Written by: Moti Kupfer Release date - 16.09.1985 "Music passes, music prevails, makes the string tremble; music storms, music remains, and the singer with it." Or, as The Waterboys frontman Mike Scott sang: "I have heard the big music, And I’ll never be the same." This was the spirit of music that rested upon the Scottish folk-rock band "The Waterboys", whose third album, "This Is the Sea", was released on 16.09.1985, the same day as Kate Bush’s fifth album, which I also wrote about. The band’s leader, Mike Scott, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His mother, an English teacher who raised him alone from the age of ten, introduced him to the qualities of English literature at an early age, a detail that probably helped him write songs that are ambiguous, sometimes difficult to decipher, and often written in the second person. Scott was interested in music from an early age and began learning guitar at twelve. Listening to Hank Williams planted in him the desire to become a musician. The first band he formed was "Karma", influenced by the music of "The Beatles", Bob Dylan and David Bowie. Speaking of Bowie, anyone who has heard the band’s great hit "The Whole of the Moon" many times may feel certain that Bowie’s voice can be heard during the final half-minute. It is not Bowie, but Karl Wallinger, then a member of the band and later the founder of "World Party". After beginning studies in English literature and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, Scott became interested in the emerging British punk scene, particularly "The Clash" and Patti Smith. Scott and guitarist Allan McConnell formed "The Bootlegs", which later changed its name to "Another Pretty Face". All these musical incarnations brought Scott to the realization that he wanted a band shaped in his own image, and so "The Waterboys" came into being in 1983. Over the years, he was joined in shifting lineups by Steve Wickham, Anthony Thistlethwaite, Karl Wallinger, and many other musicians. They took the term "Big Music" from the title of a song on their second album, "A Pagan Place". After two early albums centered on post-punk and new wave, work began on the third. Scott started writing its songs in the spring of 1984. Over roughly two months, between 35 and 40 songs poured out of him. Alongside the writing, Scott created the guitar and piano arrangements. On 10.04.1984, the first song intended for the album was performed live: "Trumpets", a direct love song containing one of its most romantic lines: "I want to be with you, when to be with you is the same as being you." Here Scott expresses uncompromising love and the desire to unite with his partner as though the two were a single being. It reminded me of the famous verse from Genesis: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Scott entered "Park Gates" Studios in Hastings with producer and recording engineer John Brand, joined by Anthony Thistlethwaite, Karl Wallinger, Chris Whitten, and Roddy Lorimer. For Wallinger, this would be his final recording with "The Waterboys". He left afterward to form "World Party". Scott spoke of Wallinger with great admiration, saying that without his ability to play so many instruments, the album might still have existed, but it would have sounded far less impressive. On several songs Scott added a drum machine, using the Wall of Sound technique associated with Phil Spector. On the album, Scott writes about love, spirituality, British politics, renewal and rebirth, as well as consideration for those around us, as heard in "Don’t Bang the Drum". Scott wrote the great hit "The Whole of the Moon" at the age of 26. According to him, it was not written about one particular person, but intended to illustrate how much more there is to learn beyond anything we can imagine. He chose to address, in the second person, a figure possessing greater knowledge or wisdom. Scott was thinking of people whose stars shone brightly and then faded quickly, such as Syd Barrett and Jimi Hendrix, who displayed extraordinary talent but burned out and left us too soon. He made it clear that the song was not written about C. S. Lewis, although Lewis had been an important spiritual inspiration from his childhood and throughout his life. In the song, Scott pays tribute to musician Roddy Lorimer, whom he described as sunlight breaking through the clouds. Anthony Thistlethwaite lifts the piece even higher with an eruptive saxophone solo, reinforced by the sound of fireworks passed through an echo machine. Scott said the song began with his youth and the playful spirit he carried at the time. In his twenties, wanting to impress a new girlfriend, he told her that writing a song was easy. Spotting a crescent moon in the sky, he pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote the contrast between one person seeing the crescent and another seeing the whole moon. She was impressed, and he continued developing the lyrics at a hotel and later at his London home, where he also composed the piano part. On "The Pan Within", Scott is once again ambiguous and not entirely clear. The song is based on the Greek god Pan, functioning partly as a form of meditation and partly as a sensual invitation to sex. In 1980s England, it was almost impossible not to take a swipe at the prime minister and her Thatcherism, as well as at drug addiction. On "Old England", Scott turns national decline into a bleak portrait of a sick country and refuses to separate the political, the social, and the personal. On the closing title track, "This Is the Sea", Scott leaves the past behind and seeks to choose action over passivity, allowing the long-awaited change to arrive. For Mike Scott, this album represented the fulfillment of the purpose for which he had become a musician. He achieved what he had set out to accomplish with the Big Music sound, while the next album would already take a different direction, turning toward the Irish traditional influences that would shape "Fisherman’s Blues". For listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel’s Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram and/or subscribe to the website

Here are some interesting facts about Dave Sabo, best known as one of the guitarists of heavy metal band "Skid Row". (Photo: Kramer) = He was born David Michael Sabo on September 16, 1964, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. = He grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey, in the same neighborhood as Jon Bon Jovi. = Raised by his mother, Dorothy, Sabo and his brothers grew up in a single-parent household. = Sabo is nicknamed "The Snake". He got his nickname after having a dream about a snake. = He started playing guitar at age 14, inspired by bands like "KISS", "Aerosmith", and "Van Halen", using a $40 "Sears" guitar his mother bought for his older brother. = His guitar teacher, Al Parinello, also taught Jon Bon Jovi. = Sabo was a promising high school baseball player, even scouted by professional teams, before deciding to pursue music after seeing "KISS" live. = It was his first concert. he saw them live on December 16, 1977 at Madison Square Garden. = In 1983, Sabo briefly played lead guitar for "Bon Jovi", joining a short tour to support their demo version of "Runaway." = He was replaced by Richie Sambora as "Bon Jovi's" lead guitarist after a brief stint with the band. = By the way, Sabo was a childhood friend of Jon Bon Jovi. They agreed that whoever succeeded first in the music industry would help the other. Bon Jovi kept his promise to Sabo and arranged for his manager to get "Skid Row" a recording contract. Not only that, but Jon Bon Jovi even made sure that "Skid Row" would open for "Bon Jovi" during the 1989 tour. = While working in "Toms River", New Jersey, Sabo met bassist Rachel Bolan, and the two agreed to form what became "Skid Row". = Along with Scotti Hill, Rob Affuso, and Matt Fallon, they formed "Skid Row", later replacing Fallon with Sebastian Bach in 1987. = In 1989, "Skid Row" released their debut album, which went multi-platinum and produced hits like "18 and Life" and "Youth Gone Wild." = Sabo co-wrote many of the songs on "Skid Row's" debut, contributing significantly to the band's sound. = "Skid Row's" 1991 follow-up album "Slave to the Grind" was a heavier album and the first metal album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. = in 1995 "Skid Row" released their third album "Subhuman Race". It was the last album with singer Sebastian Bach and drummer Rob Affuso. = Sabo remained with "Skid Row" after the departure of lead singer Sebastian Bach in 1996. = in 2003 Sabo and "Skid Row" released their comeback album, "Thickskin", the first to feature new vocalist Johnny Solinger. = In 2006, Sabo and "Skid Row" celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band's formation, and released the album "Revolutions per Minute". In 2022 "Skid Row" released their sixth album "The Gang's All Here", featuring vocalist Erik Grönwall. = Outside of "Skid Row", Sabo worked in artist management, helping bands like "Down" and "Sevendust". = Sabo played lead guitar on "Trial of the Soul" by "Kryst the Conqueror", featuring former members of the "Misfits", though he was credited under a pseudonym due to contractual obligations. = In 2000, Sabo briefly toured as a guitarist for "Anthrax" during their "Attack of the Killer A's" tour. = Sabo is the uncle of Matt Sabo, a former Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) player. