Nominate Orphaned Land to 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

Here is my petition to nominate the Israeli metal band Orphaned Land to the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. Orphaned Land has managed to create a reality of coexistence in the region that has escaped politicians and peacemakers alike. This petition is just step one in the process of nominating this band. It’s goal is to generate support and buzz. If you haven’t already signed it, please do and share with your online community. Let’s make history.     

Johanna Fakhry: A Dance of Moral Courage.

Johanna Fakhry, the talented and courageous Lebanese dancer who joined Orphaned Land on stage, has penned a response to her inspiring and controversial artistic collaboration with the Israeli band.

* I have slightly edited the letter for grammar and flow (where meaning was unclear, I left untouched).

Facing the amount of mails concerning the deed we’ve done on stage at the Hellfest Festival with Orphaned Land – that is to say raising and uniting on stage both Lebanese and Israeli flag – your worldwide reactions as bad or positive, as hateful or supportive as they can be, led us (Kobi and I) to write a statement explaining and not justifying our behaviour.

Atzmus: Argentinian-Jewish Metal.

Providence on Myspace

Yesterday, I created a myspace page for my former Metal band Providence (Yes, that is me with a really bad heavy metal haircut).

Here is the bio:

While the Israeli metal scene stands today on the twin pillars of Salem and Amaxez, the short-lived yet manu-Metal career of the band Providence is a story that stands to be told.

“One of the most original bands in the early days of the Israeli metal scene” says Yossi Sassi, guitarist for the Israeli Metal giant Orphan Land. “They inspired me to become better, a better player and a more original musician, since they were truly unique in what they did.”

Providence was the brainchild of guitarists Gev Decktor and Asi Faran, who in 1992 joined forces with bassist Roi Ben-Yehuda and drummer Ran Lev-Ari (later replaced by the indefatigable Ran Jurgenson) to create the skull-crushing quartet.

“With Providence” says Decktor, “I knew that I wanted to create something special. I wanted to raise my musical level a few notches higher after my Death Metal era. In order to do so, I formed a super-band with precise players and melodic content.”

From the beginning it was clear that Providence was no ordinary band. With a charismatic front man, soaring guitar parts, thumping bass lines, and two fantastic drummers, Providence was a perfect example of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Their sound was fast, heavy, gritty, and dirty.

Eldad Eilam, keyboardist for the progressive metal band Sword of Damocles, remembers his first Providence concert. “Going to a Providence concert was an experience like no other. The band was so loud and energetic that the crowd got into a dionystic frenzy. I remember going to the bathroom after the show and seeing some kid whose mouth was bleeding because he dived from the top floor of the club. That was metal!”

Surprisingly (your dead!), Providence only played four shows to its name. Three were in support of Amaxez, Pungent Stench, and Napalm Death, while the last was a headline show at the legendry Israeli rock club, the Roxanne. The music on this page is from the 12/15/92 Roxanne show.

We will never know what would have happened if Providence had persevered. But at the very least, let this page stand as a tribute to a band whose light burned fast, but whose rhythm burned even faster.

Providence – RIP

To visit the page and hear what we sounded like, please click here.