Interview Arallu (by Droll)

Who are Arallu? What is Arallu all about? Why such a name for a band?

Hello to Antichrist Magazine from Jerusalem. It’s an honor for us to be interviewed for your metal scene.

The name Arallu comes from the ancient world in the Middle Eastern culture of Mesopotamia. We come from Jerusalem and there’s never been stability in the area, and I think never will be. A lot of the songs of Arallu talk about exactly this, and the link between the ancient world and the modern world, that very much resembles each other. We wake up every day to new horror in our life, and I explore the reasons why, and the process. Arallu was founded in Jerusalem, in the middle of the conflict between the religions around the old city of Jerusalem in the 90’s. When you live as the terror is surrounding you, want it or not, it inspires you whatever you do. I remember the bus exploding next to me and the hatred comes through the news. I was 16 years old and the extreme black metal concept around Europe came to my life. Mixed with the bloodshed around Jerusalem is what brought Arallu band to life. Arallu music is inspired by the events in the Middle East and Jerusalem, and the global terror around the world. I believe Arallu has its own sound and brings something new and fresh to the metal music. We work hard to not to sound like other bands, and bring our own ideas and sound to the metal music around the world.

A year ago your last album Geniewar was released. Can you tell more about it?

Geniewar is Arallu‘s fifth album. It’s getting good feedbacks for now and we hope they’ll continue. Like every album of the band the music is not easy. It takes time to understand it, like the old black metal albums of the 90’s. You have to give it a chance and listen carefully. He who will listen to Geniewar carefully will really like it. I believe, like the other albums, people will understand the main idea of Geniewar after few times listening to it. We really want to believe Geniewar will open us new doors and will take us to a new way that we never knew. We try to bring each album his own sound. Each album has its instruments and ideas. Usually beside the electric guitars and drums we combine in the music a Middle Eastern drums beat and Darbukka (Middle Eastern percussion). You’ll find that in every album of the band, but each album we bring other instruments like Saz, Oud, Flutes, Kanoon and others ideas. Arallu’s discography talk about the ancient world when demons and sorcerer ruled the earth, you can find the analogy between the ancient world and the world today. It all connects in one big concept and we all waiting when the Mesopotamian Empire will arise and finally destroy the religions and what they represent. This empire will rise from Jerusalem. It’s not just all fight about this city. By all Mystical  books Jerusalem is the main place of the new world.  In Geniewar, we are going forward with the old releases. All around Arallu is the ancient time of Middle East era (called Mesopotamia) until the declaration of Israel state wars, bloodshed, and the conflict between the religions around Jerusalem. Geniewar brings a different side about that. Some part of this album speaks about the wars around the declaration of Israel, the war at 1967 and the war in Syria and Iraq of 2013 but it’s all connected around the reason for this horror days of blood everywhere around the Middle East and Jerusalem.

Who writes the music and lyrics in Arallu? Take the lid off: how do the songs born?

When I start to feel that the anger starts flowing in my veins, I’m taking my guitar and start writing some riffs. This is the start of the process. I’m sending them to my band members and we meet in the rehearsal room and start working for a new song. Unfortunately, the world provides me all the time ideas to writing lyrics. Especially in these days around the Middle East.  Arallu is a radical band in the music and the lyric. We not hate anyone or anybody because his skin color or his religions. Our lyrics are clear! We are against what is offensive and hurting us. Us as human beings, us as individual. The people in Israel don’t know what good life is. They think they know but actually they don’t know. We are busy all around with security issues. Our lyrics are «in your face» against the religions and what they represent and of course the people behind them. Geniewar talk about all those issues. The war of the ancient time as kings trying to rules Jerusalem until the wars of today as ISIS try to destroying and kill who don’t think like them. This album is the mirror of the human race, hypocrisy of the governments all around the world including Israel as don’t want and afraid to fight against the extremely religions leaders.

Is Arallu a DIY (do it yourself) band? What are the pros and cons to be a DIY band?

Mmm… it’s hard to say… Arallu its not officially a DIY band. We have “Raven Music” behind us. But the label is in charge of distributing the CD’s, send the albums for magazines around the world and give us a stage in the local metal shows. Like we performed last December with Marduk, Behemoth and others. Beside that we do the rest by our self.

Who and what inspires you as musicians?

