First of all, let’s talk about the tour you guys are currently doing here in North America. You are touring with Septic Flesh, Krisiun, Ex-Deo and Inquisition. How has this tour been so far?
You know: interesting package, diverse. And that’s what we need: to get fans of each band to get to know the other bands. Most nights have been amazing and it hasn’t been a long tour so, it’s pretty good.

Any favorite moments so far?
Yeah, there are a lot of fun stuff happening. I really enjoyed our shows up in Canada, NY was excellent, Chicago… And sometimes the small shows like yesterday at Lake Tahoe: it was insane! We were in the middle of nowhere and the crowd, (I guess they don’t have too many shows there) they were so into it. So: small, compact place but jammed packed and crazy.

This year was apparently a slower year, concert wise, for you guys. You only played a few concerts in Europe and now you are doing this North American tour. Why?
Well, if you think about it… a year [ago], at this time, we were on the road. We’ve done 5 tours for this album, that’s quite a lot and we are going to do a 6th [one] as well. Many bands just do one or two.

In 2012, the focus was in the fall so, right now we are doing one [tour]. We were supposed to do another [tour] after this, in Europe, but that got postponed.

Yeah, it just happened like that, scheduling wise. We couldn’t play earlier in Europe because, like I said, last October we were in Europe so we had to wait a little.

This year you have also released a Digital EP (Mystics of the Pillar II). Why did you decide to release this EP instead of a full length album, since your previous album (The Epigenesis) was released back in 2010?
First of all, it became customary to have an album every one or two years. It is an album… a collection of songs. When we have a collection of songs that we feel that are strong, we make an album, regardless of customs and norms… maybe more like quality over quantity.

The EP was merely a bonus to the fans because it’s from the sessions of the [last] album. We have a song called “Mystics of the Pillar”. I play it in two different ways that end completely differently. So, we recorded it twice and we thought: “OK, we will release it to the people who

want it”. And we had a couple of songs released without vocals.

We did it digital so it is affordable… a couple of bucks, so if you want it you can get it and have some fun, you know?

But, when it comes to releasing an album, that takes a lot of work. There is when it comes the balance: don’t tour and stay home writing or tour a lot and slow down your writing. At the moment I’m still at the writing process so, it is going to take a while (laughs).

Have you found a Digital release to be as successful as a physical, standard release?
Digital means that people with iphones or whatever can download it on the spot and enjoy a couple of songs. That simple… nothing more, nothing less. If you are going to make it into a physical [release] it is going to cost a lot. So, for the three songs you are going to have to charge $6 or $7, which I don’t think it is really fair. However, we are making it on vinyl just for the vinyl collectors, because they like it that way.

So, jus

t to complete these questions: do you plan for a full length album release?
We have plans, but very far from now (laughs). I have a lot of music… a lot. But I haven’t composed a single song in its entirety. It is just that I keep constructing, deconstructing, constructing, deconstructing…. And then, we go on tour. When we come back from a tour I don’t want to see my guitar for a couple of weeks, you know? “Keep that thing away from me” [in a funny way]. And then, you get rehabilitated to start writing…

I think that the next 6 or 7 months are going to be so crucial. It will give an indication of when an album is going to be coming.

You have had many changes in lineup throughout the years, especially for bassists. Is Scorpios still touring with you guys? Will he be a permanent member of the band or will you guys keep the lineup without a permanent bassist?
Yeah [he is still playing with the band]. What happened is: we had a bass player and we fired him. That simple. Then, Scorpios (who I’ve known for many years) came to do session with us and played in concerts. We like him; he is going to stick around.

Live, we always use a session guitar player because my guitar player [Moloch] doesn’t like to tour a lot. He did it last year during the tour with Rotting Christ because of circumstances, but usually he stays at home and we use someone to “stand in” for him. That’s how it works. So, it is really not a lineup change, it is the way the band is set-up. For writing we are like “this” and when we go live we use someone else.