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 15, 2009, Megadeth released their 12th studio album, "Endgame". This is the band's first album with guitarist Chris Broderick replacing Glen Drover who left the band in 2008. The album was produced by legendary producer Andy Sneap and continues the "Back to the roots" approach of "Megadeth" from previous albums, only this time with a more accessible manner. In this way, we get a combination of fast rhythms with powerful and aggressive riffs that we know well from the "Rust In Peace" and "Peace Sells... but Who's Buying" era, along with more accessible and catchy moments reminiscent of the "Countdown to Extinction" one. Guitarist Chris Broderick brought new life into the band, with amazing guitar work. The collaboration between him and Dave Mustaine is among the best of the band and has probably not been heard since the Marty Friedman era. This is without a doubt the added value of this album over its predecessor "United Abominations", with almost every song featuring a guitar dialogue that at certain moments blends into insane harmony and sometimes develops into a "bloody" duel. In terms of lyrics there is a lot of variety in the album with songs about politics such as the single "The Right to Go Insane" that refers to the global economic crisis of 2008, a song about a torture device from the Middle Ages called "Head Crusher", the song "44 Minutes" about the shootout that took place in 1997 between bank robbers and police in Los Angeles, "Bite the Hand" which is a protest song against the leaders of the powerful states, "How The Story Ends" about the Chinese general Sun Tzu, and the theme song "Endgame" written about the law enacted by President George Bush follows the 9/11 attack, that allows the administration to detain U.S. citizens for questioning. The album also includes the song "The Hardest Part of Letting Go… Sealed With a Kiss"ת which Dave wrote for his wife. The album had a relative success in the charts when it reached number nine on the Billboard 200 and number one on the US hard rock album list. The album also received positive reviews from both music critics and colleagues, with even guitarist Slash praising it in an interview with "Metal Hammer". We to think this is an excellent album with one of the best sound and production the band has ever known. Several months after the album's release, bassist David Ellefson returned to the band after being invited to a jam session following a text message sent to him by drummer Shawn Drover and a phone call with Dave Mustaine that followed. Ellefson noted that he felt like he had not left the band in the first place and has since been an integral part of the lineup. A video clip for the song "The Right to Go Insane" included a brief first appearance by Ellefson as part of the band. See here: The album opens up with the instrumental track "Dialectic Chaos" which is without a doubt a statement of intent from the band. Immediately after that comes "This Day We Fight!" Influenced by the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and simply shattering our bones. The two tracks were played together in the band's live shows and immediately invited the comparison to the two tracks "Into the Lungs of Hell" and "Set the World Afire" from the album "So Far, So Good... So What!" From 1988. This "cruel" statement of intent undoubtedly affects the rest of the songs on the album, which is a very powerful album with strong riffs, "bloody" solo battles between Dave and his new co-pilot Chris and of course a phenomenal sound attributed among others to the wonderful work done by Andy Sneap. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

"Foo Fighters'" ninth album "Concrete and Gold" was released on September 15, 2017, and this time we decided to share with you some stories behind the album. Like previous albums, this time too Dave Grohl attempted to transform the creative process into something more engaging and unique. Who said you can't combine Pop with Rock? If you remember, the band's previous album "Sonic Highways" released in 2014 was recorded in eight different cities, with each song recorded in a different city and hosting local artists while the song was influenced by the local musical style. This time Dave decided he wanted to give the album a different vibe, something sticky, something catchy, something... Poppy!! He really liked the work of writer/producer Greg Kurstin with his Indie-Pop band "The Bird and the Bee" from 2014 and decided to pick up the phone and call him. Over the years Greg has become a talented and famous pop producer. He released singles such as "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by "Kelly Clarkson", "I Wish You Would" by "Taylor Swift", "Cheap Thrills" and "Chandelier" by SIA, "Hello" By Adele, the album "25" by Adele and many others. He had never worked on a Rock album. The two saw the challenge as something very interesting and appealing and Greg decided to accept Dave's request. Dear guests, please enter the main studio So we hired a terrific pop producer and now we'll move to the studio... The previous album was recorded in all sorts of cities across the US, the seventh album "Wasting Light" was recorded at Dave's home and this time Dave decided to record the album at the famous "EastWest Studios" studio located on the famous Sunset Avenue Boulevard in Hollywood. The studio, which consists of three different studios, is very popular mainly among artists from the Pop genre. During the recordings of the album, different musicians were present in the studios for the recordings of their albums and this created a small commune, where everyone meets everyone, eats together, drinks, and spends time together. Dave has even been seen several times near the BBQ preparing meat for more than 40 people !! It turned out that Dave, who really liked the atmosphere in the studios, invited different and varied artists to be a guest on the album. This may sound strange, surprising even untrue to you, but this album featured the following artists... The first is the poet Taylor Greenwood whom Dave saw in San Francisco and just fell in love with her poetry and writing. He actually courted her to work with him and said that when he meets artists with huge talent, it is very exciting for him. Taylor performs background vocals in "T-Shirt" - the song that opens the album. Now, don't show your dissatisfaction, and don't look at the amplifier but rather at what is inside of it. Even if one artist only contributes background vocals, for example, it does not mean that behind the scenes he had no influence. sometimes the actual presence of a featured artist in the studio during the recordings has a lot of impact on the final result. The other guest musician is Justin Timberlake who worked in the next studio during the recordings and visited often. Justin performs background vocals on the third song "Make It Right". One of the biggest pop stars in the world performs background vocals for the Foo's. It turns out that Justin did not visit the studio only once but hung out there a lot. There are rumors that he actually sat in the studio for several hours each week and sometimes even was part of some ideas in the album. The third is Alison Mosshart, singer of the band "The Kills" and one of the founders of the blues rock supergroup called "The Dead Weather". A talented writer and singer who has known Dave for several years perform background vocals in the fourth song "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" and in the fifth song "La Dee Da". The fourth artist is Shawn Stockman from "Boyz II Men". During the recordings of the album, Shawn's band was in another studio and he occasionally met Dave in the hallways and the parking lot. In one of their "meetings" in the driveway, Dave asked Shawn to help him with the singing harmonies. Shawn of course did not refuse and contributes his voice to the theme song "Concrete and Gold". The fifth is saxophonist Dave Koz who is one of the most talented and well-known jazz