On November 23, 1987, "Black Sabbath" released their thirteenth studio album "The Eternal Idol". It arrived during one of the most unstable, chaotic, and uncertain periods the band had ever endured. After years of internal turmoil, shifting lineups, management disputes, and creative exhaustion, "Black Sabbath" were once again fighting for survival. This album became the first to feature vocalist Tony Martin . What happened behind the scenes was nothing short of a storm. Recording began in October 1986 on the island of Montserrat with producer Jeff Glixman, bassist Dave Spitz, drummer Eric Singer, and vocalist Ray Gillen. But almost immediately the ground began to shake beneath the band. Glixman left early in the process, and Vic Coppersmith-Heaven was brought in to replace him. Spitz left during the sessions, and Bob Daisley — one of the most respected bassist/lyricists in the hard rock world — was brought in to re-record the bass parts. But he too left the band before production was complete, choosing to commit to his work with Gary Moore . The situation became even more complicated when Ray Gillen, struggling with the lyrics, walked away shortly after returning from Montserrat. Singer recorded his drum tracks and immediately left as well, eventually joining Daisley in Gary Moore ’s touring band. Both of them would later form "Badlands" with Greg Chaisson and Jake E. Lee . With Gillen gone, the band held a series of auditions. Among those who tried out was Jon Oliva of "Savatage". But ultimately, they chose a young, and then unknown vocalist — Tony Martin — whose voice possessed the perfect combination of power, melody, and emotional weight. Under the guidance of producer Chris Tsangarides, Martin re-recorded all of Gillen’s vocals at "Battery Studios" in London, rewriting phrasing, shaping new melodies, and giving the album the identity it desperately needed. Meanwhile, the album credits were becoming as messy as the lineup. The sleeve mistakenly listed Dave Spitz as the bass player, though every note was performed by Bob Daisley. Bev Bevan, credited with percussion, only added small cymbal overdubs to “ Scarlet Pimpernel ,” while Eric Singer played all drums. And in the eye of the storm stood Tony Iommi , the last original member, holding the entire project together with unwavering determination. Alongside him, shaping atmosphere, was longtime collaborator Geoff Nicholls , whose keyboards once again served as the album’s unseen emotional spine. "The Shining"  opens with enormous force — a blistering Iommi riff and Martin’s soaring voice colliding into something dramatic and urgent. In a single moment, a new era of "Sabbath" was born. "Ancient Warrior"  drifts into deeper mystery. It is dark, melodic, and cinematic, a shadowy hymn wrapped in layered guitars and slow-burning tension. "Hard Life to Love"  brings a brighter, melodic metal feel, still anchored by Iommi’s unmistakable heaviness but infused with accessibility and confidence. "Glory Ride"  is fierce and energized, with a chorus that lifts Martin into near-operatic territory. It sounds like a band rediscovering its strength. "Born to Lose"  opens the second side of the vinyl. It is sharp, cutting, and emotionally charged — a reflection of the frustration behind the scenes. "Nightmare"  returns to a brooding, doom-laden atmosphere, echoing the band’s early darkness while filtered through late-80s production. "Scarlet Pimpernel"  offers a brief, delicate instrumental detour — a moment of breath and melancholy shaped largely by Nicholls’ keyboards. "Lost Forever"  moves aggressively, driven by urgency and raw determination. It feels like the band fighting back against everything trying to tear it apart. "Eternal Idol"  closes the album with scale and weight. It is slow, towering, and emotionally rich — one of Iommi’s greatest late-80s compositions and one of Martin’s most powerful performances. Later reissues added a wealth of bonus material, including Ray Gillen’s original vocal takes — rough, intense, and fascinating glimpses into an alternate version of the album that never came to be. Bonus tracks like "Black Moon"  (featuring Geoff Nicholls on bass) and "Some Kind of Woman"  (featuring Dave "The Beast" Spitz  on bass), provided additional insight into the fragmented and evolving creative process surrounding the sessions. Upon release, "The Eternal Idol" struggled commercially and received lukewarm reviews, overshadowed by the band’s earlier storms and the constant changes in its lineup. But with time, fans rediscovered its depth. Today it stands as the quiet beginning of the Tony Martin era — an era many fans view as one of the most musically rewarding and emotionally rich periods in the band’s later history. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On November 22, 2005, "Rush" released the DVD and double disc "R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour". The disc and DVD document the special tour that the band went on for the occasion of its 30 years of activity. They were recorded during the band's performance held on September 24, 2004 in Frankfurt, Germany. The album features songs from all of the band's albums, including the " Feedback " EP released in light of the 30th-anniversary celebrations and included cover versions of songs on which the band grew up, but with the exception of " Presto " that we reviewed just yesterday. When we say performance from all the band's albums, we also mean the amazing Medley " R30 Overture " that opens the show and includes riffs of songs from the band's first six albums, as follows: (" Finding My Way ", " Anthem ", " Bastille Day ", " A Passage to Bangkok ", " Cygnus X-1 ", " Hemispheres "). In fact "R30" is the only official live album of "Rush" where you can hear the band performing cover versions of other bands, with 4 of the 8 songs on Feedback included in the Setlist. Since the show and DVD were released only two years after " Rush In Rio ", the band made an effort not to repeat themselves in terms of choosing the songs for the Setlist. Although the stylist includes 22 tracks, the full show included 30 songs and these can only be found in the Blu-Ray version. The eight songs that have been dropped out from the list of songs on the CD and DVD version, are those that have already appeared on the live album " Rush In Rio " which was released two years earlier, and these are: " Bravado ", " One Little Victory ", " By-Tor and the Snow Dog ", " La Villa Strangiato ", " YYZ ", " Red Sector A ", " The Trees ", and " Secret Touch ". The show features two songs in an unplugged version performance. " Resist " and the cover version " Heart Full of Soul " performed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson on guitars, at the end of Neil Peart 's drum solo, after he leaves the stage. If we already mentioned " Rush In Rio ", then "R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour" is different from it in many ways. As you may recall, the band arrived late for the show "Rush In Rio" due to a severe tropical storm that took place in the area. They took the stage late, at 10 pm, without a sound check and without the recording crew checking and examining the recording equipment. Conversely here, everything has been prepared with meticulous precision in advance and without any misses and this is definitely reflected in the sound. The sound in Rio was also heavier than any other performance of the band we know and here an attempt was made to stick to the original sound of the albums. Another difference is the audience. While the audience in "Rush In Rio" was the fourth member of the band, sweeping the band members after them in their endless energies which is reflected in the final mix, in this case, a reverse attempt seems to be made to give the listener as clean production as possible, while filtering background noise and in our opinion even some of the crowd channel with it. There is no doubt that the performance in the case of the "R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour" is tighter and more precise. From Geddy Lee 's voice to Alex Lifeson 's guitar that was missing something in " Rush In Rio " making many of his solos sound a little awkward. And of course, it is impossible without mentioning Neil Peart 's " Der Trommler " drum solo. The solo was built by Peat very carefully and with a lot of thought. It lasts more than 8 minutes and includes a variety of styles and a lot of sounds and effects that go beyond the usual drums and percussion sound. So for those who are wondering. Peart's electronic drums allow him to program certain sounds for a drum, pad or cymbal so that any tapping on them will play sounds and pieces of music that accompany Peart during the solo. So even if you do not have two hours plus free time, to listen to the shortened version of the disc, do yourself a favor and at least listen to the first tracks of the album and at least to the " R30 Overture " medley. Enjoyment is guaranteed: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... Have you ever wondered what was the first album ever to be played in space? On November 22, 1988, "Pink Floyd" released the double concert album "Delicate Sound of Thunder". The album was recorded during five consecutive concerts held at the Coliseum "Nassau" in New York, between August 19-23, 1988, as part of the tour supporting the album " A Momentary Lapse of Reason ". The shows reunited on stage the three remaining "Pink Floyd" members David Gilmour , Nick Mason , and Richard Wright , after the court ruling that they could continue to use the band's name after Roger Waters left it in 1985. Of course, the album included a high presence of songs from the album " A Momentary Lapse of Reason ", but the band also performed classics such as: " Shine On You Crazy Diamond ", " Time ", "Wish You Were Here ", " Us and Them ", " Money ", " Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) " and of course " Comfortably Numb ". At the same time as the album, the band also released the performance on video, which included several additional tracks recorded on June 21-22, 1988 at the Chateau de Versailles in France. As we mentioned above, "Delicate Sound of Thunder" became the first album to be played in space, when Soviet cosmonauts took it aboard the "Soyuz TM-7", which was launched into space only four days after the release of the album, on November 26, 1988. David Gilmour and Nick Mason were present during the launch. Interestingly, an extended version of the album was included in the 2019 box set "The Later Years 1987–2019". It included songs not released on the original version including: " Signs of Life ", " A New Machine (Part 1) ", " Terminal Frost ", " A New Machine (Part 2) ", " The Great Gig in the Sky " " Welcome to the Machine ", " On the Run " and " One Slip ". All tracks have been remixed for the 2019 re-release. This time we also leave you with the full video performance: For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

