Israel is known for many things, but heavy metal isn’t one of them. That being said, there lies a treasure trove of high-quality metal in the country’s underground music scene, and a whole subculture of young fans of the genre.
Now, a music camp called The Rock and Metal Masters Camp, where aspiring metalheads will be taught the metallic ways by experts of the genre, will be held in Jerusalem from August 14-16.
This camp will give people of all ages from all over the country opportunities to learn different aspects of the craft of the genre, typfied by distorted guitars, lumbering rhythms and aggressive lyrics. The master classes will be hosted by top names in the field such as Vidi Dolev, the frontman of Subterranean Masquerade; Yossi Sassi, the founder of Israel’s biggest metal band, Orphaned Land; Nir Nakav, who’s one of the best drummers in the country, known for his work with Salem, Nail Within, and Tomorrow’s Rain; and Ariel Becker, the singer and bassist of Methuselah.
Tracey Shipley, the camp’s producer, said more names might be added to the lineup. The master classes will be held from 5-7 p.m., and from 7:30-9:30 p.m. there will be rehearsal groups, each day being led by a different teacher.
Shipley, a teen and youth counselor who founded the Jerusalem School of Rock, which provides an opportunity for teens to join a rock band and perform, said that this was her first music camp for adults.
“The projects that I do with music overall, and particularly the metal camps that I’ve been doing, have been to give young people the opportunity to expand their abilities in the field of metal, learn about its history, understand why it’s so special, the differences between metal and rock, etc.,” she said. “Basically, it’s to give them an understanding of a background in metal and different aspects in music overall.”
A three-day course
IN ADDITION to the musicians, Matej Gobec, a Slovenian professional mixing engineer and record producer who mixes live shows, will give a three-day course. Gobec, who owns one of Slovenia’s top recording studios, worked alongside artists such as Laibach, Fishbone, Dub trio, Gregory Hutchinson, Tina Guo, and virtuoso guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal.
One peculiar achievement on his already diverse resume is that he produced the first rock show in North Korea in 2015. Speaking of that show, he said that due to their bureaucracy and culture, what would have taken him three hours to accomplish at home took three days, and that the North Koreans he met had heard of Elvis, but not Michael Jackson.
Gobec, who has taught in Israel before and spent time in the Israeli metal scene, gave it high praise: “I think it’s really inspiring and interesting how it’s so small, but has a very strong metal scene. There’s a lot of high-quality bands for certain areas. Despite its small size, if you compare it to something similar in Europe, I’d say they’re much better at playing and arranging stuff. Not necessarily producing, but in terms of songwriting, I’d say they stand out. The same can be said about the rock scene, as well.”
He also said he was happy to work with beginners. “Well, I believe everyone has something to offer that’s very unique because every person has their own way of how to approach sound. But maybe because I started from live engineering, I seek to preserve the bands’ sound,” he said.
“Also, because I’ve done a lot of records that are partially recorded at home and partially at the studio, my first studio was in my parents’ living room where I recorded drums,” the producer and engineer said. “I went through the whole procedure of home recordings because I work a lot in mastering. I know what the challenges are of someone learning to be a mixing engineer or producer because it all starts somewhere and it’s not in a professional environment,” he said.
“I would say that I know how to properly handle the recordings on a low budget and still have a good result.”
Gobec said aspiring musicians should be well advised to master the basics of sound engineering and production before they go into the studio. “I’d pitch this [camp] to Israelis because their studio standards are quite expensive. A lot of people in Israel try to make records alone at home, but this is where it gets messed up because sometimes they lack the knowledge to pull it off correctly.”
KARIN “RINI RAW” Rikon, a 34-year-old musician from Afula currently working on her debut EP, is a longtime member of the Israeli metal scene who is looking forward to taking part in the camp. “The metal scene is pretty much my home base, both musically and mentally. It’s got a very nice bunch of people,” she said.
Rikon added that she hadn’t decided yet which master classes in music she would take, but that she would be attending Gobec’s class. “I studied sound engineering and production a while ago, but my education is very general and not genre-specific. I know for a fact we have amazing vocal coaches, amazing guitar teachers and so on, but as far as production goes, I haven’t seen anything in Israel [before] that’s specific for heavy music.”
For Rikon, working with and getting to know the other attendees will also be a very important part of the experience: “I’m very excited to meet the other people coming to get educated, and I’m stoked about getting to know other musicians because I think building a community of musicians to brainstorm with that shared knowledge, struggles, and victories is always exciting to me. I’m most excited to meet other musicians who are like-minded.”
Shipley said she hopes the metal camp will have an influence on the metal scene here: “I feel like it’s the beginning, and once it’s successful, I think it will produce a couple of metal bands out of the camp and people with a much better understanding of music as a whole, and metal and rock in particular.”
Rikon said that for her and for so many of the metal musicians she knows, this kind of music is more than an escape during these troubled times. “I grew up listening to metal; metal is what made me want to become a musician and pursue this passion,” she said. “It’s metal that made me realize that I can help people with music, and it can be very healing.”
For more info: (Zoom option available), go to https://www.facebook.com/events/915232413960262/