musicians in the United States. He makes his contribution in the fifth song "La Dee Da". There are a number of other talented string players who have worked with the band in the past, most notably in the "Skin And Bones" show. But the highlight guest artist in this album is the walking legend Paul McCartney, who participates in playing drums!! Paul is a longtime friend of Dave and Dave doesn't miss any opportunity to work with him. Paul came to the studio (he also visited other artists in the studios), Dave played him a song on acoustic guitar, and Paul immediately knew what to do. With no preparation nor rehearsals, he recorded the song "Sunday Rain" with the rest of the band, playing the drums. It's the only song on the album that Dave is not the lead singer but drummer Taylor Hawkins. By the way, this is the first album in which the keyboardist Rami Jaffee participates as a permanent member of the band Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump We think this time the words speak more than the melody. In each album, Dave writes about his experiences, feelings, and emotions. This time too it happens just like before, but now he is a father to three daughters and he begins to see the world looking through different eyes. Eyes that are very concerned about his daughter's future. The US presidential election and its aftermath greatly affected Dave and his perception of American freedom, the future, and the environment. He said he felt it was hard for him to see a good future, hard for him to see how his daughters “survive” in a greedy reality that ignores human rights, gender equality, and caring for the environment. “I watched the infamous press conference in the East Room – the one that turned into a screaming match. The fucking WWE one. All that gross ambition for power and control freaked me out. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. This is what we’ve become”. And the verse that opens the album with the surprising piece is: "I don't wanna be king I just wanna sing a love song Pretend there's nothing wrong You can sing along with me I don't wanna be queen Just trying to keep my t-shirt clean" The name of the album represents exactly what Dave is talking about, originally the name was supposed to be "Hope and Desperation", but as a metaphor for this he decided to choose other words, "concrete" for despair and "gold" for hope. A Success story !! Of course, the album immediately took first place on the Billboard 200, it is only the second album by the "Foo Fighters" to do that. At a time when everyone is talking about that Rock is dying and being buried, pop dominating an absolute dictatorship in charts and sales. The Foo's and Dave as the band's leader have long become Rock ambassadors of the modern world, they represent all sub-genres and as if keep the Rock genre floating, waiting for the right opportunity to conquer the world again !! It's not a coincidence that on the album cover, the background is concrete and the gold is the band's letters... For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Released on September 15, 1998, "Mechanical Animals" marked a pivotal moment in Marilyn Manson’s career, where the shock-rocker known for dark, abrasive sounds and nightmarish imagery took a sharp left turn into the surreal world of glam rock. Drawing inspiration from artists like David Bowie, the album feels like a conceptual departure while still retaining the cynicism and macabre undertones Manson is known for. One of the most striking elements of *Mechanical Animals* is its futuristic, almost alien aesthetic. The cover, with Manson as an androgynous, robotic figure, sets the tone for an album that blends glam and industrial influences with introspective lyricism. Musically, it’s more polished than previous efforts like *Antichrist Superstar*, embracing a cleaner, more melodic sound. Tracks like "The Dope Show" and "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" exemplify this shift, featuring catchy hooks, groovy basslines, and synth-infused beats. They maintain Manson’s rebellious spirit, critiquing fame, excess, and the artificiality of modern life, but they do so with an infectious, almost pop-like allure. These songs manage to balance accessibility and darkness, making them standout tracks that were able to transcend the metal scene and reach a broader audience. Deeper cuts like "Coma White" and "Great Big White World" add depth to the album’s narrative of alienation and the dehumanizing nature of celebrity culture. Manson's vocals are more vulnerable and reflective than on previous records, exploring feelings of emptiness and disconnection in a world obsessed with image and artifice. The album’s slower, more atmospheric tracks underscore its dystopian themes, giving it a sense of melancholic grandeur. Despite the glam rock influences, "Mechanical Animals" never loses its industrial roots entirely. Songs like "Rock is Dead" and "Posthuman" retain the aggression and edge that defined Manson’s earlier works, reminding listeners that beneath the glam façade lies a heart of rebellion. The mixture of styles creates a rich, dynamic soundscape that feels both futuristic and nostalgic, a testament to Manson’s ability to evolve artistically. Lyrically, the album is perhaps one of Manson’s most introspective works. While "Antichrist Superstar" was about destruction and chaos, this album grapples with disillusionment and existential despair. There’s a sense of resignation to Manson’s critiques, as if he's seen behind the curtain of fame and found nothing of substance. His persona here, Omega, is lost in a world of mechanical pleasure and detached humanity, a poignant metaphor for the alienation felt by both the artist and the audience. A rock opera and concept album, this album is the second installment in a trilogy which included "Antichrist Superstar" and 2000's "Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)". After the release of "Holy Wood", Manson said that the overarching story within the trilogy is presented in reverse chronological order; "Mechanical Animals", therefore, acts as the bridge connecting the two narratives and remains constant whether the trilogy is viewed in reverse or not. Overall, "Mechanical Animals" stands as one of Marilyn Manson’s most ambitious and artistically cohesive albums. It’s a bold exploration of identity, celebrity, and the modern condition, wrapped in a sound that blends glam rock decadence with industrial grit. While it may not have the raw aggression of earlier albums, it represents a vital chapter in Manson’s career, one where he fully embraced his ability to reinvent himself and comment on the culture around him. The album has been certified platinum in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the first Marilyn Manson album to do so. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Today we'll tell you about musician Rick Wright. Wright is the secret weapon of "Pink Floyd", a quiet, humble and modest man, who is responsible for quite a bit of the band's so unique sound, and who co-wrote and performed some of its most beautiful melodies and compositions. It's very hard to imagine what albums like "Meddle", "The Dark Side Of The Moon" or "Wish You Were Here" would have sounded without Rick Wright's divine touch, if at all! (Photo: Gingerreject.tumblr.com) So let's tell you 40 interesting facts about him: 1. He was born on July 28, 1943, as Richard William Wright. 2. He is an autodidact who already at the age of 12 while recovering from a severe fracture in his leg, taught himself to play the trumpet, guitar, and piano. 3. Wright later took piano lessons at a music school, where he also learned to play the trombone and saxophone. 4. Wright is a multi-instrumentalist of the toughest kind, because in addition to all the instruments listed above, later in his career he also played other instruments: violin, flute, bass guitar, cello, and even drums. 5. The main musical influence on Wright was jazz, and especially Miles Davis and John Coltrane. 6. In 1964, Wright began studying architecture at the college - "Regent Street Polytechnic" (now the University of the West Ministers), where he met Roger Waters, Bob Klose, and Nick Mason, with whom he formed the band "Sigma 6". 7. In "Sigma 6" he played mostly guitar, since the band's songs hardly included keyboards. 8. After the dissolution of "Sigma 6" in 1965, Mason, Waters, and Wright joined Syd Barrett and co-founded "Pink Floyd". 9. Wright was the most educated in the band, musically, and as such was responsible for, among other things, the equipment and tuning of the instruments at the beginning of the band's career. 10. In the years 1965-1966 the band performed in pubs and clubs in England and slowly gained an audience and recognition. 