Chad Bowar: How come there was a six year gap between new CDs?
Kobi Farhi: Our music is very diverse and complex. We're not the typical songwriters that write just three riffs, which is cool, but that's not the case with us. We come from a very tragic area, and in order to reflect our life here, the result must be very complex and diverse. That's why it takes time.
So you didn't take a break, you've been steadily working on the new material?
Yes. The album is full of information, and layered with many elements. You can hear the years of the process. You can hear that it's a long time of work, and it's impossible to write an album like this in two years.
What's the concept behind The Never Ending Way Of Orwarrior?
This is a concept album about warrior life. It's not some kind of heroic messiah that we all know. He's the warrior of life. If you ask people if they are happy with their lives or the way the world is, the majority will say not. There's a problem of happiness in the world. We believe that our inner self contains a huge source of power and light that we are not aware of. In the Middle East there's been this blood circle of killing each other for centuries, wars in the name of religion and of God, which is completely ridiculous. We are trying to say that when you are in the dark you have a lot of questions. If I put a match in your hand and you light a small flame, you will be able to see.
The light is a platform to see things the way they actually are. In a spiritual matter, we are in darkness. We believe that if people turn this inner light on, they will be able to see that we are in confusion, and we don't even remember why we hate each other so much and why we hurt each other. That's what we are trying to say here. We are not singing about mythology, we are singing about things that are happening right here near our homes. This is why we chose to do it. We believe that music is a very strong tool to unite people, to open their hearts and give them hope.
How did you hook up with Steven Wilson?
He came to play in Israel in 2000 with Porcupine Tree. I was working with the distribution company that distributed their CDs. I had a dinner with Steven and brought my album. I gave him a copy of it. He really liked the stuff, but didn't think the production was that good. We kept in touch, and I sent him our album Mabool in 2004, which he liked very much. At that time he was coming to Israel often. He had a girlfriend over here and some musical projects that he was doing with an Israeli singer. We became friends and got together when he was here. In 2006 we decided to work together. He was fascinated by the Middle Eastern influences inside progressive music, which sounded to him as if Opeth had been born in Israel. We feel so privileged to work with the guy.
What was his input on the album?
He mixed the album, but Steven is not a regular technician. Even when he mixes he uses his production skills. You can hear that he is not only a technician, but also a musician, which is very important in music such as ours. Orphaned Land's music is so layered and so full of elements, and if you miss the point or everything doesn't sound like a strong unit, then it's (messed) up. Steven was the great added value. He also played keyboards on the album, which was great.
Some editions of the album also include a limited edition DVD. What's on the DVD?
The DVD includes a documentary that documents the whole process of being in the studio and recording the album. As a music fan, I always dreamed of having a DVD attached to all the albums I have. Imagine every album that you love having a DVD and you will be able to see how it is made. It's an awesome bonus. We thought it could be interesting for people to hear interviews with the band and Steven. It's a 40 minute documentary, and you'll see us recording, rehearsing, fighting, you name it.
The press photos for this album, which have band members dressed as various religious icons, have caused controversy.
We got responses from everywhere. If you're a Catholic, Muslim, Jew or even a metalhead who sees us in those outfits, you could think it's some kind of parody. Most of the comments we got from the U.S. were saying it was completely ridiculous. What we want to say is that we are not a white metal band, we are not missionaries, we're not telling people to go to church or that religion is good for you. This is not what we're about. What we are actually trying to say is that religion is about morality, compassion, tolerance, things like that. If religions are killing each other for centuries in the name of God, then why do you say that Orphaned Land is ridiculous? They are very much ridiculous doing those things in the name of God.
We, as metal people, feel very bored wearing Morbid Angel shirts, sunglasses and make a cool face into the camera. This isn't what we want to do. We are trying to say something in our music, and the concept of the band is very deep. We are trying to say, why can't you just get along? We are trying to tell religious groups, who have such a huge responsibility, if you cannot get along, maybe we, the metal people, can give you an example of how to get along. That's what we are trying to say, and it's important to say it. We are trying to unite everybody together.
