Due to being the end of the night, I will admit that I am unable to recollect particular moments of the set but did find myself really getting into them for the first time. In a world full of attempted metalcore, Shredhead keep things thrashy with added elements of groove metal. With a set almost exclusively made up of tracks from their 2015 Death Is Righteous album, such as set opener LPBZ, the Pantera-like Last Words Are Lost and crowd pleaser Devil's Race, the 5 piece also play a brand new song and classic track from the Human Nature album, Knife In A Gunfight. The latter really gets the die-hard fans headbanging, finger pointing and shouting along. 

 For a headline act, Shredhead's set feels quite short but I think that's a good thing. It leaves the people wanting more and forces them to come to more shows in the future. I certainly wouldn't mind watching them again with more material as I am impressed at how they still manage to come off as current while playing pretty old school styles. It also makes me want to start listening to them more regularly.

4/5

 Well done to Yam Yaffe for putting on a great night. I've come away with some new bands to like and a newfound admiration for Shredhead.

Photos for Ages Of Atrophy, Unleash The Pain and Canine by Shahar Gino. 

Live Review: SPAWNFEST @ Gagarin, Tel Aviv [22nd November 2014]

Magor

Spawn Of Evil

State Of The Fart

Arallu

Canine 

Mechanigod

In Israel, music festivals of the literal sense are very rare, if not completely inexistent. No real festivals in a massive field with 2 main stages, a local band stage and an acoustic tent. No selection of big name international bands all coming to perform together. No camping for around 3 nights putting up with mud and littering. To someone like me, the term "festival" gets used too freely out here and loses it's meaning. Tonight, the Israeli metal scene sees "Spawnfest" arrive to the hidden live music hub Gagarin. When I first came to a Gagarin show, I didn't even know that this yard which also includes a studio and a gym, amongst other things, was even there. It lies behind the Naim dance studio opposite where the Sublime venue once was. I am unsure if Gagarin was always here but it has certainly acted as a replacement since Sublime's closure/move. Sublime used to be one of the main places for metal shows and "festivals" of this ilk. Now I have the chance to see if the smaller Gagarin is able to cope with drunken Israeli metallers.

Mechanigod

First up tonight is melodic metallers Mechanigod. Like most of the bands on the bill tonight, I don't really know much about this band. Despite having technically been a band since around 2008-9, the band's first album "Realms" was released last year. I have seen their name floating around a fair bit and assumed they were quite a big deal, so I'm surprised that they are the first band on this bill of 6 bands. 

Their opening song has that sort epic vibe a good opener always needs. We hear from the start the vocalist's (Eylon) range, which can switch from gruff Lamb of God style vocals to almost mizrachi (Middle Eastern) style singing. Eylon's vocals are actually quite flawless. Throughout the performance, I don't believe I hear a single bum note, loss of breath or crack in his voice. Upon further research, I've discovered that Eylon's a Canterbury lad. Whether that has any relevance to him being a good singer, I don't know. It is, however, interesting to me, a fellow British expat. I'm guessing he's one of those "I moved here when I was 3" types. 

The Lamb of God resemblance continues with the band's actual music style. I also cannot really fault the musicianship of the rest of the band. For a considerably young band, they have that essence of a big band. The guitar playing and drumming is all just at the right level of complicated that doesn't come off as over the top. My main issue is that it just doesn't seem all that new. Eylon, as great as I said he is, even has a typical "metal beard". (Not literally a beard made of metal...that would be uncomfortable and unnecessary.) The crowd seem to be enjoying it, though, with an actual "front row" of fans and the odd circle pit here and there. Nearer the end of their set, they played something with a Middle Eastern flavour. Having not yet heard their album, I do not know if it is included on it or what it is called. Hearing that suddenly perked me up a bit as it was a little different, although not totally unexpected for an Israeli band. It did help demonstrate the vocalist's range and that was a pleasure to witness. Personally, I think they could have been put on further up the bill but they acted as a more than suitable opening band. 

3.5/5

Canine

I have a confession to make. Originally Modiin based metalcore outfit Canine are the main reason I am here tonight. Them and I have a bit of a history. Some time last year, I joined them on drums for about a month. In the end, I wasn't really the most suit....Ok, I was practically told I wasn't good enough for them. Despite that, I have supported Eliav and Yuval (guitars) over the passed year in their search for the right  new members. In this most recent line-up, they have (Ben) Sadda on vocals, Bar on bass and Matan on drums.  I really like Canine, not just because I was once a part of them but because I genuinely like their songs. It's metalcore, but it has a bouncy groove and some good breakdowns. Especially the stuff off their Degeneration EP. Tonight, however, seemed to consist mostly of new songs; some I am familiar from my time with them and others that were brand spanking new. "Silence Before Chaos" is a killer of a tune that I enjoyed singing along to. "Mutiny" and "With The Crows In Sight" are almost unrecognisable to how I remember them. In a good way! They've perfected the songs into solid arrangements and have come together as a tight unit. An even newer song, Last Words Live Forever, seems to have some people in the crowd singing along. I don't know if I am just ridiculously uneducated and this was a cover song or that they have played it at a few other shows recently and people have become accustomed to it. Either way, the atmosphere was great during that song.
One thing the band does which I really like is the breakdowns. Having been into tuff guy and beatdown since my teens, I'm used to that lull just before the "chug-chug". That lull where the guitars are ringing out and you know that in the next few seconds all hell is going to break loose. Canine don't quite do it in the same way that I am used to; they do more metalcore breakdowns rather than hardcore beatdowns. Being more of a metal crowd, this gains the typical Israeli metal scene reaction of headbanging all round.
Making good use of his wireless pack, guitarist Eliav loves getting amongst the crowd during the set and getting people even more revved up. I find this sort of thing in general sometimes a bit too much, but the crowd did need a little bit of encouragement. The only criticisms to make of the band tonight are the fact that some of their best work was missing from the set and also the quality of clean vocals. Now, I for one know how difficult singing can be, but unfortunately Sadda couldn't quite hit his high notes in songs like Mutiny. Yuval's harmonies luckily helped in the other songs. Sadda could have just been having a bad night and I'm hoping he'll sound so much better next time I see them and on record.
3.5/5

