FEATURING MEMBERS OF MELVINS, RED FANG,  JUNIUS,  EXHUMED, RWAKE, ORPHANED LAND, HULL, EARTH, AND KILL THE CLIENT

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike have graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time two to three times a day for the whole week.

After the jump, check out the next group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

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When I interviewed Kobi Farhi, vocalist for the Israeli metal band Orphaned Land, last year, he had some really interesting things to say about the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians: he claimed that Orphaned Land “has a legion of Arab fans,” some of whom “have been thrown in jail” for liking a Jewish band. He also expressed an idealistic notion that music can transcend prejudices:

“We believe that music is the strongest tool to get people closer. For example, you and your worst enemy, you could both love the same band without knowing it. Once you realize this, then you see that it’s possible to have at least one thing in common with each other. That is nothing but a door for a dialog between the both of you.”

Now Farhi and company are putting these thoughts into action — they’re giving away their latest album, The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR, for free, legal download to fans in Arabic countries.

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Mazel tov to reader Noah Mezsick, who correctly identified the first night of Hanukkah’s trivia question — yes, Orphaned Land’s Kobi Farhi is the poor musician that I accidentally introduced to frum porn earlier this year. I hear he’s had nightmares ever since. I apologize, Kobi! In any case, Noah wins a mystery prize courtesy of Century Media, and a dreidel, courtesy of us. L’chaim!

Now… ONTO NIGHT SHTAYIM!  (I think that’s Hebrew for “two.” If I fucked up, well, oops.) Here’s the trivia question:

• Which of the following metal-affiliated musicians is NOT Jewish: C.C. DeVille, Mike “Lonestar” Carrigan, Igor Cavalera, Necro

E-mail your answer to axl [at] metalsucks.net with the phrase “HEAVY METAL HANNUKKAH – NIGHT 2″ in the subject line. All entries should include your name and mailing address in addition to your answer, and are due by 5 pm tomorrow (Friday, December 3) evening. Shortly thereafter we’ll announce the winner and post night 3’s trivia question. And while you don’t have to be Jewish to enter the contest, you do have to live in the U.S. What, you want we should go broke on shipping charges?

-AR

Video of Orphaned Land in Times Square Monday night courtesy lindersgirl, whomever she is.

The thing about Times Square is, it’s a total dichotomy of a mind fuck. It has absolutely nothing to do with what New York City is really like, but it’s one of the most recognizable and visited areas in NYC; great art is produced there every day, right across the street from cynical garbage cash-grabs; it has some really amazing restaurants, all right down the block from a Forest Gump themed eatery, Applebee’s, and the world’s most obnoxious McDonald’s.

Perhaps no venue better exemplifies this neighborhood’s tension between worthy endeavors and soul-sucking wastes of space than BB King’s. It’s named after one of history’s most revered guitar players, it’s clean, ticket prices tend to be reasonable (all things considered), and they host an abundance of metal shows, when they’re not busy with Beatles Brunch (yes that’s a real thing and yes a cover band in mop-top wigs is involved) or whatever. They also feature the city’s most dickish security staff (no moshing allowed), beer so expensive that even the bartenders will readily admit that the prices are stupid, and an incredible inability to produce decent sound for a place that is allegedly a music venue.

And somehow, it’s fitting that this is where I saw the Israelis in Orphaned Land and the Germans in Suidakra play Monday night.

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Well I had a heckuva afternoon, what with a horde of Veil of Maya fans all e-mailing me at once to express their upset that VOM’s new song wasn’t up at the time we said it would be. But it’s up now, and we think that the track, “Namaste” – not “Dexter,” as our stupid audio player says – is terrific. You can listen here and join in on the fun.

Here are some other fun things that happened this week:

• We did a Jew on Jew interview with Orphaned Land’s Kobi Farhi and released the audio of Vince’s confusing interview with Andrew W.K.
• One of As I Lay Dying guitarist Nick Hipa’s theories about L O S T was correct!!!
• Bob Cock thinks Armour are AWESOME.
• Dave Ellefson has returned to Megadeth!
• The Ultimate Warrior rules, and The Red Chord agrees.
• Anthrax’s Worship Music finally a release date: the fifth of never.
• If you have a child, don’t do this.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

-AR

Two Orphaned Land posts in one day! Oy!

But this isn’t an Orphaned Land post – not really.

See, as part of my Jew on Jew interview with Orphaned Land’s Kobi Farhi, I asked him to recommend some other Israeli metal bands. I haven’t had a chance to go through the list yet, but one of the bands he talked about was Whorecore. And MetalSucks reader “israelizach” recommended that same band to us just last week. And now, lo and behold, the MS Reader Formerly Known As Prince e-mailed us to point out that Whorecore have a new video, for a song called “Whore Baby” that I really think my mother would like. Here’s the video (some parts of it may be considered NSFW, depending on how strick your workplace is):

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Orphaned Land’s “Sapari” might be the only song ever that makes me want to dance the horah and mosh (moshorah?) simultaneously. A portrayal, or dramatization, if you will, of such a universe-altering event is not the way the band chose to go for the video for this song, but, y’know, this works, too.

Orphaned Land’s new album, The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, is out now on Century Media. If you haven’t already read my Jew on Jew interview with OL vocalist Kobi Farhi, do it before The Chosen People smite thee.

Wait, do Jews smite?

-AR

[via Noisecreep]

Oh, sure, we’ve done Jew on Jew with a half-Jew and a dude who has spent a lot of time in Israel and is a self-proclaimed “bad Jew,” but Orphaned Land vocalist Kobi Farhi? The dude is FROM Israel! He calls himself a “proud Jew!” With all due respect to Eyal and Mookie, on the Jew scale they can’t even touch Kobi. Hell, the guy has probably forgotten more about Judaism than Vince or myself ever even knew.

With Orphaned Land’s excellent new album, The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, out today on Century Media, now seemed like the perfect time to pick Kobi’s brain about all things Jew-y. After the jump, get Kobi’s thoughts on everything from serving in the Israeli military to the conflict in the Middle East to frum porn. L’chaim!

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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…

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Israel’s Orphaned Land have just announced a February 9 release date for their new album, The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, and, yes, we’re going to try and do one of those excellent Jew on Jew interviews that we sometimes do with a member of the band. But while those pieces usually tend to lean towards the, um, let’s say “sillier” aspects of Judaism, I have a feeling that the members of Orphaned Land might have something headier on their minds. I mean, check out what vocalist Kobi Farhi has to say about the album’s themes:

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