I think you can find inside Arallu music, sounds like Absu, Slayer, Deicide, Morbid Angel, King Diamond, Mayhem, Bathory, Venom and many others. Together with mixed of Middle East music and Arabic music as coming from Jerusalem, turkey and Egypt. About the lyric, just Look around you and you can see the Middle East is like a battlefield, every day we’re exposed to some new Genocide or bloodshed here and there. For the last we can see it across the sea. Some places in Europe and United States too. From the wars of the ancient times as kings tried to rule Jerusalem, to the wars of today as ISIS are trying to destroy and kill anyone who doesn’t agree with their religious views.  All this inspired our music and of course our lyrics.

Looking back: if there was such a possibility, what would you change in Arallu?

Look, Arallu was founded in 1997 from then until now the band has undergone evolution. I know we had many mistakes over the years. I’m not talking about the music. I’m talking about the albums production, about promotions, band line up over the years, but thanks to the demons we in a good place today and I hope we will go forward with Geniewar album and of course with our new album that we’re working on right now.

You have seen a lot of fans in different countries and cities. Is there a difference between the fans in different places?

Yes of course. The fans around Israel are different from the fans around Turkey. The fans around Switzerland are also different from the fans around Czech Republic.  When you’re invited to come play outside Israel you never know what is waiting for you. It’s always exciting us to come and play for new fans.

Did you have some extraordinary, unexpected or funny situations during your tours? How did you cope with it?

You can find in our YouTube channel videos from our tours around the years. And I’m not talking about videos from the shows.  I’m talking about videos “behind the scene”. some in Hebrew some in English. We always keep the good mood and try to have fun and keep Good atmosphere between us and the inviters and the bands we play with.

Where do you yourself want to go with a tour or concert?

We really want to come play our fans around Ukraine and Russia. It will be a honor for us to do it. Also I hope we perform some day in Japan, Brazil Australia. Where our fans want to see Arallu live and someone will invite us we will go.

What would you never allow yourself to do on a stage?

Something that will make the audience think we’re irreverent. I also never allow to myself or my band members up drunk to the stage or something has can harm our show quality. People come and pay to see us onstage and I never disappoint them.

What is music for you?

Beside my family, it’s all my life!

What Arallu members doing in regular, everyday life aside from a band?

I’m playing only in Arallu.
Omri and Kassimov have a band called Fixed Stars.
Kassimov is a session drummer. He’s the only one of us that does it for a living with other bands in Israel.
Gal also has another project named Lehavoth.

Can you tell about instruments you play?

I personally play on electric guitar and bass guitar, but we integrate many other instruments from our homeland – Drabukka, Saz, Oud, Flutes, kanoon and more. It brings to Arallu its unique sound and make it special band. Arallu has 5 full albums today. We try to bring each album to its own sound. Each album has his instruments and ideas. Usually beside the electric guitars and drums we combine in the music a Middle Eastern drums beats and others.

In your opinion, what’s the main problem in music business nowadays?

There are a lot of metal bands all around the world. And the music is online more than on a cd’s. When you publish a YouTube link of a new video or a new song in the same time thousands of new song are published also so it’s hard to get the opportunity for a new fans.

The bands are begging to play and worst, they pay to play what bring the record labels to understand they don’t need to pay the bands. The bands will pay for them to release an album or to perform on stage. I founded Arallu in 1997 to spread a message. We have a Hebrew line in the middle of the song “Jewish Devil” translates as «satanic war in Jerusalem will start in Jerusalem and spread the world. We (Arallu) know this war and the idea behind the terror and warn you». Today we’re 13 years after these words and look around you in Europe and of course the Middle East the terror is attack every corner. The global terror is surrounding. When Satanic War In Jerusalem was released in 2002 people called to Arallu a fantasy band and today you can take the lyrics and find yourself the connection. 10 years ago people were looking for the combination between the music and the lyrics. It was naive and people were looking for something fresh. Today people just press the YouTube play button and after a few seconds to go forward for something else.

What are your future plans?

We hope to join the 2017 line up of “Brutal Assault”, “HellFest” or other big metal fest outside Israel to get the chance to prove ourselves and we’re actually just about to start writing the next album. We still don’t know where the new album will take us, but you can be sure it won’t be like the previous ones, but you could recognize that it’s Arallu right away. Thank you very much for the interview! We love your crowd. You are great! And we’d love to be invited to come play in your home town someday.

Spare few words to your fans please

Thank you very much for this interview I know you have a great metal scene in Ukraine and we hope to come someday to see u all from the stage side and see your beautiful country.

(c) Droll (www.dailymetal.com.ua)