From a small room in Netzer Sereni, through stages with Israel’s top artists, all the way to the spotlight of Israel’s biggest rock band… Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Yahav Lipinsky!! The drummer of “HaYehudim”, for whom drums are far more than an instrument… they’re a way of life, a passion, and a pure obsession. Photo: Avihai Levy = Yahav was born on November 22, 1975 and grew up in Kibbutz Netzer Sereni. = During his childhood he lived in Germany for about three years while his father was on a mission managing a local Zionist youth movement on behalf of the Jewish Agency. = At the age of 11, during a winter camp in Italy, he was exposed to drums for the first time and was instantly captivated. Since the drummer there always took his sticks with him, Yahav searched for a way to play and used wooden kitchen spoons as makeshift drumsticks. = At age 12 he would walk around all day, drumming with his teeth. His father noticed his enthusiasm and bought him his first drum, a snare for ten Deutsche Marks. He also found him his first teacher, a German keyboard player named Tom, who taught him to play songs rather than drum techniques. = When the family returned to Israel, Yahav continued learning drums with Chaim Ben Yakar, a local musician and conductor who taught him theory, sight-reading and classical pieces. In parallel he learned from veteran musicians in the kibbutz who contributed greatly to his development, including Ilan Katchka. = During this period he began playing in a small room beneath the kibbutz Live Shows Hall, where rehearsals of leading Israeli artists took place. His room was directly under the stage, and stage technicians would often come down and remove him because of the noise. Photo: Yahav Lipinski = His first truly formative live-music experience was a concert by "Rita" at the kibbutz hall in 1988, where drummer Alon Hillel performed. The production, the sound and especially Hillel’s drumming were so powerful that 13-year-old Yahav realized in that exact moment that this is what he wanted to do when he grew up. = From that day on he became completely obsessed with drums, diving into every detail he could learn and explore about this instrument. = He grew up mainly on the music his parents listened to, such as "The Beatles", "Elvis", "Simon and Garfunkel" and more. = The first album he ever owned, received as a Bar-Mitzvah gift from his aunt, was by drummer Bill Bruford, who was also the drummer for the progressive rock band "Yes". He also vividly remembers watching a televised "Guns N' Roses" concert on Israel’s experimental Channel 2, where he was exposed for the first time to distorted guitars and explosive rock drumming. = During one of the rehearsals at the kibbutz (a rehearsal of Gidi Gov and Yehuda Poliker), while he was practicing in the small room beneath the stage, he suddenly heard loud banging on the door and shouting. When he opened it, he found himself face to face with Nir Zidkyahu, then a 20-year-old drummer who would later become one of the top studio drummers in America. Instead of scolding him for the noise, Zidkyahu told him “you play nicely,” helped him tune the drum set and adjust all the hardware, and then invited him to come upstairs to the rehearsal hall so he could listen without disturbing the session. He seated him quietly in the corner and asked him to watch without being noticed. Yahav spent many days like this, sitting silently, observing and learning from some of Israel’s greatest musicians. = At age 14 he moved with his family to Nes Tziona and wanted to buy a proper drum set. On one of his walks through the neighborhood he heard someone drumming inside a house and called out from the street. The drummer invited him in, and shortly after, Yahav’s father bought the drum set from him for just a few hundred shekels. Photo: Avihai Levy = He searched for a professional framework to study drums, and at that exact time a new music school by “Klei Zemer” opened in Nes Tziona. He enrolled and discovered that his teacher was none other than Nir Zidkyahu. He studied there for several months alongside leading instructors such as Erez Netz, Ziv Harpaz, Michel Amar, Yossi Bozin and others. Yahav says that with Nir he learned to execute everything with maximum precision, including styles and rhythms he didn’t initially connect to, such as jazz and Latin. Nir had a tremendous influence on Yahav’s playing style and on the way he approaches the drum set as a whole. = At age 16 he continued his studies with Shaul Shuval (Nir’s teacher) at the “Metronome” school in Tel Aviv, which at the time was the only drum-focused school in Israel and a true pilgrimage site for drummers. There he dove deep into the smallest technical details of drumming. = During high school he began performing with various cover bands in clubs around Rishon LeZion. His father would drive him to every gig, and only years later did Yahav discover that his father stayed quietly in the audience each time and watched the shows. Around the same period he also began teaching drums himself at the "Klei Zemer" school in Nes Tziona. = At the same school he reconnected with Erez Netz and bassist Avi Strol. Erez took both Avi and Yahav under his wing, mentored them, invited them to shows, rehearsals and soundchecks, and occasionally even had them join him onstage. = From Erez he received his first recommendation for a professional gig, a show with "Shimi Tavori", which became the true starting point of his professional stage career. = A remarkable story from that time: Yahav’s father, whose son was only 17, insisted on meeting "Shimi Tavori" before allowing Yahav to travel and perform with him (including abroad). Shimi agreed, came to meet the family, and even performed a private concert in their living room. = One day a unique performance took place above the music school in the small Nes-Tziyona Mall "Knyoter", a jazz/fusion show by the late drummer Asher Fedi and an unknown guitarist. The show left a deep impression on Yahav and led him to study drums with Asher for a short period. = Around that time Yahav played everywhere and with every possible lineup, from small club cover bands to weddings and events, and even with well-known acts such as "Hakol Over Habibi" and "Avi Toledano". This time allowed him to meet many musicians in the industry, including Itzik Solam. = In 1995 he joined the rock opera “Tzevaoni Shachor” as a substitute drummer for Yuval Lyon. The opera, produced by Micha Shitrit (HaChaverim Shel Natasha), was written by Ron Solonim and Eyal Paran, sung by Alona Daniel, with guitarist Itzik Solam, the same Itzik who would later introduce him to his future band. = Itzik Solam , who was already playing with Tom Petrover and Orit Shahaf in their emerging band “HaYehudim”, invited them to see Yahav perform. They were immediately impressed, sent him tapes with songs, and invited him to an audition at the “Feedback” rehearsal rooms in Tel Aviv’s central bus station. The musical chemistry was instant. At one point they even asked if he could play harder, that was when Yahav knew he was exactly where he belonged. = In 1995 “HaYehudim” completed the recording of their debut album “Metziut Nifredet” . The album received an unusually large budget from the Hed Artzi label and featured Orit and Tom, Shmulik Budgov on guitars, Eran Mitelman on keyboards, Avi Yifrach on bass and the late Asher Fedi on drums. Photo: Ronen Lalena = “HaYehudim” wanted their debut performance to take place on the album’s release date and not before, so they began preparing for the big moment. Yahav replaced Asher on drums, Itzik Solam replaced Budgov on guitars, and the band poured every resource and every drop of energy into what was supposed to be their breakthrough, the opening slot for "Aviv Geffen" at the Arad Festival in front of tens of thousands of people. = But the breakthrough never came. The "Arad Festival Tragedy" led to the cancellation of the entire event, the cancellation of Aviv Geffen ’s show, and naturally the cancellation of “HaYehudim’s” debut performance. As a result, the band held its first-ever show parallel to the album’s release at the small “12th Night” club in Ramat Hasharon, where only 20–30 people attended. = “Metziut Nifredet” was released on August 18, 1995. It did not achieve the success the band had hoped for at first, but over the years it became an iconic, timeless album, the band’s most successful work and one of the major milestones in Israeli rock history. To this day, a significant portion of the album remains part of their live setlist. = If you don’t start big, you start small... The band believed fully in themselves and in their music, refusing to let anything stop them. The young, hungry group performed in every club they could find across the country, often in front of only a few dozen people, grinding through endless gigs and crossing Israel from end to end. At the same time, they worked any job they could just to finance the band. From then until today, the band has remained the center of each member’s life. = The label, watching its large investment collapse, decided to cut losses and shut the support down. The project known as “HaYehudim” was handed to Dana Kaminsky, who