ISRAELI METAL BANDS THAT AREN’T ORPHANED LAND

With Orphaned Land’s new album, The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, coming out Tuesday on Century, now seemed like a good time to take a look at some Israeli metal bands that aren’t as well known. Ready? Here we go…

1. WINTERHORDE: There’s something kinda funny to me about an Israeli band with the word “winter” in their name, ’cause I’ve been to Israel in the winter, and while it can certainly get chilly there, it’s still a million times more preferable than, say, being here in NY when there’s a snow storm (as there is apparently going to be tonight… swell.). To look at Winterhorde’s blown-out, barren press photos and listen to their symphonic, epic, blackened melodic death metal, you’d think they came from a land that isn’t, y’know, the desert. But whatever; I actually really dig this band. Guitarist Barakk knows how to write and execute a fun solo, and the music isn’t exactly original, but it’s still pretty rockin’. And like I said, it’s also pretty EPIC. Check out Winterhorde here.
2. DIRK DIGGLER: Yes, there is an Israeli grind band that took it’s name from Mark Wahlberg’s porn moniker in Boogie Nights. The band’s members also take their stage-names from characters in that same film – namely Brock Landers (vocals), Chest Rockwell (guitars), and Rollergirl (drums… although don’t get your hopes up, the drummer is not actually a girl). Anyways, the band makes able-bodied, if not very distinctive, grindcore. I could see them making something killer in the future, but they’re not quite there yet. You can check out Dirk Diggler here.

Alright. As if I even had to ask… feel free to suggest more Israeli metal bands in the comments section below.

And next week, I’ll have a special Jew on Jew interview with Orphaned Land’s Kobi Farhi!

-AR