Talking about the history of the band: you guys are from Jerusalem but now you live in Europe. Do you have any plans to ever go back to live in Jerusalem?
Yeah… well… that’s a very good question. I go there a lot to visit, right? My family is always urging me to go live there and now, my guitar player just moved there (he finished his PHD in the States and now he is teaching at some university there), and he is like: “Come on, move back!”. I’m not sure I want to do that. There’s too much hate. Nice place… I love the place but, people are “angry”. That’s my problem. When there’s a bit less hate maybe I will [go back].

So, what is Moloch’s PHD on?
Well, he started with philosophy but he changed to political science. This band is very educated! I’ve got an MBA … We like to do that. I did my MBA but I don’t want to get a job. I just want to play my heavy metal. I did it and I paid for it with touring! (laughs) I got money from touring and paid a University, how nerd is that?

Tell us a little bit about your MBA…
It is a Masters in Business Administration. It is the highest masters you can get to run a company or organization. It is not a Masters in marketing, or in accounting… it’s in everything. It was a tough one (laughs).

Yeah! I’m an Engineer… A lot of nerds in metal (laughs)!
Yeah… but the thing is, I’m anything but a nerd because in school I was always failing … really bad. I was terrible! I just wanted to play rock n’roll and run away from school, they kicked me out of school. It was Catholic and I was into metal, they kicked me [out], they told me I would never graduate and I said: “Fuck you, I don’t want to graduate”. So, the finals… the national exams in Israe

l, I never did them. I went to Holland, did the National exams there, became the best at my University, I got a BA in Business and then a Masters Degree with like, “A”s. How the fuck I did that? Because I wanted to. When I wanted to do it, it was more like a passion. I enjoyed what I was reading so…

How is the metal scene in your home country when comparing to the European and North American scenes?
The metal scene is the same everywhere… people like the music… it’s more similar than it is different.

I’m not Israeli or Palestinian. My family is Armenian, from a Christian background. But, I’ve blended in both societies. The Arabic side: they didn’t have a metal scene. The Israeli side: they have a bit of a metal scene… always there. Small! Very small market but it’s there. There are some clubs, there are some bands going there.

However, there is a new phenomenon in the Arabic countries: it exploded! Everybody is listening to metal. It is huge now. We played in Dubai, two times. People came from Egypt, from Morocco, from Lebanon. And they have a lot of bands also. So, the Arabic metal scene is getting huge… really huge!

But, it is still illegal for many countries and they’ve got social pressure as well. So, it is difficult in some countries where kids get arrested for it, just for listening to it. I know bands that got arrested in Lebanon but, now it’s ok. In Morocco there was once a “crack down” to all the headbangers until the king interfered and said: “you stay away from these guys” and now it is ok (because he thought it was retarded, of course).

So, it depends on the country. In Syria they were tolerated but now they have a civil war. Dubai it is not a problem at all. In Southern Arabia it’s completely forbidden so, when you hear about bands that are playing there, they are either risking their lives or they are connected to the government. The ones that appear in interviews are connected so, they are not heroes in my eyes, they are just brats. Anyway… that’s how the scene is there.

So, is it forbidden for metal in general or more to like, black metal?
They don’t know the difference. You could be an Emo and they would call you Satanist. Now, in the new and free Iraq they are killing kids that are listening to Emo because they are called Satanists or “faggots”. That’s what they say. Disgusting…

So yeah, it is not easy in the Middle East in general. But, Jerusalem is a complete different story, of course. Israel is more westernized. I actually always compare Tel Aviv and California: same weather, looks the same, same attitudes, etc.



Talking about next year now: what are the plans for 2013?
We are going to have another tour or two (if we come back to America). And I’m just going to be writing and, writing and, writing like crazy…. in theory (laughs). I hope so. You know, you need to be inspired and relaxed. I live in Amsterdam and I live alone there so, all I do is to try to plug my guitar and make some music. I also need to travel a little bit. I can’t stay put in one place so, I travel a little bit for inspiration. I might hang out here in the States… here in LA.

Any messages to the SOM readers?
All I say is: if you a reading this it means that you are interested in the band or in metal. Keep it up! You guys keep the scene alive!

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interview réalisée par Deesse_de_la_nuit

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