Arallu

Now we start the part of the evening where I am not familiar with any of the bands. It begins with Jerusalem metal legends Arallu. I say legends despite not having heard of them before. Just goes to prove how out of the Israeli metal loop I am as later research shows they have technically been around for around 13 years. Arallu perform with combat face paint stripes which help add to the theatrics of their thrashy, Middle Eastern tinged death metal. At times sounding like Slayer, at other times sounding like Behemoth, Arallu are simply heavy. Adding to the theatrics, they use samples that seem to focus around war. That seems to be the essence of Arallu at the moment. There are also posters all over the place in regards to the album launch show at the beginning on the new year for their new album Geniewar.
I can't really be specific about songs as I am still unfamiliar with their material, but what I loved the most about this band was the Middle Eastern flavours. The drummer even had a darbuka on a stand and made good use of it. This addition didn't seem forced. The metal and the Middle Eastern rhythms just seem to flow into each other seamlessly. It's actually a shame there aren't more people here tonight. It's a good crowd for an underground show, but these guys are considered legends. Not only that, but they're giving a legendary performance which, albeit still getting circle pits and headbanging galore, should be in front of a much larger audience.
3.5/5

State Of The Fart

I may have very well got the order of Arallu and State Of The Fart mixed up as I ended up getting distracted by the band and didn't make any notes. State Of The Fart are not as sophisticated as they sound. Haha. Once again, this is a band I didn't bother checking out before hand. Wanted to leave it as a surprise. And boy, was I surprised.
So, you know that friend of yours who has a party trick he's been doing since he was a kid? Imagine if he started a band that was based around that party trick. That is essentially what State Of The Fart are. Tonight, the band plays a short setlist of 4-5 (like I say, I didn't make notes) cover songs incorporating the frontman's talent of making fart noises with his hands. It took me a while to actually notice he was using his hands mic'ed up and it wasn't the keyboardist. As my Hebrew is still not brilliant, I was unable to tell if the covers were exact word-for-word translations or not, apart from the acoustic version of Slayer's Angel of Death which was in English. That was probably the highlight of the set. They are definitely fun, but I really can't help but feel that this is an idea that should have stopped after high school graduation. Their friends seemed to love it. I personally just found them as a weird choice for this line-up.
2/5

Spawn Of Evil

Although the penultimate act of the night, Hadera based death metallers Spawn Of Evil are the band tonight's "festival" seems to be named after. Once again, this is a band I have heard nothing about before but they have been in existence for around 14 years in one form or another. Not only is that a reason I should have heard of them but they are really good.
The main vibe I got off the band is that they remind me a lot of Napalm Death. Not in a rip of way, but just similar intensity, similar stylings and even a frontman who looks quite a fair bit like ND's own "Barney" Greenway. Well....more like Dom Lawson (ex singer of Matter, singer/guitarist in Oaf and Metal Hammer writer). Anyway, that's not a bad thing. I love Napalm Death. Spawn Of Evil flip between thrashy parts and grooves and are basically just bloody heavy. I've decided that I need to really to do some more research on this band and listen to more of their stuff. I've discovered that they have done a death metal cover of Therapy's Screamager. That gets a major thumbs up from me on its own.
4/5

Magor

Final act tonight is Israeli black metallers Magor. Black metal could be considered by many in this world as a joke, mainly due to the black and white make-up, how silly the subject matter can sometimes be and because the videos are almost always set in dark forests. Magor tend to normally perform without face paint which makes them easier to take more seriously as musicians. Tonight, they have decided to paint the bottom half of their faces a sort of brown colour, almost giving the effect of restraint masks a la Hannibal Lecter. I actually find it to be a good look. Looks aside, let's focus on the music.
I can give or take black metal. Once in a while, I hear a great track and really get into it. It is the same here tonight. Magor played a great mixture of blast beats, melodic keyboard parts and metal grooves. They have that Behemoth sound and the crowd love it. Pumping their fists and chanting "hey" at every possible moment. I normally find that quite annoying and think it should really only be allowed at stadium shows for really big bands. Tonight, however, it all seems fitting as Magor put on a great performance and their musicianship is bang on. Obviously, being black metal, nothing really sticks in my head, but the music is diverse enough that it doesn't just sound like the same song over and over.
The main stand out point was the use of the long shofar. The shofar is traditionally a ram's horn that is blown in Jewish culture to mark both the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. I spotted it hanging off the mic stand at the beginning of the set and was unsure if it was just for show. I then got my answer when the frontman, Aviv, plays the shofar mid one of the songs. As interesting as it is to hear a shofar amidst a black metal song, I don't really see its significance. The shofar pretty much just has one tone and I don't feel it added anything special to the song.
If you like black metal and want to check out something a bit different, Magor's debut album Drawn To The Dark came out earlier this year. They are also worth checking out live. They got to play Wacken this year and I'm sure will be touring other areas in due course.
4/5