was placed in a small corner office. Dana believed in the band as fiercely as the band believed in itself and quickly became the engine behind the scenes. She booked shows, handled logistics, managed rehearsals, did sound, and took care of every detail the band needed in order to keep moving forward. Photo: Avihai Levy = Over time the band became a phenomenon, and with every show the audience grew, from a few dozen people to hundreds at each performance. Although the debut album was distributed only in limited quantities, it somehow found its way into the IDF ranks, where it spread like wildfire and triggered a nationwide explosion. From hundreds of fans, suddenly thousands of soldiers began showing up, turning every concert into a rock-and-roll force of nature. = Radio stations completely ignored the band and refused to play even a single track, largely due to the political and cultural shock that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, which reshaped the entire Israeli music landscape. This media disregard became a recurring theme in the band’s career, mentioned frequently in interviews and milestones throughout the years. = One of the defining moments came when Haim Shemesh, a key figure at Hed Artzi label, walked onstage during one of their shows, a year and a half after the debut album’s release, and presented the band with Gold records for the sales of “Metziut Nifredet.” Photo: Avihai Levy = Feeling they were on the right path, "Rockstars" but without the money, the band entered the studio, and in August 1998 released their second album, a self-titled record. The album was produced with a much smaller budget than the debut and under heavy time pressure from the label regarding both schedule and production demands. = Three interesting facts about the album… = During the final section of the song “Lifamim,” right before the line “You got to be free,” Yahav threw his headphones off mid-take due to a tempo mismatch with the keyboards and ended up recording the drum part without any playback at all. = At the end of one of the tracks (you’ll have to guess which), you can actually hear the tape reel running out. The entire album was recorded on 2-inch reel-to-reel tape. = Although the band redid the mix and mastering several times, they were never fully satisfied with the final sound and always hoped to remaster the album properly. Years later they learned that the master tapes had been sold to NMC, and the reels themselves had disappeared after being reused for other artists’ recordings. As a result, a new mix or remaster can never be created. = In 1999 the band won the title “Band of the Year” on the radio station "Galei Tzahal". They weren’t even nominated, yet they won purely thanks to hundreds of letters and dozens of phone calls from fans flooding the station. That same year they opened for "Metallica" at the Amphipark in Rishon LeZion, and a year later they opened for "Rage Against The Machine" at the Cinerama Hall in Tel Aviv. = In July 2002 the band released its third album, “Pachad Mavet.” The album had a larger production budget and was overseen by Yehuda Adar, but the process was challenging and included guitarist changes. After the album’s release the band experienced a decline in attendance, once again finding themselves performing for only a few dozen people and having to rebuild their reputation from the ground up. = At that time he felt he was losing some of his passion and inspiration for music, and searched for a different way to reignite that spark. In 2003 he earned a private pilot license for light aircraft with the aviation company "Shirgal-Knafa’im" , before he even had a driver’s license. = Also in 2003 the band released the unique and one-of-a-kind live album “HaYehudim LIVE,” recorded at their home base during those years, the "Theater Club" in Jaffa. The album was released as a double CD and DVD, featuring a new song titled “Ani Ro’eh Dam” as well as the continuation of the song “Milchama Sheketa.” = The album, which captured the raw stage energy of the band (despite significant sound challenges), triggered a renewed breakthrough, brought audiences back in huge numbers, and once again placed Israel’s biggest rock band at the top. = Another major factor in this renewed success was the song “Kach Oti.” The live version began gaining momentum on radio stations and, for the first time ever, a song by the band entered the Galgalatz playlist. That same year, Ninet Tayeb performed the track on the reality show “Kochav Nolad,” exposing the band to an even wider audience. = In December 2004 the band released the acoustic, one-of-a-kind live album “HaYehudim UNPLUGGED,” which for the first time showcased a stripped-down and intimate side of the band. The album documents the acoustic concert held on July 3, 2004 at Heichal HaTarbut in Tel Aviv and broadcast on Channel 24, featuring the band’s hits in raw arrangements for piano and acoustic guitars while still preserving the emotional power and intensity that define “HaYehudim.” The album generated significant media buzz, brought the band to new audiences, and included the track “Im Kvar,” which became a major radio hit and a permanent part of the band’s live setlist. = In 2005, after a full year of working on their next album, the band decided to take a break and fly to the United States for a music-inspired trip. They arrived in New York hoping to feel and be moved by the local music scene. The experience didn’t quite live up to their expectations (see: the song “New York City”), but they still enjoyed the trip and performed several shows under the name I.U.D.M. = When they returned to Israel, they came back sharply focused on recording the new album. Unlike previous albums, this time they chose Yossi Hasson, then a young and unknown recording engineer whose story parallels that of Adam Kasper with the "Foo Fighters". Having worked as a sound engineer on the "LIVE" album, Yossi understood exactly what they wanted sonically, and the band felt he could capture and translate their vision. They brought him on as the recording engineer for the album. = In July 2007 the band released its fourth album, “Forte.” For many fans, this is considered their best-sounding record, an album that manages to capture and convey the full power of the band. For the band itself, “Forte” marked a major turning point: they took full control over the sound and production direction, working closely with Yossi Hasson, who deeply understood their artistic intention and translated it into a precise, powerful result. The internal band chemistry, especially with Daniel Brecher and Guy Beer on guitars, was tighter and more in sync than ever, enabling the band to deliver exactly what it envisioned. = Between 2008 and 2012 Yahav returned to the “Shirgal-Knafa’im” flight school, this time as an instructor. He was also responsible for operating the digital learning system and developing pedagogical technological tools, eventually establishing the first virtual flight-training school in Israel. From there he went on to study computer science between 2013 and 2017, which led him into the high-tech world. He worked full-time from 2015 to 2019 while still performing and rehearsing with the band. = In 2019 a turning point arrived. On the very day his company was launching a new software version (a classic startup scenario of 24/7 work), “HaYehudim” had a major concert at Heichal HaTarbut in Tel Aviv. Yahav realized the combination was no longer sustainable. He moved to part-time work and eventually left the employee world altogether to become self-employed. = In July 2015 the band released its fifth album, “Yoter Lo.” The album featured Nir Maimon on bass and Omri Agmon on guitar alongside Guy Baar and the rest of the band. Although it remains one of our personal favorites, it did not achieve significant commercial success and is only minimally represented in the band’s current live setlist. = In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band halted all activity like many artists around the world. This unexpected break brought the members closer as friends and allowed them to invest more time in their families. Yahav says this period strengthened the human bond within the group, a foundation he believes is one of the main reasons the band has stayed together for so many years. = On June 1, 2022, a rare and extraordinary event took place for the first time in Israel. “HaYehudim,” together with Raviv Kaner and 400 musicians, guitarists, drummers, bassists, keyboardists and singers, under the musical direction of Guy Mezig, performed two songs for Jerusalem Day: “Mechapes Tshuva” and “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav.” The event was held on the walls of the City of David, supported by the Jerusalem Municipality and produced by “Kappaim.” Since we ourselves took part in that event, we can say wholeheartedly that it was one of the most powerful and emotional musical moments we have ever experienced. = Another element that keeps the band united is its built-in dynamism. Each member invests in creative work outside the band as well: Tom also produces, engineers sound and edits video; Orit creates electronic music in addition to being a visual artist and clothing designer; Itzik has worked as a programmer and is involved in production; and Greg is likewise active in sound and production work. = In the studio, Yahav prefers preserving the energy and authenticity of live performance. He chooses to record full takes with the band playing together rather than constructing songs from separate pieces. = The band continues to perform relentlessly and develop new material while maintaining a balanced and collaborative dynamic. Typically, Tom and Orit bring the lyrics and melodies, and the entire band works together on arrangements, each member contributing their own musical perspective. We eagerly await the next album and continue attending shows religiously. Until the new album arrives, we invite you to listen to the incredible “Yoter Lo” on Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Today we want to tell you about Michael Hutchence. A talented singer, songwriter and actor, best known from the Australian band "INXS". (Photo: The Daily Telegraph) 1. He was born on 22 January 1960 in Sydney, Australia. In his youth, his family moved to Hong Kong for his father's business needs. 