11. In 1967 "Pink Floyd" signed a recording contract with EMI and after releasing 2 singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" in March and June 1967, the band entered the studio to record their debut album - "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", Which was released in August 1967. 12. At this point Syd Barrett was the dominant member of the band, but nonetheless Wright co-wrote two of the album's songs and sang solo on: "Astronomy Domine", and "Matilda Mother" while singing backing vocals on "Pow R. Toc H". 13. With Barrett's decline Wright's dominance in the band grew. When on the second album "A Saucerful of Secrets" released in June 1968, Wright participated in singing on 4 of the 7 album's songs, making this album the only one Wright sang more than any other member In a band. 14. In addition, Wright co-wrote 3 of the album's 7 songs, including "Remember a Day" and "See-Saw". 15. This trend has also continued in the albums "More" and "Ummagumma". 16. In the 1970 album "Atom Heart Mother", Wright co-wrote the album's theme song and also wrote and sang the charming song "Summer '68". 17. That same year Wright participated in Syd Barrett's second solo album - "Barrett" and also helped produce it. 18. Wright's big break as a musician came on the three albums: "Meddle", "The Dark Side Of The Moon", "And wish You Were Here", with Wright contributing greatly to the band's unique sound and compositions, while co-writing some of the band's iconic works Such as: "Echoes", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "The Great Gig in the Sky", "Us and Them" and more. 19. After the album "Wish You Were Here" Waters began to become more and more dominant in the band, pushing Wright aside, among other things. 20. As a result Wright and Nick Mason were not co-writers of the album "Animals" at all, and they serve there as studio session players. 21. Despite that, even on an album that apparently Wright did not make an official contribution to in writing, one can still hear his genius and influence on the band's sound, for example in a song like "Sheep". 22. Wright released his frustration with his own solo album, which he released a year later the album "Animals" in 1978. The album "Wet Dream" featured guitarist Snowy White and saxophonist Mel Collins, among others. 23. While working on the album "The Wall" Rick Wright experienced a difficult period, he went through a divorce proceeding from his wife Juliette and suffered from heavy cocaine addiction. Under these circumstances, he was not exactly available to work on the album. This eventually led to his dismissal by Roger Waters, even before the album was released. 24. As a result, Wright became the only band member to receive "employee" status in the band. It paid off for him because he became the only gainer among the band members from the grandiose tour that accompanied the album, since he received a fixed salary that was not dependent on the losses of that tour. 25. The line "I've got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains" from the song "Nobody Home" refers to Rick Wright and his condition during the recording of the album. 26. Pink Floyd's only album in which Wright was not a band member was "The Final Cut" from 1983. 27. In 1984, Wright formed a band called "Zee" with Dave Harris of the New Wave band "Fashion". They released their only album named "Identity" that year. 28. In 1987, Wright participated in the work on the album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" although he was not yet officially a member of the band. 29. He appeared after Gilmour and Mason in the credits of the album, in a smaller script and without his picture being included on the cover. 30. He returned to the band as a full member during the tour and ahead of the release of the 1988 live album "Delicate Sound of Thunder". 31. On the 1994 album "The Division Bell" he has already co-written five of the 11 songs. 32. In one of them, "Wearing the Inside Out", he sang solo alongside Gilmour. It was the first time since "Time" from the album "The Dark Side Of The Moon". It's an exciting song about Wright's drug addiction, the crash and loneliness that followed, and the deep depression he experienced after his divorce from his wife and his dismissal from the band by Waters. 33. In 1996 he releases his second solo album "Broken China". This is a concept album based on the story of his wife's struggle with depression. The album features singer Sinéad O'Connor in two songs. 34. David Gilmour played in an earlier version of the song that sealed the album "Breakthrough", but Wright changed his attitude towards the song, and Gilmour's contribution was abandoned. Despite this Gilmour performed the song with Wright during his 2001 "David Gilmour in Concert" performance. 35. In 2005 he reunited with other "Pink Floyd" members, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters for a one-time reunion show as part of a "Live 8" charity show. 36. In 2006, Wright participated in Gilmour's solo album "On an Island". That same year he became a regular member of Gilmour's backing band. 37. That same year he wrote the song "Hazel Eyes" for singer Helen Boulding. 38. It is interesting to note that Wright's daughter Gala was married to bassist Guy Pratt who played with Pink Floyd" and with David Gilmour in live shows. 39. On September 15, 2008, Wright passed away after battling cancer, he was 65 at the time of his death. 40. After his death, in 2014, "Pink Floyd" released the album "The Endless River" which included recordings in which he participated from the period of "The Division Bell" album. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 15, 2003 "Muse" released their third album "Absolution". This album marked a significant evolution for "Muse", both musically and thematically, propelling the band into global stardom. In this album, "Muse" continues the musical line that started on "Origin of Symmetry", pushing farther away from any comparisons to "Radiohead". If there were still any doubts about the musical path "Muse" are pursuing after "Origin of Symmetry", then "Absolution" cleared all leftovers of the old "Muse", so there would be no resemblance to songs like "Unintended", "Muscle Museum" and "Plug-In Baby". More than that, "Muse" even ended their relations with producer John Leckie who produced "Radiohead's" "The Bends" album and worked with them on the two previous albums. The album sees the trio embracing a darker, more theatrical sound, heavily influenced by apocalyptic themes. As for the musical style, the classical and progressive influences are very noticeable, with fusion of genres that had already set "Muse" apart from their peers. Starting with the album's "Intro" and the dramatic thunderous piano-driven anthem opening of "Apocalypse Please" that feels like the soundtrack to the end of the world, through the "Interlude" designed to give the album an epic story stracture, and to the classical influences, with orchestra on tracks such as "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Blackout", it is very clear that "Muse" has gone a long way since "Showbiz". “Time Is Running Out” follows, easily one of "Muse’s" most infectious tracks. It combines an irresistible groove with dark, suffocating tension, as the ticking-clock metaphor echoes throughout the song. Matt Bellamy’s lyrics hint at political dissatisfaction and the sense of impending doom that permeates the entire album. Chris Wolstenholme’s bassline steals the show here—groovy, sinister, and utterly relentless. Dominic Howard's drumming thunders and rolls. It’s a masterclass in creating tension within a pop structure, and it catapulted Muse into mainstream consciousness worldwide. In contrast, “Sing for Absolution” takes a step back, offering a more melancholic and reflective tone. It’s a haunting, spacey ballad that floats between ethereal beauty and grounded desperation. The lyrics—"I only dream of you, my beautiful"—feel like a plea for salvation amidst the madness. The sweeping crescendos show off Bellamy’s talent for blending emotion with technical skill, and the song remains one of the most heartfelt moments on the album. Then comes the explosive “Stockholm Syndrome,” a guitar-heavy monster of a track, layered with rapid-fire riffs and a pounding rhythm section with powerful drumming by Dominic Howard. This is where the band’s love of controlled chaos shines brightest. The soaring falsetto vocals juxtaposed against crushing guitar riffs give it an intense, almost schizophrenic energy. "Muse’s" flirtation with metal shines through here, and the result is an electrifying burst of sound that captures their signature blend of fury and finesse. After the short instrumental "Interlude", which makes a sort of buffer between the first and the second part of the album, the variety continues with “Hysteria,” a hard-hitting "hysterical" track that showcases Wolstenholme’s jaw-dropping basswork. The intense build-up and aggressive delivery make it an absolute live staple, as the bassline zigzags through the track like a high-voltage current. The song’s frantic energy mirrors the lyrical themes of obsession and uncontrollable desire, with Bellamy’s voice soaring to dramatic heights, propelling the song into the stratosphere. "Blackout" is a poignant counterbalance to the album's heavier moments, with its waltz-like rhythm and string arrangements, offering a rare, delicate pause in the storm. It’s haunting and melancholic, with Bellamy’s vocals drenched in yearning as he muses on time and mortality. The orchestral swell in the background makes it feel both intimate and grand at the same time. Perhaps the album’s most ambitious piece is “Butterflies and Hurricanes,” where "Muse" fully unleash their classical influence. This track hints at what the band will further persue on "The Resistance". With its cinematic piano interlude and orchestral backdrop, the track evolves from a delicate intro into an epic call to arms. Bellamy’s impassioned plea to "change everything you are" encapsulates the album’s central message: amidst the chaos and destruction, there is always the possibility of rebirth. It’s a true show-stopper that highlights the band's remarkable musicianship. “Thoughts of a Dying Atheist” brings the tempo back up, driving forward with urgency and angst. The quick pace and sharp guitar riff make it one of the more accessible rock tracks on the album, yet the lyrical themes—doubt, fear, existential crisis—dig deep into the album’s darker undercurrents. There’s a real sense of grappling with one’s place in the universe, a theme that defines "Absolution" as a whole. Finally, the album closes with “Ruled by Secrecy,” a slow-burning track that gradually builds into a crushing finale. It encapsulates the weighty themes of control and conspiracy that run throughout the album. The quiet, brooding piano leaves the listener in a state of awe and reflection. It’s the perfect ending to an album that is as much about personal revelation as it is about global destruction. Overall, "Absolution" stands as a monumental achievement in "Muse’s" career. It’s an audacious blend of classical influences, hard rock, progressive rock, and electronic experimentation, all underscored by the band’s signature apocalyptic flair. Bellamy’s distinctive vocals, Wolstenholme’s intricate basslines, and Dominic Howard’s relentless drumming combine to create a sound that is as massive as it is intricate. Rich Costey’s production allows each track to shine in its own right while maintaining the album’s cohesiveness. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On September 15, 1989, Ehud Banai released "Karov", his second album. After the breakthrough of "Ehud Banai VeHaPlitim", another album of rough-edged guitars and years of pent-up anger might have seemed the obvious next step. But Ehud Banai had other places to take us: the alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City, his grandparents' home, European roads and nights in the Galilee. On "Karov", he brought them together. The result is an album that can take us on a long journey and leave us feeling, at the end, that we have come home. The 1987 debut followed years of false starts, odd jobs and wandering. Working with Yossi Elephant and "HaPlitim" gave Ehud Banai's songwriting the momentum it had been waiting for, establishing his already world-weary voice as one of the most distinctive in Israeli rock. Now that the door had finally opened, he began taking his music beyond the sound that had first introduced him to us. Production duties went to Ovad Efrat of "HaKlik", who also shared the arrangements with Ehud Banai. Elephant did not play on the album, but Gil Smetana on bass, Jean-Jacques Goldberg on drums and Noam Halevi on percussion maintained the connection with "HaPlitim". They were joined by Shefi Yishai on piano and keyboards, Yaakov Friber on zarb, a Persian drum, and Yehudit Tamir on vocals and backing vocals. Ehud Banai played guitars, harmonica and sitar, among other instruments. Recording and mixing took place at "D.B. Studios" in March 1989, with Meni Bejarano engineering and Yaakov Moreno handling the mix. Efrat's production gave the acoustic guitars, percussion and curling melodic phrases more room. Even when the music gathers intensity, the small details and the space between the instruments remain audible. The same year also brought "Tachat Siach HaYasmin" ("Under the Jasmine Bush"), on which Ehud Banai accompanied Persian folk tales told by his father, Yaakov Banai. The two albums illuminate one another: the son's musical curiosity is firmly connected to his family's storytelling tradition. "Ruchot HaTzafon" ("Northern Winds") opens the album on the move. A young man leaves home and his sweetheart, convinced that real life is waiting somewhere else, only to discover that freedom can also mean loneliness. Ehud Banai tells the story almost in a single breath, with guitar and harmonica accompanying the shift from the excitement of departure to regret over what was left behind. The encounter with Diego, the trains and the love that draws near before slipping away give it the feel of a short story. As it unfolds, its adventurous hero becomes less certain of himself and more human. We are no longer simply curious about where he will end up. We hope he will have somewhere to return to. "Kulam Yod'im" ("Everybody Knows") carries that tension into an irresistible rhythm and an easy-to-love melody. The narrator threatens to leave, yet promises within the very same verse to return and stay. There is something funny, familiar and painful about the distance between grand gestures of farewell and the simple need to be with someone we love. Even the knowledge that everything must eventually end cannot extinguish the joy here. Instead, it makes another day together matter. This is part of Ehud Banai's magic: a song we can sing at the top of our lungs, only to suddenly realize how sad it is. The duet "HaChizayon LeFrancesco Goya" ("The Vision of Francesco Goya") opens onto an entirely different world. Ehud Banai set Pinchas Sadeh's words to music, while Yehudit Tamir brings a presence that is inseparable from the performance. Her voice rises above his rougher tone, deepening its dreamlike mystery. This is a moment to let go of the need to decipher every image straight away and listen to the longing carried by the voices and melody. An album full of tangible stories also makes room for things that resist explanation. "HaKnafeh Metuka" ("The Knafeh Is Sweet") takes us back to Jerusalem, to a city of young wanderers, travelers, cafés and chance encounters. In a piece on his website, Ehud Banai recalled the allure of the Old City in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when a short journey could feel like a trip abroad. He also described how that freedom and innocence gradually gave way to suspicion and fear. Knowing this adds a pang to the song: the sweetness of its title belongs to a time that seemed more open, too. The unhurried music suits that wandering, that wish to linger a little longer before returning to everyday life. Then comes "HaAgas 1" ("1 Pear Street"). More than seven minutes are devoted to a single address in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, to the family home above the shops and what remains of it in memory. Ehud Banai has no need to announce how much the place means to him. The domestic details, the rooms and the sense that the people who once lived there are somehow still present say enough. The song longs for an actual home, but also for the possibility of walking into a place where people know who you are before you have even introduced yourself. The second half of "HaAgas 1" incorporates "Asader LiSeudata", a liturgical poem written by Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the Ari, set to a traditional melody. The shift into Aramaic feels like a continuation of the same family memory, as though the description of the house has allowed us to hear what was once sung inside it. Here, the depth of tradition's place in Ehud Banai's music becomes clear. These are voices, people and customs he carries with him, brought to life within a rock song. For us, this is the heart of the album: an intimate moment capable of making even those who have never visited that address feel homesick for it. The next stretch lets rhythm and repeated vocal phrases take the lead. "Esther", inspired by an Afghan folk song, carries a prayer