Amaseffer

Last updated
Amaseffer
Origin Tel Aviv, Israel
Genres Progressive metal
Folk metal
Years active2004–present
Labels InsideOut Music
Members Hanan Avramovich
Yuval Kramer
Erez Yohanan
Mats Levén

Amaseffer is an Israeli progressive metal band which was formed in 2004 in Tel Aviv by drummer and percussionist Erez Yohanan, and guitarist Yuval Kramer. A year later, a second guitarist Hanan Avramovich joined and completed the line-up. This is also when the band got its name "Amaseffer" - from Hebrew "Am Ha'Sefer" (עם הספר) - People of the (holy) book; a name from the Old Testament for the Israelites and later for the Jewish People. [1] The band's music genre is considered progressive metal, but it contains a mixture of rock, metal, world music and Middle Eastern touches. [2]

Contents

History

Slaves for Life (2004–2008)

Amaseffer was formed with the idea of a historical trilogy in mind - to tell the Old Testament's story of the Exodus, from the Hebrew slavery period in ancient Egypt, through the years in the desert, and up to the entrance of the twelve tribes of Israel to the Promised Land of Canaan (later Israel). [1] The first album of the trilogy, Slaves for Life , tells the story of the events starting with the Hebrews slavery, through the birth of Moses and ends with the ten plagues of Egypt. [3]

In 2006, while the three band members were composing this first album in Tel Aviv, Israel, they started looking for a lead vocalist for the album. In August 2006 Andy Kuntz, lead singer of the German band Vanden Plas, joined the band to fulfill this duty. [4] Through Kuntz, the band got to their recording studio, Bazement Studio, in Germany. In 2007, Kuntz and the band decided to part ways. Shortly after, the band announced that the leading vocals will be performed by Mats Levén (Krux, ex-Therion, ex-At Vance, Yngwie Malmsteen). [5]

In November 2007, the band completed the recording of the album, featuring additional musical artists like vocals by Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land), Yotam Avni (Prey for Nothing) and Maya Avraham; flutes by Amir Gvirtzman; tablas by Yatziv Caspi (Solstice Coil); bass guitar by Yair Yona. [1] [6] In April 2008, the band signed with Inside Out Music, and the first album was released on 2008-06-06 in Israel, Germany, Austria and Switzerland and by 2008-06-24 released worldwide. [7]

After the production of the first album, the band was approached by an Israeli filmmaker to record and produce the full score soundtrack for the movie "Altalena" - a movie about the Altalena Affair from 1948. This led to the forming of a legal company with the purpose to produce movie soundtracks all over the world, in addition to the Exodus trilogy. [8] [9]

When the Lions Leave Their Den (2009–2010)

In June 2009, the band decided not to implement the three-record deal with Inside Out Music and left the label. In January 2010, Amaseffer went into their studio in Jerusalem, with Mats Levén returning on vocals, in order to finish the second installment of the trilogy, with a projected release date of early 2011 once another record label was found. On April 9, 2010, the title of the second album was revealed to be When the Lions Leave Their Den. The name of the album's opening track was also revealed to be "Pillar of Fire", and it was written by Yotam Avni of Prey for Nothing, who wrote all the lyrics for the new album. The recording of the album was allegedly finished in July 2010, and it was mixed and mastered in Germany. [10] However, the album has not yet been released.

Kna'an collaboration with Orphaned Land (2016–present)

After a 6-year silence since their last announcement concerning their still-unreleased second full-length album in 2010, Amaseffer resurfaced in 2016 with a collaboration effort, entitled Kna'an, featuring fellow Israelis Orphaned Land. The work was released in July 2016 via Century Media Records. However, that same year, not long after the release of Kna'an, the band receded into another lengthy absence, with no updates regarding any activity.

Discography

Studio albums:

Other albums:

Band members

Current members

Featuring

Former members

Related Research Articles

Vanden Plas is a German progressive metal band, based in Kaiserslautern and founded in the mid-1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candlemass (band)</span> Swedish doom metal band

Candlemass is a Swedish epic doom metal band established in Upplands Väsby, a suburb of Stockholm in 1984 by bassist, songwriter and bandleader Leif Edling and drummer Matz Ekström. The band had a defining influence on doom metal, and the epic doom genre itself is named after their debut album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. Along with Pentagram, Saint Vitus and Trouble, Candlemass has been referred to as one of the "big four of doom metal".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orphaned Land</span> Israeli metal band

Orphaned Land is an Israeli metal band formed in 1991. They are known to combine Mizrahi and Maghrebi Jewish, Arabic, Turkish, and other Middle Eastern and North African musical elements, with metal, as well as from Sephardic music, and other sounds from the Mediterranean. They have also included "metalized" versions of various piyyutim in all of their albums since El Norra Alila. The band are considered to be the pioneers of oriental metal. Orphaned Land have gone through several lineup changes over the years, but have retained two founding members of the band, Kobi Farhi (vocals) and Uri Zelcha (bass). They are joined by Matan Shmuely (drums), Chen Balbus (guitars/saz) who replaced co-founding member Matti Svatizky in 2011, and Idan Amsalem (guitars/bouzouki) who replaced co-founding member Yossi Sassi in early 2014. Their lyrics promote a message of peace and unity, particularly between the three main Abrahamic religions. The name "Orphaned Land" comes from the lyrics of a Yehuda Poliker song and reflects "a paradox" to the term "Holy Land." Four of their six albums are concept albums relating to the concept of Light and darkness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Swanö</span> Swedish musician