2. In 1972 the family returned to Sydney, where during high school he met keyboardist Andrew Farriss who offered him to join his band "Doctor Dolphin", which also included bassist Garry Beers. 3. In 1977 they formed a new band "The Farriss Brothers" which included Tim Farriss on lead guitar, Andrew Farriss on keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums Garry Beers on bass and Kirk Pengilly on saxophone and guitar. 4. The band that would later change its name to "The Vegetables" and later to "INXS", made their first live appearance on August 16, 1977, in a suburb outside Sydney. 5. The band released their first single in May 1980 and in October of that year their first album called "INXS" was released. 6. Hutchence was the band's lead songwriter throughout the years. 7. In 1984 the band won its first Australian hit "Original Sin", which reached number one on the charts. 8. The band's big breakthrough was in 1987 with their sixth album "Kick", which won the band great success outside Australia as well and sold more than 20 million copies. 9. The band's seventh album "X" was released in 1990 and rode the wave of success of its predecessor. 10. In 1991, Hutchence won the Best International Artist Award at the British Music Awards. 11. He wrote the song "Suicide Blonde" about Kylie Minogue with whom he had a romantic relationship. 12. Michael Hutchence' name has also been linked to other celebrities such as singer Belinda Carlisle, Danish model Helena Christensen and actress and Australian TV presenter Kym Wilson. 13. In August 1992 while walking with Helena Christensen on the streets of Copenhagen, Hutchence was attacked by a taxi driver after he refused to move his vehicle. 14. As a result of the attack, Hutchence was left with a skull fracture and an almost complete loss of sense of taste and smell. 15. The attack plunged Hutchence into a deep depression that also made him aggressive. The band members testified that at that time he also attacked them. 16. In the mid-90s, Hutchence began a romantic relationship with TV presenter Paula Yates, who left her husband Bob Geldof in his favor. A daughter named Tiger was born in 1996. 17. Shortly before his death, Paula was supposed to visit Hutchence along with her four children (three of them from the marriage to Geldof), but Geldof prevented this following custody battles over them. 18. Hutchence was found lifeless in the hotel where he was staying in Sydney on November 22, 1997. Paula and Geldof were the last to talk to him, he was broken by the fact that he could not see his daughter Tiger and hang himself. 19. The cause of death was determined to be suicide, although his partner Paula Yates later claimed it was suffocation as a result of sexual intercourse. 20. Hutchence' funeral was held on November 27 with the coffin being carried by the rest of his INXS bandmates and his younger brother. 21. The song played during the funeral was the band's big hit "Never Tear Us Apart". 22. Hutchence has released ten albums that have sold over 60 million copies with "INXS". 23. After his death, his friends from "INXS" participated in the reality show "Rock Star: INXS", in which they chose a singer to replace him in the band. 24. The band released two more albums with Hutchence, along with the replacement singer, but failed to replicate the success they had while Hutchence was a member of the band. 25. A documentary about Michael was released In 2019. It told his story through stills picures and videos. The movie is called "Now Mystify: Michael Hutchence". "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

"The Beatles" album, also known as "The White Album", was released on November 22, 1968. There are so many interesting facts about this album, so this time we had to make an effort to make it short. So here are 53 facts about "The White Album": 1. This is the band's ninth studio album and it's only double album. 2. The album cover is plain white with no graphics or text other than the band name, as a contrast to the colors and the visual clutter on the cover of the previous album " Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ". 3. Although not included on the album, the songs " Hey Jude " and " Revolution " (a different version of which exists on the album) were recorded in the same sessions and were released as successful singles. 4. Most of the songs on the album were written by the band members during their stay in Rishikesh India with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. 5. The atmosphere in the studio at the time of the recordings was not good. (Photo: thewhitealbumproject.com) 6. Drummer Ringo Starr left the band for two weeks during the recordings, he felt unappreciated by his friends, got on the yacht of actor Peter Sellers, and sailed to Sardinia. 7. In his absence Paul McCartney was forced to play drums on the songs " Back in the U.S.S.R " and " Dear Prudence ". 8. Eventually the band sent him a telegram in which they stated that he is the best rock and roll drummer in the world. That was enough for him to return. When he returned to the studio he was greeted with the inscription "Welcome Back, Ringo" written with flowers on his drum set. 9. The one who gave Paul McCartney the idea for the opening song " Back in the U.S.S.R ", is none other than Mike Love from "The Beach Boys". He spent time in India while Paul McCartney was there and heard him play what would become the song during breakfast. Love told McCartney that he needed to write something about girls from the Soviet Union. 10. The song was written by Paul McCartney as a parody of Chuck Berry's song "Back in the U.S.A.". 11. The jet plane effect in the song differs between the mono version and the stereo version of the album. 12. The phrase "Georgia on My Mind" in the song, refers to Georgia which was once part of the Soviet Union. 13. The song " Glass Onion " includes titles from five other Beatles songs. "I Am the Walrus", "The Fool on the Hill", "Fixing a Hole", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Lady Madonna". John Lennon wrote the song as a mockery of the band's fans who were looking for hidden messages in the band's songs. 14. It was the first song recorded with all four friends in the studio, after Ringo's return. 15. In the song John Lennon points out that the Walrus is Paul. John later noted that this was a joke. 16. " Dear Prudence " was written about Prudence Farrow - the sister of film actress Mia Farrow. She stayed with the Maharishi Yogi in India in 1968 and locked herself in a room for weeks, as part of what Lennon described as an attempt to find God faster than anyone else. The song is Lennon's attempt to persuade her to get out of her room. 17. " Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da " means life goes on in the language of the Yoruba tribe from Nigeria. 18. Paul heard Nigerian conga player Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor use the words and got the idea for the song. The Conga player later sued "the Beatles" for royalties but lost. 19. " The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill " was written by John Lennon , about a rich and spoiled student he met in Rishikesh. His name was Richard Cooke III and he went hunting for tigers during his stay in the ashram. He killed a tiger and later regretted it and said he would never kill another animal. The instrument that sounds like a flamenco guitar at the beginning of the song, is actually a Mellotron. 20. " While My Guitar Gently Weeps " was written and sung by George Harrison . Lennon and McCartney did not want the song on the album, but Harrison brought his friend Eric Clapton to the studio and when he arrived they changed their minds. Eric Clapton did not get credit for his playing because of contractual matters with the record company. (Photo: The Beatles in 1970 On Twitter) 21. Although Clapton is known as a man of Fender Stratocaster, in this song he plays a Gibson Les Paul. 22. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" was written by John Lennon after he saw a headline in a firearms magazine called "American Rifleman". Lennon thought this sentence was just delusional, since the rifle is hot only after you shot someone. 23. The character Martha in the song " Martha My Dear " is Paul McCartney 's dog, but the words are unrelated to the dog. Paul plays here with session players, without any other Beatles members. 24. " I'm So Tired " was written by John Lennon in India, after sleepless nights due to his longing for Yoko Ono. 25. This song was part of the conspiracy theory about the death of Paul McCartney , some fans claimed that if you play it back you hear the sentence: "Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him". 26. There are some versions of " Blackbird ". One of them is that it was written by Paul McCartney in India after hearing the "Blackbirds". Another version is that it's about human rights organizations in the United States, and that it was especially inspired by the "Little Rock Nine" incident, when a group of nine black students faced discrimination and segregation. 27. " Piggies " was written by George Harrison with the help of his mother and John Lennon , as a humorous bite on the word "pig" that was once attributed to greedy cops and politicians. 28. " Rocky Raccoon " was Paul McCartney 's attempt to write a cowboy song. The song was written in an ashram in India and is the result of a jam session between him and John and Donovan who did not receive credit for it. 29. " Don't Pass Me By " took Ringo Starr 5 years to write. This is the first song he wrote for the band - melody, and lyrics. 30. The line "I'm sorry I doubted you, I was so unfair, you were in a car crash and you lost your hair" from it, was one of the facts that fueled the conspiracy theory about Paul McCartney 's death and his replacement. 