and the hope that life will blossom and open up. Its melody has an inviting simplicity that makes us want to join in without waiting to be asked. Next, "Jamali Porush" foregrounds the sound of the words and the power of the recurring refrain, with a festive Middle Eastern feel. The short instrumental "Kol HaLayla Al HaEsh" ("All Night by the Fire") keeps the momentum going and lets the instruments do the talking. Together, the three pieces give the album the feeling of a gathering, where one person's story briefly becomes a shared song. Ehud Banai saves his farewell for "Nagata BeTzamrot HaEtzim" ("You Touched the Treetops"), one of his most mesmerizing songs. The cyclical playing, the sound of the sitar and the space around his voice lend it a gently psychedelic character. From a life that has since changed, it looks back on a moment of freedom and transcendence. It is the restraint in the performance that hurts: we can remember exactly how something felt and still have no idea how to find our way back to it. The story behind it is almost as beautiful as the song. Ehud Banai wrote on his website that, one winter night in 1977, as he walked up a valley toward the hut where he lived, he briefly experienced a strange sensation of floating and saw the olive treetops at eye level. Frightened, he ran home. About ten years later, in an apartment in Ramat Gan, the memory returned and he wrote the song. The distance between that night and a window facing an apartment block gives the album's ending another layer of meaning. The travels of the opening song have become a memory, but the longing that first sent its narrator out into the world is still alive. The cover, designed by Eitan Pimentel with photography by Daniel Hakim, belongs to this world too. Its photographed decorative motif, warm colors and worn, familiar-looking texture invite a closer look. There is no need for a portrait of the singer to sense how personal this album is. Over the years, "Karov" achieved platinum status in Israel, and its songs became an integral part of Ehud Banai's live performances and his bond with his audience. A special colored-vinyl edition followed in 2024, marking its 35th anniversary. But one small story captures the album's journey better than sales figures: in a piece from 2007, Ehud Banai recalled waiting for a friend in Nazareth Illit sometime after its release and hearing "Karov" playing loudly from an apartment above him. He listened, deeply moved, and eventually went upstairs to knock on the door. Nobody answered. The person inside had no idea that the man who wrote the songs was standing outside. Perhaps that is why the name "Karov", meaning "Close", fits so well. The album travels between countries, memories and musical styles, finding something personal and familiar wherever it goes. It holds the curiosity of someone who wants to keep traveling alongside an understanding of how precious the people and places we leave behind can be. And when it ends, it leaves us wanting to listen again, a little more closely. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram and/or subscribe to our website

On September 14, 1984, "Dokken" released "Tooth and Nail", their second studio album and the record that turned a nearly lost promise into one of the leading melodic metal bands of the 1980s. A year earlier, "Dokken" had released "Breaking the Chains" in the United States. Sales fell short of "Elektra"'s expectations, and the label's executives were reluctant to fund another attempt. The band's management had to fight for a second chance, a struggle reflected in the title "Tooth and Nail": this time, they were determined to hold on with everything they had. The lineup had changed, too. Juan Croucier left to join "Ratt", and Jeff Pilson took his place. Alongside him were Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on guitar and Mick Brown on drums. This was the band's classic lineup, four musicians whose chemistry was almost as volatile as the tensions threatening to tear them apart. The album was recorded between April and August 1984 at "Cherokee Studios" in Hollywood. Producer Tom Werman tried to keep Don Dokken and George Lynch apart, even arranging separate working hours so they would not be in the studio together. Following a heated clash over Lynch's solos, Werman left. Roy Thomas Baker, who had already worked with "Queen" and "The Cars", joined in an attempt to get the sessions back on track, while Michael Wagener helped complete the recordings and mix the album. Out of that chaos came a remarkably focused sound. On one side was the European metal Don Dokken loved, with influences from "Judas Priest" and "Saxon". On the other were big melodies, rich vocal harmonies and choruses made for radio and MTV. Towering over it all was George Lynch's guitar, wild and deliberate at once, full of sharp riffs and solos that told a story rather than simply showing off his speed. "Without Warning" is a brief instrumental opener that builds tension before the riff of "Tooth and Nail" tears in without asking permission. The title track is a fast, aggressive declaration of survival, with Mick Brown driving the band forward and Lynch unleashing a dizzying solo that immediately marks him out as a different kind of guitarist. "Just Got Lucky" balances that power with a bright melody and an irresistible chorus, but the guitar still bites. Its video was filmed in Hawaii while the band was touring with "Dio". Lynch played his solo on an active volcano, and as the heat and steam began to rise, park rangers ordered the crew to leave. Shortly after they took off, the volcano erupted, and the camera crew circled it from the air to capture that moment, too. "Heartless Heart" keeps things moving with straightforward melodic hard rock, while "Don't Close Your Eyes" eases the pace slightly and makes room for Don Dokken's more vulnerable side. Make no mistake, these are not filler tracks. They keep the album engaging between the big hits and show how well the band already understood the tension between toughness and emotion. "When Heaven Comes Down" takes the album back into heavier, more menacing territory, with a fierce riff and an almost apocalyptic atmosphere. It is followed by "Into the Fire", one of "Dokken"'s signature songs. The dark melody, the lift in the chorus and Lynch's polished solo create a heavy, brooding track with a chorus that is easy to get swept up in. It reached No. 21 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and later appeared in the film "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors". "Bullets to Spare" is a rougher-edged track, with a heavy beat and none of the instantly catchy choruses that define the singles. It gives way to "Alone Again", the ballad that changed the album's fortunes. Don Dokken wrote its earliest version back in 1975 and brought it back to life nearly a decade later with Jeff Pilson. The song makes no attempt to hide its heartbreak. The voice sounds genuinely lonely, the keyboards leave room to breathe, and Lynch's solo turns pain into melody. The single reached No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart, while its video gave the album the commercial boost it needed. "Turn on the Action" closes the album with one last fast, noisy charge. After the big ballad, the band chooses not to bow out gently but to remind us where they came from: four hungry musicians, a skeptical record label and the feeling that this might be their last chance. "Tooth and Nail" was not an overnight hit. It gradually climbed to No. 49 on the US album chart, went Gold in August 1985 and was finally certified Platinum in March 1989. That slow-building success showed that listeners had discovered more than a handful of good singles. They had found a band with an identity of its own. The meeting of Don Dokken's melodic voice and George Lynch's fire created a tension that could not be faked. Four decades after its release, "Tooth and Nail" still sounds like the moment "Dokken" discovered that their internal contradictions were also a source of strength. It is melodic without being soft, virtuosic without losing sight of the songs, and full of the hunger of a band with plenty left to prove. Sometimes a band with its back against the wall plays as though its life depends on every note. That is exactly what happened here. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram and/or subscribe to our website

