Israeli band Orphaned Land are the winners of Metal Hammer’s global metal band award – and are accepting it with Palestinian band Khalas. Their singer tells Channel 4 News metal is the music of peace.
Orphaned Land, one of Israel’s most successful musical exports, have been given the award of global metal band of the year by Metal Hammer readers.
In keeping with their approach to music making – and life – the band asked if they could accept their award jointly with the Khalas, the Palestinian band they have been touring with recently.
Speaking to Channel 4 News ahead of the awards on Monday night, lead singer and founder of the band, Kobi Farhi, said that politicians could learn something about reconciliation from music, which he described as an “algorithm, bigger than what politics can offer”.
“We the metal people, are the most popular Israelis among Arabs. We are the ambassadors of peace, more than our foreign ministry, or prime minister, or authors,” he said. “It cannot be that I will succeed to do more with my band and my Palestinian friends, than those people.”
Orphaned Land have been going for 23 years, and have fans across the world. Their use of Arab phrases, motifs and references make the band popular across the Muslim world, as well as in Israel. But Kobi told Channel 4 News this was “natural” to him – he believes the two cultures overlap in many ways, including music.
It cannot be that I will succeed to do more with my band and my Palestinian friends, than those people Kobi Farhi
As the band pick up an award on Monday night at the IndigO2, tensions are rising in West Bank following the kidnapping of three Israli teens. US and Israeli governments have blamed Hamas – something the group denies – and 150 Palestinians were arrested over the weekend.
Kobi said getting up on stage with his Palestinian friend Abed, from the band Khalas, was “bizarre” timing, considering the kidnapping last week. But he hopes that “metal music has succeeded to teach politicians a lesson of how easy this might be”.
“If Arabs from Syria and Iran and Lebanon and Egypt are doing all the journeys to Turkey, which is the only Muslim country we can play… that’s worth more than a thousand words,” he said.
Alexander Milas, editor-in-chief of Metal Hammer, said that Orphaned Land were “emblematic” of metal’s strong global community: “The targets of ferocious criticism both at home and abroad, their unflinching courage and peerless musicianship has inspired countless fans around the world, including everyone at Metal Hammer.”
And Kobi’s message to politicians? “Talk to each other. Become friends. You cannot find another way to fix this.”
Orphaned Land won the Metal Hammer’s Global metal Band! pic.twitter.com/riH9W70hiM
— Orphaned Land (@OrphanedLand) June 17, 2014