31. " Why Don't We Do It In The Road? " was written by Paul McCartney after seeing two monkeys having sex in India. Paul and Ringo are the only ones playing the song. 32. The bass notes heard in the song " I Will " are not played by Paul McCartney 's bass guitar. They are sounds he made by voice. 33. " Julia " was written about John Lennon 's mother. The words "ocean child" in the song refer to Yoko Ono whose name translated from Japanese is "child of the ocean". (Photo: Beatles Archive On Twitter) 34. Donovan was the one who taught John Lennon the guitar strumming style in this song. 35. You can hear an almost identical strumming style and melody in the song "Look at Me" from Lennon's 1971 album "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band". 36. " Birthday " you can hear Yoko and Pattie ( George Harrison 's wife) singing background vocals. 37. The song was written as a collaboration between Paul and John after watching the movie "The Girl Can't Help It". They tried to sound like Little Richard starring in the movie soundtrack. 38. " Yer Blues " was written by John Lennon and inspired by the blues-rock bands "Fleetwood Mac" and "Cream". 39. The only Beatles member to play " Mother Nature's Son " is Paul McCartney , who also wrote it. Producer George Martin is responsible for the addition of the brass instruments in the background. 40. " Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey ", was born from a jam session with the four friends. The version that appears on the record is more accelerated than the original. 41. " Sexy Sadie " was written by John Lennon following his disappointment with the Maharishi, after hearing that he had harassed actress Mia Farrow. 42. " Helter Skelter " was written by Paul McCartney because he wanted a more powerful song than "I Can See For Miles" by "The Who". The song is considered one of the band's heaviest and one that influenced the development of Hard Rock. 43. Sadly the song served as an inspiration to the cult members of Charles Manson to commit their murders. 44. The chord passages in the song " Long, Long, Long " were borrowed by George Harrison from the song "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" by Bob Dylan. 45. The one who plays the Hammond organ in the song is Paul McCartney . 46. ​​" Revolution 1 " is the first of 3 Beatles' "Revolution" songs. This specific version is a blues one. There is another version that came out as a b-side to the song "Hey Jude" and it is in the hard rock/rock and roll style. The third song that also appears on the white album is called "Revolution 9" and is a psychedelic-avant-garde track. 47. " Wild Honey Pie " is one of the band's short songs. It stands at only 0:53 seconds. Paul McCartney plays and sings everything we hear in this song. Among other things, he plays the harpsichord. 48. " Savoy Truffle " was written by George Harrison about Eric Clapton 's over-fondness for chocolate. The title of the song and some of the lyrics come from a chocolate bar of "Mackintosh's Good News". 49. " Revolution 9 " uses the orchestral sections from the song "A Day In A Life". 50. " Good Night " was written by John Lennon for his son Julian. Ringo Starr is the only band member featured in the song, along with an orchestra conducted by George Martin. 51. During the recordings of the album, "The Beatles" members created additional songs that would be used later in their solo careers. For example, the song " Junk " by Paul McCartney which will be released on his first solo album, and the song " Look at Me " appeared on John Lennon 's first solo album and whose melody is almost identical to the song "Julia" and the song " Not Guilty " written by Harrison that will appear later in his solo career. 52. During the recordings of the album John Lennon wrote the songs " Mean Mr. Mustard " and " Polythene Pam " which will appear a year later as part of the medley on the second side of the album Abbey Road . 53. Producer George Martin thought it would be worthwhile to reduce the number of songs to fit only one album that would include the best songs written in those sessions, but the Beatles members thought otherwise. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On November 22, 2004 “U2” released their eleventh album “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”. By the time this album was released, “U2” had already lived several musical lives, yet they entered these sessions with a hunger that felt closer to a new band than a legacy act. After reviving their classic pulse on “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”, they wanted a hard-hitting record built on instinct—loud guitars, emotional precision and the feeling of four musicians locking into place. Early sessions in 2003 with producer Chris Thomas produced ideas but not urgency; it was Steve Lillywhite’s return in early 2004 that transformed the material, sharpening the songs into a direct, rock-driven statement. With Bono  processing the loss of his father and The Edge  navigating themes of faith and personal change, the album gained a distinctly human weight beneath its power. Recording stretched across Dublin, France and California, with Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Flood and Jacknife Lee helping shape mood and texture. Yet at its core this album wasn’t about production—it was about rediscovery. The musicianship is crisp, the emotions unfiltered, and the sound more grounded than any "U2" record in years. Bono described the album as "our first rock album" and indeed, the album detonates with “Vertigo” , a burst of jagged guitar and frantic momentum that reintroduced the band with adrenaline and defiance. "Miracle Drug"  shifts the tone toward something more spiritual. Inspired by the paralyzed Irish writer Christopher Nolan, the band knew in school, who overcame severe physical disability to communicate through technology. The emotional center comes with “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” , Bono ’s intimate, unresolved farewell to his father, a performance filled with vulnerability and the weight of unspoken words. “City of Blinding Lights”  follows a different path—uplifting, shimmering and wide-eyed, a song that captures the rush of rediscovery and captures the feeling of stepping into a city and feeling overwhelmed by hope. No wonder it became one of the band’s most enduring 2000s anthems. “All Because of You”  rides on a raw, energetic guitar riff, but beneath the surface Bono draws on themes of rebirth and identity. It’s simple and bright, grounded in the band’s classic ’80s DNA. “A Man and a Woman”  began with an acoustic, chopped-up idea from The Edge , later transformed into a warm, intimate groove reflecting on mature love. Bono cited "Thin Lizzy" member Phil Lynott as the influence for the style in which he sings the song. “One Step Closer”  takes its title from a conversation Bono had with Noel Gallagher while his father was dying—when Bono asked whether his father understood what was happening, Gallagher replied, “He’s one step closer to knowing.” The song carries that suspended emotion. “Original of the Species” —partly inspired by watching Bono ’s daughters grow—became visually tied to the iPod era when Apple used a live performance in one of its campaigns. Everything narrows into clarity on “Yahweh” , the album’s closing reflection. Named after the Hebrew God’s name, it is a quiet, humble plea for transformation rather than a grand finale. Bono sings not from authority but from longing, asking for renewal and guidance. The bonus track “Fast Cars”  (included in select editions) was recorded on the last day in the studio. Bono later commented about it: "It was really just for fun, but it came out so well.." The album’s impact was immediate: it debuted at No. 1 in more than 30 countries, selling over 800,000 copies in the United States during its first week and eventually 9 million worldwide. Critics praised its emotional clarity and guitar-driven strength, and the album went on to win eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

The album "Vitalogy" which is "Pearl Jam's" third album was released on November 22, 1994. This is the album where we went in separate ways (because we decided to go with Dave Abbruzzese) so here are some interesting facts about it... 1. This is the last album recorded with drummer Dave Abbruzzese, who joined immediately after the release of the album "Ten" and was a partner in the creation and recordings of "Vs" . Although he was not one of the creators of "Ten" he definitely matched this album perfectly and continued to give the band the vibe it had on the album. 2. This album is considered by many, to be the band's most "experimental" album to date. 3. It was the second fastest-selling album in the history of the band when in the first place was "Vs". 4. Most of the album was written and created during the sound checks of the "Vs" album tour. The recordings were made in the breaks between performances. 5. During the recordings of the album, there was a legal and public battle between the band and the production company Ticketmaster following the ticket prices for its performances. It was also the catalyst for Dave's dismissal. 6. During the recordings, the relationship between the band members was at a very low point. Lack of cooperation, the deteriorating relationship between Dave and Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder (which were very tough anyway), and the fact that the mediator and peacekeeper, Stone Gossard stopped doing his job because he was broken by Eddie dictating the musical and creative direction (he even plays guitar on the album). Politics was very difficult and power struggles took place in the background. (Photo: Tony Mottram) 7. Add to all this the absence of Mike McCready from the recordings since he had to go into an alcohol and drug rehab facility. 