On September 13, 2011, "Opeth" released "Heritage", its tenth studio album. Some albums change a band's direction. Others force listeners to decide whether they truly love the band or merely what they have grown accustomed to receiving from it. "Heritage" belongs to the second kind. After years of fusing death metal, progressive rock, acoustic melancholy and almost classical beauty, "Opeth" removed one of its most recognizable elements almost completely: Mikael Åkerfeldt's harsh vocals. This was neither a gimmick nor a side experiment, but a declaration of a new identity. The move did not come from a desire to make things easier. Quite the opposite. Åkerfeldt initially wrote two songs that sounded like a natural continuation of "Watershed", but bassist Martín Méndez told him he would be disappointed if the entire album followed that path. The comment gave Åkerfeldt the permission he needed to discard the material and begin again. Once he wrote "The Lines in My Hand", the picture became clear: the next album would not refine the established "Opeth" formula. It would dismantle it. That decision can be heard in every detail. The guitars remain dark and heavy when necessary, but they no longer form a wall around the listener. They leave room for bass, drums, piano, Hammond organ, Rhodes and Mellotron. Åkerfeldt's production, the sessions at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm and Steven Wilson's mix give the album a warm, slightly dusty and vividly organic sound. It feels like musicians sharing a room, listening to one another and allowing the music to breathe, hesitate and change direction. The opening instrumental "Heritage" contains no guitar trying to prove a point. Joakim Svalberg's piano, inspired by Swedish pianist Jan Johansson and Swedish folk music, opens a door into another world: cold, ancient and strangely familiar. It is a brief introduction, but it severs the connection with the past perfectly. Instead of an explosion, it offers an invitation to step inside. The song "The Devil's Orchard" is the album's clearest declaration. The words "God is dead" seize the ear immediately, but the real power lies in the band's movement: an angular riff, a distinctly 1970s organ, rhythms that shift the ground beneath the listener and clean vocals that do not try to sound beautiful at every moment. It is dark without requiring a single growl, perhaps the first proof that the heaviness of "Opeth" never depended on distortion alone. As the album unfolds, it refuses to choose between song and journey. "I Feel the Dark" begins almost like a folk whisper, yet a sense of danger slowly seeps through until the entire arrangement seems to move beneath it. "Nepenthe" takes its time, leaving wide spaces between notes and favoring inner tension over an immediate climax. These pieces demand patience, but they reveal new layers with almost every listen. The song "Slither" stands apart even on an album built around surprises. Written as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio, who died while the album was being written, it is direct, fast and closer to the hard rock of "Rainbow" and "Dio". Even here, however, "Opeth" does not settle for imitation. The acoustic ending suddenly changes the light in the room, leaving the tribute suspended between strength and grief. At the heart of the album are the moments when its new freedom becomes almost unstable. "Häxprocess" moves through acoustic guitars, floating sounds and the feeling of a memory coming apart. "Famine" goes further still: Alex Acuña's percussion and Björn J:son Lindh's flute give it a ritualistic color before the guitars awaken and force their way in. It is dense, strange and not always comfortable, which is precisely why it captures the spirit of the album. "Heritage" has no interest in being polished until all risk disappears. The song "The Lines in My Hand" compresses all these ideas into less than four sharp minutes. Martin Axenrot's drumming is superb, Martín Méndez's bass is allowed a genuine place at the front, and the band sounds liberated from the need to construct a long composition simply because this is progressive rock. Sometimes the shortest piece explains the transformation most clearly. Near the end comes "Folklore", perhaps the song where the band's old and new identities meet most naturally. The melody carries a folk character, the mood is melancholy, and bass and piano conduct a quiet conversation before the guitar opens into a solo that gives the track the emotional peak other parts of the album deliberately avoid. The instrumental "Marrow of the Earth" closes the album, and it is simply mesmerizing. Acoustic guitars unfold gradually, the melody passes almost imperceptibly from one instrument to another, and the arrangement floats between warmth and deep sadness. There is no grand climax and no attempt to summarize the journey in words. Instead, the piece slowly recedes like a memory that remains suspended in the air after the final note has vanished. It is a delicate, beautiful and precise ending to an album that rediscovered how much power can exist in restraint. The special edition added two bonus tracks that broaden the album's world. "Pyre", written by Mikael Åkerfeldt with Fredrik Åkesson, continues the interplay of warm riffs, vintage keyboards and dark atmosphere, while "Face in the Snow" is gentler and more melancholy, with vocals that make it feel like an additional epilogue. Both sound too complete and meaningful to be dismissed as studio leftovers. Travis Smith's cover tells the same story. A tree of life carries the faces of the band members while its roots descend into a red and threatening underworld. The skulls at its base represent former members, and Per Wiberg's head falling from the tree alludes to his departure after the sessions. The past has not been erased. It remains in the roots. Yet the growth is taking place above ground, somewhere else. Wiberg's departure, described as a mutual decision, also made the album the end of an internal era. Commercially, however, the gamble proved that the audience might have been angry but had not disappeared. "Heritage" reached number 19 on the Billboard 200, topped the UK Rock Albums chart and entered the top ten in several European countries. In time, it became clear that this was no temporary detour. It laid the foundation for "Pale Communion", "Sorceress" and "In Cauda Venenum", altering the band's course for years. Not every moment is perfect, and at times Åkerfeldt's love for 1970s progressive rock is so exposed that the influences nearly overwhelm the band's own personality. Yet even that weakness belongs to the album's honesty. "Heritage" sounds like an artist willing to appear lost in order to discover a new language, not like a band recycling its previous victory. With the benefit of time, this is an album whose importance exceeds its comfort. It did not try to appease "Opeth" fans or ask permission to change the rules. It marked the point when the band stopped standing between death metal and progressive rock and chose to walk deeply into the latter. Even listeners who prefer the force of the earlier era must acknowledge the courage involved. Without "Heritage", the story of "Opeth" might have been more consistent, but it would certainly have been less human and less fascinating. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram and/or subscribe to our website

Written by: Moti Kupfer Release date - 14.09.1998 “Richey was such an amazing rock star, an intellectual, so erudite.” On a clear day, on February 1, 1995, Richey James Edwards, rhythm guitarist of "Manic Street Preachers", left the hotel where he was staying, drove away in his car, and from that point on disappeared without a trace. In 2008 he was legally declared dead, although his body has never been found. His close friend and bandmate Nicky Wire struggled to come to terms with the loss, and the band's next album, "Everything Must Go", was dedicated to Richey, with some of its songs featuring lyrics he had written. During the work on that album, the sense of loss and the band's need to overcome it were still fresh, but time, as they say, heals wounds and eases pain. By the time they came to make their next record, James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore arrived focused and determined. Time had also done its work musically. Grunge and the standard guitar-bass-drums rock format were beginning to absorb electronic elements. "Radiohead" were among the first to push electronic rock into the mainstream, and "Manic Street Preachers" did not stand still either, adding Mellotron and Wurlitzer electric piano to the instrumental palette of their fifth album, "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours", released on September 14, 1998. This was the album that turned the beloved Welsh rock band into a group heard in almost every second home in Israel, thanks to Nicky Wire's sharp and painfully honest writing. For the first time he wrote all of the album's lyrics, while James Dean Bradfield and his cousin, drummer Sean Moore, supplied