Scardust

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Scardust
Vocalist and frontwoman Noa Gruman in concert with Scardust live in April, 2018
Vocalist and frontwoman Noa Gruman in concert with Scardust live in April, 2018
Background information
Also known asSomnia (2013–2015)
OriginRamat Gan, Israel
Genres
Years active2013–present
LabelsM-Theory Audio, Independent
Associated actsPatty Gurdy, Kobi Farhi
Websitewww.scardust.co
MembersNoa Gruman
Orr Didi
Yoav Weinberg
Yadin Moyal
Aaron Friedland
Past membersItay Portugaly
Yanai Avnet
Lior Goldberg
Alex Nicola

Scardust (Hebrew: סקארדאסט) is an Israeli progressive metal band,[citation needed] founded in Ramat Gan in 2013 by Noa Gruman and Orr Didi. Until 2015, the band was known as Somnia. The band has opened for Symphony X, Epica, and Therion in Israel.[2]

History[]

In 2013, Noa Gruman and pianist Orr Didi founded the duo Somnia; they released their debut EP, Shadow. After this, the band changed their name to Scardust because another band owned the "Somnia" trademark.[3] In October 2015, Scardust participated in the Melodic Alliance festival, in Tel Aviv.[4] In December 2015 they headlined The Scardust Epic Experience, a concert in Tel Aviv, which sold out.[3]

Sands of Time (2016-2019)[]

In 2016, Scardust began pre-production for their first studio album, and in June they played a concert with fellow Israeli metal band Prey for Nothing.[citation needed]In autumn, during a fundraising event for the upcoming album, they played an acoustic concert.[3] In April 2017, they began another fundraising campaign to complete the album.

Sands of Time, was released on July 13, 2017, "in a concert in front of 500 people," the band's largest headline up to that point.[3] The first half of the album is a 27-minute epic, while the second half is composed of "separated songs that dealt with the concept of time..."[5][6] Scardust collaborated with Kobi Farhi, of Orphaned Land, and Jake E, of Amaranthe, on two respective tracks, and released three music videos for the album.[7] In May, Gruman was featured on Amorphis' album Queen of Time[8] as conductor of the album's choir.

On July 15, 2018, Scardust performed a concert in Berlin entitled "Sandstorm over Berlin," in collaboration with Stimmgewalt, a German choir that performs a capella heavy metal.[9]

In 2019, Scardust performed at festivals in Germany and Slovenia (Metaldays), then headlined a concert in China. Their "highlight" from the year was their UK tour with Patty Gurdy and performance at the Ramblin' Man Fair with a choir "assembled especially for the occasion." Upon returning to Israel, they produced the first "Scarfest" festival in Tel Aviv, which "featured some of their favourite local bands."[2]

Strangers (2020-present)[]

At the start of 2020, the band entered the studio to record their follow up album; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which "brutally destroyed their recording plans," they had to proceed in "solidarity."[2] While they initially planned to fund the album through live shows, they ended up funding it, either partially or fully, through donations on Bandcamp;[10] however, they were able to play one concert (entitled In Concrete Cages), featuring Patty Gurdy, in Tel Aviv on March 12, before the lockdown began.[citation needed] They finished recording in mid-2020,[2] and released the concept album on October 30, 2020, through M-Theory Audio. This album features hurdy-gurdy recordings from Patty Gurdy on two tracks as well as her vocals on one. Hellscore provided the adult choir for the album and the children's choir was performed by the Westbrook Hay School Chamber Choir.[8] The album's concept is "estrangement." The band wrote pairs of songs and recorded them as one long piece, separated them at the end of the editing stages, and put them on opposite sides of an arch form; this "creates an album that sounds more familiar in its second half, just when the listener begins to lose attention." They also used Theme and Variation such that the "entire album is based on the very first musical theme it begins with... to play on the theme of familiarity and estrangement".[11]

In January 2021, Gruman was featured on Therion's album Leviathan as a vocalist. In February, bassist Yanai Avnet and keyboardist Itai Portugali left the band and were replaced with longtime associates Orr Didi (bass) and Aaron Friedland (keyboards).[8] On March 18, Scardust livestreamed BREAK THE ICE, their first concert in over a year, for free, but allowing viewers "to support the band by paying what [they chose] during the show to help them recover from [the] nightmarish year[citation needed]." In total they made $3,020 and accumulated 8,889 views [12]." On August 12, the band performed their first concert at a venue in 17 months (in Tel Aviv) entitled Breaking the Cages.[citation needed]

Line-up[]

Current members[8]

  • Noa Gruman − lead vocals (2013–present)
  • Yadin Moyal − guitars (2014–present)
  • Orr Didi − keyboards (2013-2014), bass (2021-present)
  • Aaron Friedland – keyboards (2021-present)
  • Yoav Weinberg − drums (2013–present)

Former members[8]

  • Alex Nicola − keyboards (2016-2017)
  • Itay Portugaly − keyboards (2017-2021)
  • Lior Goldberg − keyboards (2014-2016)
  • Yanai Avnet - bass (2015-2021)

Discography[]

Studio albums
  • Sands of Time (2017)
  • Strangers (2020)
EPs
  • Shadow (2015)
Singles
  • "Tantibus" (2015)
  • "Shards" (2015)
  • "Arrowhead" (2017)
  • "Sands of Time" (2017)
  • "Queen of Insanity" (2017)
  • "Dials" (2017)
  • "Tantibus II" (2019)
  • "Addicted" (2019)
  • "Stranger" (2019)
  • "Gone" (2019)
  • "Break the Ice" (2019)
  • "Mist" (2019)
  • "Tantibus II LIVE" (2020) -- included in COVID-19 DONATION

References[]

  1. ^ "Scardust". progarchives.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Scardust". scardust.co.
  3. ^ a b c d "Scardust's fabulous video for 'Arrowhead' is out now, album 'Sand Of Time' available for review". Front View Magezine.
  4. ^ "Melodic Alliance 2015". Metal Temple. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ Brady, Robert. "Scardust |Sands of Time Album Review October 2017 "Israel Metal Serious #1". Powet of Prog. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Metal Underground: Scardust Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  7. ^ "scardust release their lyric video for track 'Sands Of Time'". Frontview Magezine. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Stardust Announces New Band Members". Rock'n'Growl. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  9. ^ "SCARDUST Release Video for "Queen Of Insanity"". heavymag.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. ^ "COVID-19 DONATION". Bandcamp. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Interview: Scardust on new album 'Strangers' | Metal Insider". 16 December 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  12. ^ "SCARDUST - Play2Fund | Starts On March 18 | 9:00pm". Play2Fund. Retrieved 7 October 2021.

External links[]

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