8. The one who paid the price for the state of the relationship was drummer Dave. Just before the end of the album recordings, the band members decided to fire Dave for a reason of incompatibility. In various interviews, the band members said that the dismissals came as a result of Eddie's disgust with the character and behavior of Dave, who loved the glorious life and sought to increase the band's success (he opposed the fight with Ticketmaster). 9. Our personal opinion is that Dave was the most suitable drummer for "Pearl Jam" after Dave Krusen who recorded "Ten". After he left the band did not sound anymore like it did on the first two albums and with all the respect and immense appreciation we have for Matt Cameron he is less suited to the style. But who are we to judge, the band decided to go another way. 10. The first and founding drummer of the "Red Hot Chili Peppers", Jack Irons, was brought in to replace Dave on the very last song of the album "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me". 11. There's another song where Dave is not playing the drums but the band's drum technician Jimmy Shoaf replaced him in the song "Satan's Bed", following a tonsillectomy that Dave had to undergo at the time. 12. Some of the reviews praised the unstoppable style, roughness, eclecticism, and daring of this album. No unnecessary production or emphasis on accessible hits and melodies. But some see it as a band with no direction or statement but a collection of songs or caprices, which have not been worked out to the end for something to hear. 13. Reporter Al Weisel from Rolling Stone wrote about the album "A wildly uneven and difficult record, sometimes maddening, sometimes ridiculous, often powerful" 14. Most of the album talks about the famous dissonance that Eddie has with the music industry and the fame, the pressure created following the success, and the lack of privacy as a result of the fame. In songs like: 15. “Not for You” which expresses anger at the bureaucracy of the music industry that takes talented young people and sells their souls for final exploitation. 16. The song "Pry, To" ..... "Privacy" ...... "Priceless" .... 17. The song "Corduroy" which talks about one person's relationship with millions of people... 18. The song "Bugs", the insects that are everywhere in Eddie's head, you decide to whom he refers to... 19. In the song "Immortality" he describes the right to be famous as: "As privileged as a whore" 20. And we do not want to talk about the creepy and disturbing song "Stupidmop" that closes the album. 21. The vinyl version of the album held the top spot for the highest sales in the first week until 2014 when Jack White's "Lazaretto" album stole the lead. 22. This album earned the band its first Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance thanks to the song "Spin the Black Circle". 23. The song "Better Man" is the most successful song from the album that conquered the rock charts. 24. We talked about Ticketmaster... So during the tour to promote the album, the band boycotted the company and refused to perform at the company's events/halls. The band members were surprised that no other band joined them in the boycott... (wasn't it a shame to lose Dave because of that?) 25. The name of the album means "Exploration of Life". The initial name of the album was "Life" while on the back of the first single "Spin the Black Circle" which came out of the album was written, "From the Epic album Life". 26. The album cover is based on a book of the same name that Eddie purchased at a yard sale that contains outdated discussions about health and well-being. If you want to listen to an eclectic, difficult, and "dark" album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... On November 20, 2001, "Creed"'s third album "Weathered" was released. This album is the band's final chord, even though eight years later their last album "Full Circle" was released and the band officially disbanded in 2004. This marks the initial album without bassist Brian Marshall , with Mark Tremonti assuming all bass responsibilities in the recordings. Right from the outset, it's evident that the band, likened to a "Sawmill from Texas," opted for a heightened intensity, wielding a double-chain saw instead of the usual. Concurrently, Scott Stapp 's vocals seem to delve into lower octaves. Apart from standout tracks like "Bullets," showcasing Tremonti's peak performance and standing out as one of the band's most forceful songs, "One Last Breath," and the emotionally charged "My Sacrifice," the album lacks many standout or dazzling songs. Despite this, the album swiftly claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200 and achieved nearly a million copies in its inaugural week of release. All the tracks were penned by Scott, while Tremonti handled the musical composition. Let's delve into the symbolism behind the album's title and cover. The album's title, meaning erosion by weather, suggests a process of gradual wearing down over time, whether it be bone, a person, or anything else susceptible to environmental forces. This choice could reflect the state the band found itself in during the album's release — a period where internal strains and challenges were causing fractures, hinting at an impending end. However, the album cover introduces a compelling contrast. It features the faces of the band members engraved on a tree, a symbol of strength and endurance that appears impervious to weathering. This visual paradox prompts reflection. Despite the title's connotation of erosion and decay, the image on the cover seems to defy this concept. The robust and enduring tree, with the band members' faces etched upon it, might signify resilience and the ability to weather challenges, suggesting a potential for lasting survival even in the face of internal turbulence. In essence, the juxtaposition between the album's title and its cover creates a thought-provoking narrative, inviting listeners to contemplate the band's resilience and enduring spirit amid the perceived erosion within. Now put on a helmet and press play, the first song is just a ballistic missile !! Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Released on November 21, 2019, "Sundowning" marked the official arrival of one of the most enigmatic and emotionally intense bands of the decade. This debut album by Sleep Token was not just a collection of songs—it was a ritual, a spiritual offering, and an artistic revelation. It was unveiled slowly, track by track, every two weeks at sundown, mirroring the album’s immersive, twilight-soaked atmosphere. The origins of Sleep Token are deliberately obscured by a carefully crafted mythology. The group first emerged in 2016 with the release of their debut EP "One", followed by "Two" in 2017. But behind the masks and cryptic messages, a concept began to take shape—a collective of anonymous musicians led by the vessel of a deity known only as "Sleep," with the frontman known as Vessel acting as its earthly mouthpiece. Vessel, who sings, writes, and performs much of the music, "reportedly" had classical and jazz training and began shaping the band’s sound in secret, blending genres as diverse as R&B, post-rock, ambient, metal, and pop. The intent was never fame, but devotion—to love, to pain, to Sleep itself. From the beginning, the band's visual and sonic identity was inseparable from its mystique. Their members have never revealed their identities. On stage, they appear in robes and masks, creating a sense of ceremony. Even interviews are rare, often written as cryptic testimonials or philosophical musings. This commitment to anonymity and ritual isn't just aesthetic—it reinforces the band's central themes of worship, surrender, and transcendence through sound. Photo: Sleep Token By the time "Sundowning" was recorded, Sleep Token had already begun to cultivate a devoted underground following. The album was produced by George Lever at G1 Productions in Somerset, UK. Lever’s work on Loathe's albums helped bring a polished, emotionally resonant depth to the mix, and with "Sundowning", he helped the band achieve an ambitious sonic range. The album is spacious yet dense, heavy yet soft, often within the same track. Guitars erupt and then recede into oceans of ambient synth. Drums alternate between restrained minimalism and explosive power. Vessel’s voice, capable of both angelic falsetto and visceral growls, anchors the entire experience. What sets "Sundowning" apart is its pacing and structure. The album was released gradually over several months, each track arriving at sundown accompanied by evocative visual artwork and minimal explanation. This created a serialized listening experience, encouraging reflection on each piece before hearing the next. It wasn't just music—it was an unfolding ritual. The opener "The Night Does Not Belong to God"  introduces the record with restrained piano, electronic textures, and Vessel’s haunting vocals. There’s a vulnerability here that builds slowly, until it shatters under waves of distortion in the following track. "The Offering"  unleashes one of the album’s most aggressive moments—a fusion of djent-influenced guitar work, electronic drums, and soaring vocals that feel both pleading and defiant. The contrast is striking, and it establishes the duality at the heart of the album. "Levitate"  and "Dark Signs"  draw from R&B phrasing and melodic restraint, but beneath the surface there's tension and anguish. The dynamics are constantly in flux—melodies dissolve into silence, then swell into crescendos of reverb and layered harmony. "Drag Me Under"  offers a powerful emotional climax, its rhythmic pulse growing increasingly urgent before giving way to a silence that feels almost holy. Later tracks like "Take Aim"  and "Blood Sport"  opt for intimacy over grandeur. These are quiet, confessional pieces, carried by Vessel’s fragile voice and the echo of keys and pads that sound like distant memories. There’s a sense of loss, of letting go, that permeates the second half of the album. But the music never collapses into despair—it floats, drifts, and breathes with aching patience. Thematically, "Sundowning" is about love, sacrifice, submission, and transcendence. It’s a spiritual record, but not religious. It uses the language of devotion and ritual to explore human vulnerability and desire. Vessel sings not to a lover, but to a higher force—to Sleep, or perhaps to the very act of surrendering oneself to something greater. The lyrics are poetic, abstract, and open to interpretation, which only deepens their emotional impact. Critically, the album received widespread acclaim. Distorted Sound gave it a perfect 10/10, calling it “a redefinition of heavy music” with a “dense palette” of sound. Kerrang! gave it 4/5, praising the emotional weight of the songs and the band's ability to balance melody and menace. Fans online hailed it as one of the most innovative metal-adjacent albums of the year, even though its genre-defying nature often places it outside easy categorization. Looking back, "Sundowning" was not just the beginning of Sleep Token’s journey—it was a bold artistic statement that laid the groundwork for everything that followed. It didn’t seek to conquer the metal scene through aggression or extremity, but through intimacy and atmosphere. It dared to be soft in a genre obsessed with volume. And in doing so, it carved out a sacred space all its own. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On November 20, 2020, Iron Maiden released their live album "Nights Of The Dead, Legacy Of The Beast: Live In Mexico City. The album was recorded during the band's sold-out performances in Mexico City in September 2019. Well, we really have already stopped counting how many live albums this band has, but they have at least 13 of these, and you're probably wondering why we need another one? Why? Because "Iron Maiden" is one of the best live acts that exist on this planet, one that burns the stage, unusually excites the audience, spreads insane energies everywhere, and the audience of course returns with a lot of love and madness, that is well expressed here in the recordings from their performances in Mexico City. Bassist Steve Harris noted that after the massive cancellations of performances for the summer of 2020 following the covid-19, the band felt it needed to compensate their fans, and this album is a kind of consolation for those who expected to see them on stage but were disappointed. And how did it all start? So, on July 5, 2016, "Iron Maiden" released the "Legacy of the Beast" video game, set in a fictional world inspired by the band's album covers and songs. The game follows the band's mascot Eddie, in a quest to find and locate his shattered soul in order to bring it back. Later the game also became a comic book series, first released on October 31, 2017. Two weeks later, on November 13, the band announced the world tour of "Legacy of the Beast", which began in Estonia on May 26, 2018. The concept and scenery of the stage on this tour, was even more powerful and grandiose than the previous ones and you already know that with "Iron Maiden "Size does matter". The set was inspired by the various "worlds" that Eddie went through in the various stages of the game. As for the musical material, it's a "hits" setlist that goes over the band's crazy history. It included several songs that were not played live by the band for many years, most notably "Flight of Icarus", which has been absent from the band's setlists since "Somewhere on Tour" held in 1986-1987. It was the first tour since the 2000-2001 "Brave New World" tour, which featured two Blaze Bayley songs ("Sign of the Cross" and "The Clansman"), and the first to include any song from that era since the tour that was intended to promote the album "Dance of Death" in 2003-2004, when "Lord of the Flies" was played. It is interesting to note that the album includes the first official live release of the song "For the Greater Good of God" from the album "A Matter of Life and Death" from 2006. The album features over 100 minutes of energetic and sweeping performance and all that remains to be said is how the hell did we lose all that good that was supposed to land in our backyard in May 2020? Song listם: 1. Churchill’s Speech 2. Aces High 3. Where Eagles Dare 4. 2 Minutes To Midnight 5. The Clansman 6. The Trooper 7. Revelations 8. For The Greater Good Of God 9. The Wicker Man 10. Sign Of The Cross 11. Flight Of Icarus 12. Fear Of The Dark 13. Iron Maiden 14. The Number Of The Beast 15. The Evil That Men Do 16. Hallowed Be Thy Name 17. Run To The Hills Enjoy: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On November 20, 2015, "Rush" released their "Swan song", their "final chord". A triple and Live album and DVD Which sums up the band's career over its forty years and is called "R40 Live". At the end of the tour that accompanied the album "Clockwork Angels", the band's drummer Neil Peart expressed before his friends his desire to retire from live performances. The problem of tendinitis that afflicted him and the heavy load on his body made him fear that it would impair his level of playing. As is well known, the band's performances lasted about 3 hours and included a complex and massive drumming that weighed heavily on the body of a Peart who was 63 years old at the time. His friend's guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist and singer Geddy Lee had one last request, to embark on one final grandiose tour. Alex mentioned in detail the arthritis he suffers from which may also affect his playing, and begged for a final round. Peart agreed but on the condition that it will be limited to a small tour and restricted to North America only. This agreement between the band members spawned its latest tour which included only 35 shows. The setlist was composed by the "Fantastic Three" knowing that this was probably going to be their last tour, so it included songs from all the band's eras, with the band returning in a reverse chronologically while playing songs from all their albums, beginning with " Clockwork Angels " to songs from the first album and then to 16 bars from the song " Garden Road " that the band recorded even before the release of their first album. During the performance, the entire set and setting change and also go back in time, with stage workers spinning throughout the performance on stage, assembling and disassembling amplifiers and instruments to suit the spirit of the period of the song being played. At the end of the show, the set includes only two guitar amplifiers placed on chairs with microphones aimed at them, just like at the beginning, at the school basements of Willowdale, Toronto. After the release of the live album and the DVD simultaneously, our friend Moshon Bash wrote a comprehensive review of the album. This review, written after the release of the album and before the death of Neil Peart , is presented to you here in its entirety as originally written. _________________________________________________________________________ In May 2015 the veteran "Rush" band began a short tour that focused more on North America. The band decided to film their 2 performances in Toronto, their hometown, which took place on June 17, and 19 of that year, to issue a new DVD (hereafter R40) - a very important event for all band lovers and especially for 2 main reasons - one, marking 40 years since its inception. Second, this is probably the last tour of the band. (Drummer Neil Peart 's tendon problem as well as guitarist Alex Lifeson 's arthritis have made headlines over the past year, and in fact, Peart recently announced the culmination of his musical work and a final and gradual retirement that is expected to happen right now). Not to mention the troubled voice of the band's lead singer/bassist Geddy Lee who has been eroded slowly from one tour to another, if we compare to the DVD from last decade (hereafter R30) and its predecessor "Rush in Rio" (where Lee's vocals sounded much more refreshing and young) - then probably age does its thing. In light of the above, this is indeed the last chance for all the band lovers (and all those in particular who actually got to be there at one of the shows out of this tour), to have a decent taste of this band in action when it comes to its live performances. The band built the course of the show by deciding to start the song sequence with their latest album "Clockwork Angels" from 2012 and thus slowly descend in reverse chronological order with stops at important musical time stations in the band's career, during which the band's instruments (including the giant drum set) change on stage In the same old models that the members played in the relevant periods, until their first album somewhere in 1974. A kind of progressive journey into the past. First Set It is not easy to put a career of over 40 years and 20 albums into a performance of fewer than 3 hours. Thus, some of the band's albums from their less important years did not get to enter the interesting musical journey (which contains several particularly interesting surprises), which I will discuss below: The DVD begins with a cartoon, a cute video that shows the band members at different times during their career with short excerpts from the band's songs that appear in chronological order of the years they came out. The end of the video leads to the lifting of the stage curtains with the band already opening the show in the background with the heavy " The Anarchist " and " Headlong Flight " from " Clockwork Angels ". A bit too noisy to start a show with 2 such heavy songs but considering that this is "Rush" that has chosen the order of the songs - we trust that they know what they are doing. A few words of thanks from Geddy Lee to the audience and we move on to 2 songs from " Snakes & Arrows " from 2007. The next song on the DVD is " How It Is " from " Vapor Trails ", their 2002 comeback album released after a 5-year hiatus, due to personal tragedies in Peart's life. I should note that this is a song I never knew and it was actually nice to discover a light and cute rock song like this. A few more songs in the "time tunnel", including the great " Between The Wheels " from " Grace Under Pressure ", and then for the first surprise of the evening: a live performance for the first time ever of the excellent and underrated piece " Losing it " from the great album