the high-level compositional craft. Although the album is highly melodic and seemingly light on the surface, the lyrics make it clear that Nicky Wire still had not recovered from the loss of his close friend and bandmate. Wire lays everything on the table and does not hesitate to criticize. Winston Churchill, Welsh soldiers and even the Yorkshire police all come under fire, and you can trust Nicky and the "Manics" that if someone enters their moral and critical radar, there is probably a good reason for it. "The Everlasting" opens the album. Nicky borrowed the title from his brother, the poet Patrick Jones, and the song describes a man growing older and slowly forgetting the purpose he once set before himself when he was young. The next song, also the album's first single, hits several targets at once. On one level it warns against fascism and hatred, drawing its inspiration from the Spanish Civil War and the idealism of the Welsh volunteers who joined the International Brigades to fight for the Republic against Franco's forces. The title "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" comes from a Republican propaganda poster, and I will add that there is a well-known biblical line built around the same idea: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" hints at Nicky's dislike of touring, with its hotel life and constant longing for home. For the first time in "Manic Street Preachers" history, one of their songs was built largely around a loop from an electronic drum machine. "Ready for Drowning" deals with the small Welsh village of Capel Celyn, which was flooded during the 1960s to create a reservoir supplying water to the city of Liverpool. It is a song that offers clear criticism of decision makers who once again gave the powerful what they needed at the expense of the weak and the small. But almost no story can match the one behind "Tsunami". On the surface, it is a Japanese word meaning a great wave, but the song is not about the natural phenomenon. Instead, it tells the tragic story of the Silent Twins, June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins of Barbadian background who suffered racial abuse at school in Wales because of the color of their skin, until they withdrew into silence and communicated with each other in a private language that only they understood. Before long they became mirror images of one another and began writing, but later they became involved in criminal offences, and in 1982 were sent to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, where they remained for many years. The tragic ending came when, according to June, the two believed that one of them had to die so the other could be freed from the silence they had imposed between themselves and the outside world. Jennifer died in 1993, at the age of 29, from acute myocarditis. And speaking of the secret world shared by the Gibbons sisters, "My Little Empire" continues along that line, looking at the consequences and the descent into depression that isolation can create. "I'm Not Working" also speaks from inside Nicky Wire's mind. He struggled to recover psychologically from the disappearance of his friend, and that condition is reflected in an inability to work. "You're Tender and You're Tired" also picks at Nicky's wounds and sadness, as well as the distress and suicidal state of Richey James Edwards. In "Born a Girl", Nicky admits that he felt he might have been better off had he been born a woman. This came from an artist who often appeared on stage in heavy makeup and at times wore women's clothes. James Dean Bradfield later admitted that he did not connect with the lyrics and found the song difficult to perform. In "Be Natural", Wire reminds everyone hiding behind a costume that it is natural and right to be who you are, even if who you are does not go down easily with someone else. In "Black Dog on My Shoulder", Wire returns to his depression. The black dog on his shoulder and the dryness in his mouth, a result of extensive use of antidepressants, hint at how difficult his condition had become. The album moves toward its ending with "Nobody Loved You", in which Wire looks back on his friendship with Richey James Edwards. The song represents an emotional and musical release, and perhaps part of the psychological process of letting go that Wire so badly needed in order not to remain in his friend's shadow. The song that closes the album, "S.Y.M.M.", is the most moving one for me personally. I was 14 when Liverpool reached the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, managed by Brian Clough. The selected venue was Sheffield Wednesday's stadium, "Hillsborough". On the day of the match, the police opened an exit gate because of the pressure building outside, and a large number of people entered the Leppings Lane standing terrace at once, an area fenced at the front. As the crowding intensified, supporters at the front began to be crushed against the fences. The police response was slow and indifferent, and the horrifying result was a disaster that ultimately claimed the lives of 97 supporters. Wire and "Manic Street Preachers", who had performed at Anfield a year before the album as part of a concert in memory of the victims, were deeply affected by the story and wrote a song that is entirely critical of the police handling of the tragedy. Remember that this was 1998, a year in which the case had reached something of a dead end, and perhaps, just perhaps, Wire's song helped push the wheels of justice a little further toward the full vindication the supporters and the club would eventually receive. The "Manics" took the album title, "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours", from a speech by Welsh Labour politician Aneurin Bevan. The album became the most successful of the "Manics" career, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and later winning the BRIT Award for Best British Album. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Editor's Choice... And this time "War of Words", the debut album of "Fight", which was released on September 14, 1993. Would you like to know how a combination between singer Rob Halford and the band "Pantera" could have sounded? Between Heavy Metal roots and angry metal groove? So this album is probably the closest thing to such a combination you will hear, and it's good! Two weeks ago we reviewed one of the greatest albums of Heavy Metal - "Painkiller" by "Judas Priest", and we told you that just after the release of that masterful album, frictions began to emerge between Rob Halford and the band members, against the background of Halford's desire to work on a side project. The rest of the band thought Halford should dedicate his entire time to the band, and the growing pressure on him led him to announce his retirement from the band in 1992. So this departure of Rob Halford from "The Priests" was related in part to the fact that Halford wanted to experiment with extreme areas of metal. The band "Pantera" warmed up "Judas Priest" during the tour of the album "Painkiller" and Halford liked what he heard and decided to produce an album that was influenced by the sound and style of the "Transformers of Metal" also known as the Cowboys from Hell. When he left "Judas Priest", Halford took drummer Scott Travis with him, thus already assuring the badass double bass, the power, and the technique in the likes of Vinnie Paul Abbott. He went on to recruit young musicians to his emerging band, bassist Jay Jay and two talented guitarists, Brian Tilse and Russ Parrish who years later would change his name to Satchel and form the band "Steel Panther". Halford wrote all 12 of the album's songs, including all of the guitar roles, which shows his commitment to the project and his desire for a change in sound and style. This album introduces us to a different face of Halford, which in some parts of this album was just hard for us to believe was his voice! This album made us discover that Halford's voice is even more "divine" than we thought. It is much more diverse and with a significantly wider sonic range than we thought. For example, listening to his singing in "Contortion", it would have made Phil Anselmo proud, listen to him in "Kill It" or "Nailed to the Gun" and understand what we are talking about. Also in terms of musical style, we get a much heavier, more aggressive, and rough album, with massive and edgy drumming and crazy guitar work by the two guitarists, Parrish and Tilse, who at times manage to embrace the sound of Dimebag Darrell's guitar. We even have an amazing ballad on this album - "For All Eternity", for which only this whole project was worthwhile. Well, you got the idea. Now you have to listen: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website