Interview with Butchered, the vocalist and bassplayer of the Black/Death metal band from Israel, Arallu.
Hi Butchered, how are you?
Hail from Jerusalem, Antichrist magazine! I’m fine, thank you. Right now we’re working hard, preparing for the show with the mighty Marduk and Tribulation in Tel Aviv this December.
Tell me when was Arallu founded?
Arallu was founded in 1997 in Jerusalem as my solo project. We had a very small black metal scene in Israel at that time, and I was looking for the most extreme sound I could get. The Bloodshed in the streets of Jerusalem, inspired me and made me angry about the stupid war between religions. I remember thinking to myself, why God hates the human race and makes us kill our own kind? So it inspired me to express these feelings, with the most powerful and heavy black metal sound I could get, through Arallu.
You have released this year the fifth album entitled ”GENIEWAR”, tell me about it.
Yes, after 6 years of performances, tours and hard work we have finally released our fifth studio album GENIEWAR. I really think this is the best album Arallu ever recorded after the debut album from 1999 “The War on the wailing wall”. The album is different from the usual underground sound, with a lot of middle eastern sounds and high speed but still very tight and aggressive.
Did you receive good reviews about the album?
We receive very good vibes from the Israeli media, and just lately started to see and hear positive reviews from outside of Israel, which is very heartwarming. Add it to the fact that Arallu is nor exactly your Lady Gaga & Justin Bieber kind of mainstream music, and it’s really fun and satisfying.
What can you tell me about the other band’s releases?
I think Arallu is different from the other black metal bands. We have a very clear and unique concept and sound, yet every album has it’s own spirit vibes & sounds. I mean, they all sound like us, but every album attacks another angle of the Middle Eastern sound, combining it with the old school underground black and thrash metal. You can tell right away that you’re listening to Arallu, but every album feels different, with a variety of instruments and different vibe.
What are the band’s influences and also what are the lyrical themes?
Arallu’s main concept over the years and to this day, is about the ancient Mesopotamian culture and the mystic days over the Middle East. On the other side, it’s also about our daily life in Israel, and the widespread bloodshed all over the Middle East such as in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and unfortunately many more. Mix it together with the almost 2,000 year old war and religious fight in Jerusalem, still very alive and above surface today, and you got the whole Arallu concept. Over the last years, the huge bloodshed in the middle east influenced us very deeply. So the lyrics talk mainly about this insane way of life, from the ancient times to this day. The musical influences, our inspiration is mainly the classic black and thrash metal bands, like Venom , Bathory, the old Slayer albums, Mayhem, Absu, Marduk, King Diamond, Merciful Fate etc. On the other side, we’re influenced by traditional Arabic music ,Mediterranean music and other Israeli music of this type.
Are you going to tour this year?
Our last tour was last March (2015) in Turkey. It wasn’t that long ago, and as I said earlier, we’re currently preparing for the metal fest in December with Marduk and Tribulation in Israel. Besides that, my wife is about to give birth to my 3rd child any day now, so I believe we won’t be planning to go on tour before January 2016. Nevertheless, if we’ll get an interesting offer, we would surely consider it.
Do you have a message for the fans?
Give GENIEWAR a good listening. It’s not a regular black metal album. These days, when you can hear anything you want in a movement to a finger on youtube, and have so many distractions, it’s easy to give it just few seconds and move on. But this way you won’t be able to catch the beat and the idea of the songs. So please listen to it carefully.
Thank you Butchered, all the best!
Thank you Antichrist Magazine for this interview, me and all the guys in Arallu wish you all the best and hope to preform in Romania in the future. We would love to play for the crowd in eastern Europe, heard they’re the best! Until then, good luck and take care!
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