Dan-Erland Swanö, also known as Dan "The Man" Swanö, is a Swedish musician and record producer who is currently the vocalist, guitarist, ex-bassist and ex-drummer for the band Nightingale, lately vocalist, keyboardist and drummer for the band Witherscape, as well as the owner of Unisound, but he achieved fame as the vocalist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Edge of Sanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vandenberg (band)</span> Dutch–American hard rock band

Vandenberg is a Dutch–American hard rock band from Amsterdam and Los Angeles, formed in 1981. The group is named after guitarist Adriaan "Adje" van den Berg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doogie White</span> Scottish singer

Douglas "Doogie" White is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz. He has also notably sung for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Mantis, Tank and Alcatrazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mats Levén</span> Swedish singer

Mats Levén is a Swedish singer. Some of his most notable collaborations have been with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, symphonic metallers Therion and doom metallers Candlemass. In 2011, due to family issues on the part of Firewind's lead singer Apollo, Levén was called in to substitute for the rest of their European tour. He also started touring with Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 2016. In 2019, he released his first solo album under the name Skyblood. In 2022, he became a member of Vandenberg which is led by the well known guitarist, Adrian Vandenberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crucified Barbara</span> Swedish hard rock/heavy metal band

Crucified Barbara were an all-female Swedish hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Stockholm in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kobi Farhi</span> Israeli singer (born 1975)

Kobi Farhi is an Israeli musician, lead singer and founder of Oriental metal band Orphaned Land.

<i>Christ 0</i> 2006 studio album by Vanden Plas

Christ 0 is the fifth full-length studio album by the German progressive metal band Vanden Plas, released on March 31, 2006 by InsideOut Music. This concept album interprets the Alexandre Dumas 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo, exploring the story of a man imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and following his chain of vengeful murders through the eyes of "X," an Interpol detective assigned to the case. Throughout the course of the album, both characters come to terms with their goals; X realizes just how similar the nature of his work is to Christ-0's, while 0 repents for the sins of his vengeance and commits suicide. The lyrics make several contemporary references, alluding to modern movies and organizations (Interpol).

<i>The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A</i> 2007 studio album by Exodus

The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A is the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus, released on October 26, 2007. It is the second album to feature Rob Dukes on vocals and Lee Altus on guitars, and it also marks the second comeback of longtime original Exodus drummer Tom Hunting. Hunting's last appearance was on the 2004 album Tempo of the Damned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuval Banay</span> Israeli musician

Yuval Banay is an Israeli musician, best known as the lead singer of the influential Israeli pop rock band Mashina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yotam Ben Horin</span> Israeli musician

Yotam Ben Horin is an Israeli musician best known for his work as the lead singer and bassist for Israeli punk rock band Useless ID, as well as a solo artist releasing music closer to the indie/alternative rock scene. Most recently, he is also known for his work as an additional guitarist and backing vocalist for Israeli classic rock band Kaveret on their 2013 reunion performances.

<i>Colour Temple</i> 1994 studio album by Vanden Plas

Colour Temple is the first studio album by progressive metal band Vanden Plas, released in late 1994 through Limb Music and in June 1995 through Dream Circle Records; a two-disc edition was reissued in 2002 through Inside Out Music, which included the band's 1996 acoustic EP AcCult.

<i>Slaves for Life</i> 2008 studio album by Amaseffer

Slaves for Life is the debut album by Israeli folk/progressive metal band Amaseffer, released on 6 June 2008 in Israel and 24 June 2008 worldwide, by InsideOut Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mooki (singer)</span> Musical artist

Danny Niv, better known as Mooki is an Israeli singer and rapper, best known as the frontman for the Israeli hip hop/punk act Shabak Samech between 1992 and 2000, and again since 2007. He is also a successful solo artist. In Shabak Samech, he was also known by the nickname Mookie D, given him due to the resemblance of his voice to the voice of Mike D of the Beastie Boys.

Eatliz is an Israeli alternative/progressive rock band.

Andy Kuntz is a German progressive metal singer best known for his work with the band Vanden Plas. He has also participated in a production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

Kill the Drive is an Israeli four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 2005. The band started as a skate punk trio and gained their first recognition releasing their third album Lady Karma on Broken English Records, in 2012.

<i>Leviathan</i> (Therion album) 17th studio album by Therion

Leviathan is the seventeenth studio album by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion. It was released on 22 January 2021 by Nuclear Blast Records. It is the first part in Leviathan trilogy, its sequels Leviathan II and Leviathan III were released on 2022 and 2023 respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Amaseffer Homepage - The Story of the Band". Amaseffer.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Amaseffer CD description on InsideOut Music web page". InsideOut Music. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  3. ↑ "The Holy Bible - Exodus". God through Moses. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Vanden Plas Singer Unveils New Band". metalunderground.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  5. ↑ "Mats Leven to Guest on Amaseffer Project". blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  6. ↑ "Amaseffer CD is done". blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  7. ↑ "Amaseffer "Slaves for life" released". blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  8. ↑ "Amaseffer News". Amaseffer.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  9. ↑ "Altalena - JFF". Jff.Org.il. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  10. ↑ "AMASEFFER: New Album Title Revealed". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.