Orphaned Land interview

(Originally from 8/30/04)

Hailing from Israel, Orphaned Land plays a bizarre and very entertaining blend of numerous genres and music styles, ranging from classical to Eastern folk music and even to death metal. We invite you to have a look with us behind the band that is changing music and breaking down the strict definitions of genres, as we interview Orphaned Land guitarist Matti Svatizky...

For those who are unfamiliar with Orphaned Land, can you tell us a little about the band and how it got started? 

Matti Svatizky: Orphaned Land started in the year 1991. At first, it was called "Resurrection" and had only 4 members: Kobi Farhi - vocalist, Uri Zelcha - bass, Yossi Saharon - guitars and a guy called Danni who was the drummer. After one show the line up has changed. Sami Bachar replaced Danni on the drums, and I, Matti Svatizky, joined as the second guitarist. We started working on new material together and when we were ready we entered the studio and recorded a demo called The Beloved's Cry. After this release we got a deal from the French label Holy Records and we recorded 2 albums for them, Sahara (1994) and El Norra Alila (1996). After the latter we went on a "short" 5 year break, and came back recently with a new album titled Mabool - The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven.

Orphaned Land has a very unique style, integrating all kinds of Eastern ambience and instruments along with a kind of melodic death metal approach. What gave you the idea to do something like this?

We felt like we just had to make something original and new. For us, making the same old death metal that was out back then was just out of the question. We had the need to innovate; to make something that hadn’t been made before. We tried many different approaches, and than one day Uri came with a riff which had an oriental sound to it and we thought: "hey, playing Metal with constant oriental touches in it is something that no one has ever done", so we went for it. I'll just add to this that we very much like folkloric music, and that we enjoy very much dripping it into metal.

How does your homeland view the style of music you play and what is the metal scene like in general over there? 

Metalheads back at home like our music very much. It’s sometimes a little bit hard to digest our style and not everyone always understands our motives, but all in all we have huge support from the Israeli scene. I think that the scene in Israel is very much like scenes in other countries, except maybe for the fact that we don't get too much exposure to outside live acts. For big festivals we have to fly to Europe, and plane tickets are very expensive. The average age for Metalheads in Israel is about 18; we usually don’t survive in metal beyond this age. But, the scene is quite lively, there are many local acts and the crowd is unbelievably warm.

Who are some of your favorite bands or musical influences? 

The musical tastes in Orphaned Land are really diverse. Each band member is a whole separate universe regarding to his musical taste. We like all styles, and we learned during the years to appreciate music on several levels. This past year or so I found my way a little bit back into Metal, and learned to appreciate many new bands on the scene for their new sounds. But except for Metal, I like bands like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, U2, and so on. Also anything that is progressive goes for me, styles like Jazz, Fusion, Progressive rock and etc.

Is there a favorite song you have off of Mabool? 

No, not really. I really can't choose only one song from the album. I think they are all good.

Walk us through the process of writing songs with Orphaned Land. What usually comes first, music or lyrics? How much creative input is there before a song is considered complete? 

The songs usually start with the music, and the lyrics come on a latter stage. Some band member comes to practice with a riff or a tune that he thought of, or a bunch of riffs, and we glue them together with riffs other members have composed. We have special sessions in which we work on putting together these riffs. During this work we also compose roles for all the instruments through the song. After this work is done we start working on the songs with a drummer and the vocal parts usually come last, after all the composing is done.

For decades, there has been debate over whether religion or Christianity belongs in metal. Since Orphaned Land uses themes from Islam and Judaism, how do you feel about the controversy of metal and religious beliefs? 

I think that music has no limits and that no one is obliged to any rules or terms in whatever comes to what he likes or what he would like his own music to sound like. If someone wants to sing about the eggplants that he grows in his back yard - that's fine by me, and if someone wants to sing about his beliefs - that's cool also. I think that those who are debating are the ones who are wrong, not the ones making the music.

What kinds of guitars, amps and effects were used on this new album? 

On Mabool we used different gear than on our previous albums. We thought that it was time to get a better guitar sound so we experimented in the studio, tried all kinds of different options until we got where we wanted. For cabinets, we used a 4X12 Marshall speaker and drove it a Mesa Boogie tube amplifier head, model - 50/50. We also used a Marshall pre-amplifier, model JMP1 - from it we got the distortion sound. For guitars - Yossi plays an Ibanez S540. I play a Fender Stratocaster Set-Neck. To get a thicker and a heavier sound we multiplied all the guitars and we used an Ibanez RS series 6 strings, with a 011 set for the job. Also on some parts we used an Ibanez RS series 7 strings in order to get a heavier sound. We also used a standard Fender Strat for one role, a Takamine acoustic guitar and a Yamaha electrical classical guitar.

If you could form a dream band of any musicians, live or dead, who would be in it and why? 

I think I'll have David Gilmour on one guitar, Steve Vai on the other guitar, Flee from Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass, Vinnie Caliuta on Drums, and Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode as a vocalist. Jim Morison would write the lyrics and John Petrucci will compose. And anyone who doesn't know why I chose these persons should explore their music more.

Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians and bands? 

I'd say - always do what you like to do - never compromise with anyone except for with your own band-mates. Try to innovate and as much as you can to bring fresh air into whatever you do. Always keep an open mind and try not to stay stuck with only one musical style. Listen to anything that is good. Keep practicing, keep believing, and the most important thing: always enjoy what you do. The storm still rages inside…

A big thanks to Orphaned Land and Century Media Records for making this interview possible. The new Orphaned Land album, Mabool is out in stores now, and also available through this website from the reviews section. Check out the artist and label websites at: www.orphaned-land.com and www.centurymedia.com.