from 1982, " Signals " (the band never performed This track live, not even in the tour that accompanied the release of the aforementioned album). The song is about a dancer whose whole body hurts and can not continue to dance, and about a writer who begins the process of dementia and the words do not flow to the page as they once did. Peart in his wit writing concludes that even though you "lost it" and you are not the great artist you once were, it is sadder to see your abilities fade, than not having them at all. "Sadder still to watch it die than never to have known it" (which takes on a completely different meaning in light of Neil Peart 's tendonitis who agreed to Alex and Geddy's last request to go on one last grandiose tour, which as mentioned at Peart's request was limited to north America only) Special thanks to David Bar-Tal from the Facebook page Face/Off for enlightening my eyes on this matter. Before performing the song, Geddy Lee introduced Ben Mink to the audience - the one who was behind the violin playing in the song on the original album. nothing to say!! It was great and exciting to see the band together with Mink perform this piece together. (Although the current performance which just did not quite reach the perfect tightening level as originally - nevertheless, it was a good performance and a pleasure to hear this track today in a live version). " Subdivisions " from the same album (always sounds great on gigs and the band never gives it up on their setlists), symbolizes the end of the first part of the DVD. In this part of the show, there was a short break before the start of the second set. Second Set In this part which is the highlight of "R40" (in light of the bombastic list of songs in this set), the band chose not to miss out on any album they created during the important and classic years 1974-1981. After the opening video of the second set, the stage curtains come up with the band starting to play " Tom Sawyer " in the background, followed by " YYZ ". Two prog bombs from " Moving Pictures " from 1981. The band never gives up on these 2 pieces in their performances. Neil Peart said a few years ago in an interview that to this day for him " Tom Sawyer " is a very difficult song to play and after he finishes playing it in live performances, he feels great satisfaction ... (I wonder how he felt drumming the song on the current tour with his tendon problem in the background). Immediately after the timeless and bouncy " The Spirit of Radio " comes the classic " Natural Science ". One of the band's finest pieces if not among their best in my opinion, and also a track that always gets a decent and adrenaline-filled live version. (The above songs are taken from " Permanent Waves ", their classic album from 1980 and one of the best they have ever created). Now Geddy Lee presents the next song that the band is going to perform from the same album: "A song rarely played ... This is a classic" " Jacob's Ladder ". Amazingly the song has not been performed since 1980 and is a real prog-rock gem of the band. Peart somehow tried to keep up with the studio version, but it came out a bit of an abstract rather than a tightened version like the original. However, definitely an important and very enjoyable moment in the show. A few seconds of silence and we continue with the grandiose opening of the piece " Hemispheres " from their classic album from 1978, bearing the same name. Another surprise after " Jacob's ... " because the last time the band performed this opening was over 20 years ago. Geddy's voice does not allow him to reach the same heights in certain parts of the song - for example in the phrase "Every soul is a battlefield" (but it's okay because even in their 1994 tour, the last time the band played this piece, Geddy gave up trying to reach To the original height in the above track). After the opening of " Hemispheres ", the bells herald the beginning of a familiar sound, and then Geddy begins to play the classic and tricky bass riff that opens the " Cygnus X-1 " (and in Hebrew "swan"). This is where the band's tribute to their 1977 album, " A Farewell to Kings " actually begins. The band continues to jam on the classic piece that suddenly stops and moves to an exhausting drum solo by Neil Peart . The end of the solo leads us in a smooth and perfect transition to the last part of the "Swan" song. This part of the song is also performed here for the first time since the early eighties, the last time the band performed the entire piece live... Immediately after a light break with the beautiful " Closer to the Heart " and perhaps the band's most mainstream song, we turn to the piece " Xanadu " which for the first time since the early 1980s is fully performed in this show, which is yet another surprise in our "advanced backward" journey. You cannot end such a comprehensive performance without returning to " 2112 " (the concept album from 1976). As with every tour of the band, even in the current round "Rush" did not abandon the tribute to the parts " Overture / The Temples of Syrinx " from the main work. Geddy and Alex are even seen mimicking the standing of the "Star Man", (the iconic logo that is one of the symbols of the band and of the aforementioned album) just before the famous opening chord. For the first time since 1997, the band performed the piece in full in live, we get to hear other important tastings from the piece (in fact the piece here is played almost in full), and immediately after the band finishes playing " Temples ", Neil signals to his friends when to start playing and suddenly the band enters The power into the rock section from " Discovery " which is immediately followed by the band moving on to episode two " Presentation " (the episodes are played one after the other just like in the original order on the album). The band decided to end the "presentation" with a sharp jump into the last part of the musical piece, which is the "Grand Finale" (this part of the work has also been performed live on previous tours of the band). After the trio "Have assumed control ..", the members get off the stage, and after a short comedic video in which the actor Eugene Levy appears, the stage curtains come up for the last time, with the drum opening of Zeppelinish " Lakeside Park " in the background (from " Caress Of Steel " from 1975,) who opens up the encore dedicated to the band's first three albums (from the end to the beginning). "Lakeside" connects with " Anthem " (the opening track from the second album " Fly By Night " from that year). The track " What You're Doing ", a fun and amusing rock song that connects to the heavy "Working Man" which gets a slightly abbreviated version here (both from the debut album " Rush " from 1974), closes "R40". Geddy Lee thanks the audience for the last time and adds: "..we hope maybe one day we will meet again": From my acquaintance with previous performances of the band, in the end, he has never used these words, which definitely implies along with a slight sadness about the end of an era .. After a short farewell video from the band featuring excerpts from the end moments of Rush's performances throughout the years with pictures of the band parting and Geddy saying thank you at the end of each show with the cheers of the audience accompanying them over the years, the thought remains whether this was really the last time? Or maybe and just maybe there is a small chance anyway that "Rush" will surprise us in a few years with a show like this ... This is a great performance with half of the setlist built only from old materials from the band's golden age (hereafter the classic period 1974-1981). Not to say it was not a walk in the park for 62-year-old Geddy Lee to return slowly in the time tunnel, 40 years back with stops at relevant time stations while having to adjust his voice to each period (and the classical period in particular where screams took a major part) and at least try to give a decent performance that will cover up his aging voice. Neil Peart did not exactly demonstrate the feeling of lightness that we are used to seeing and hearing in the band's performances, but please do not be mistaken !!! This is an excellent drummer who, despite the tendon problem, managed to catch up and be true to the original versions almost throughout the entire performance. I was a bit lacking in hearing the sound of his high-pitched tam-tams (the same sound familiar for example from classical drumming transitions in tracks such as " YYZ " and " 2112 "). My personal feeling is that he puts on special skins that produce a slightly different sound from those high-pitched tam-tams we are used to hearing, to help dampen shocks to his hands and thus make it easier for him to play in light of his problem. In conclusion, no real fan would want to miss this DVD. "R40" is a nostalgic progressive experience that tries to sum up 40 years of "Rush" on one stage in just 3 hours. Of course, there are plenty of other classics of the band left out of the setlist, because it is impossible to give it all in a performance of a little less than 3 hours. Do not forget that this is also a setlist with many classics surpassing previous videos of the band. (We would not expect at least that on the occasion of the double event of 40 years and a farewell tour...). It is likely that if the band still decides to return to activity (which at the moment does not seem at all on the horizon) then in ten years we will also have an R50 - and another fun experience but also the performance level will be much lower (not to mention vocal performance), so sometimes it's really better to retire When they still at their top and the band can give a live performance at a sufficient and respectable level. "Rush" did it definitely. With an extensive activity of over 40 years with 20 studio albums behind them and many tours attracting both old and new audiences who are just thirsty to hear his idols and experience all this energy erupting on stage, they no longer have to prove anything .... Moshon Bash - 2015 For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website