EMQ’s With Twisted Mind
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Israeli Modern Power Metallers, Twisted Mind. Huge thanks to their front man, Yanir, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hi guys, my name is Yanir and I’m the lead singer and front man of Twisted Mind. Twisted Mind is an Israeli oriental “Happy Metal” band. The concept of happy metal as we see it is here to break the stigma that metal music must be always dark, scary, sad, or angry. We believe there is much more to it, and we want to share it with the rest of the world. Our band has five different kinds of people from different aspects of the Israeli culture. Combined, we create a whole new kind of harmony that creates a bridge between completely different worlds.
I personally come from a background of mainstream POP and RNB culture and music. Dan, our guitar and bouzouki player comes from the Israeli/ Yamen and heavy metal culture and music and it goes on with the other band members creating a great fusion, making our music new, fresh and unique.
How did you come up with your band name?
As I mentioned before, we all come from different aspects of the Israeli culture, and we all have a lot in common but also a lot of different opinions and views on anything so the name Twisted Mind for us is all about combining different views and cultures in peace and understanding, thus creating amazing new stuff.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
Well, Israel is a very small country so even if we would split it into regions, it would not matter. But to answer your question, metal music in Israel is more of an underground kind of music. Having said that, our local scene is super active and bubbly, you can find amazing talented, and powerful metal bands and artists, but you would probably not hear metal music on the main radio and TV stations or at big events. The metal industry in Israel is pretty small and unfortunately not accepted as it should be, mostly out of the stigma that metalheads are violent and perverse.
What is your latest release?
Our latest release was a single out of our upcoming EP that would air on the 9th of December. The single is called “Long live rock and roll” and it’s a statement song Yanir started to write after a post on social media stating that rock & roll and metal music are dead. We wanted to state a very important thing… rock & roll and metal will never die! We will make sure of it 😉
Who have been your greatest influences?
Well, that’s a hard question for us because each band member’s answer will probably be different. But the nominees for that title will probably be Metallica, Muse, Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold and even Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams and some killer artists from the POP industry.
What first got you into music?
For me personally, it was my way of “being good at something” and being accepted to a social group I wanted to be a part of. I was an outsider all my life, and felt alone most of the time, even today it’s hard for me to feel a part of something. Music was my friend, teacher, and lover, it’s my home. It was and still is the only thing I feel complete with. Without it, I would probably be lost and empty by now. And also, girls love singers 😉
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
This is such a hard question! There are so many incredible bands and musicians we would like to work with! But if we have to choose one, in particular, we would probably choose Metallica. No, wait! Maybe Muse, or Bruno mars or even Lady Gaga. We love making new and unpredictable fusions so we think it could create some amazing tunes.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
We want to play them all! From Hellfest to Sziget! But our main goal, for now, is playing at the Wacken open-air festival.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Once, a fan came to David (our drummer) after the show, she gave him a drumstick and said it’s a very special one, when he asked her why she told him to say “alohomora” and when he did, she simply spread her legs. I think that was the weirdest one yet.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Chase your dreams and don’t let anybody put you down, stay true to yourself but be open and accepting to others no matter where they come from or what they do. Try to be happy and always smile, cause a smile is a great superpower. And always remember, don’t be ashamed of your scars, they are beautiful tattoos, they are the thing that marks you as who you are, and they are the things that make you always special as fuck.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
For me personally, it would be Chester Bennington, for sure! I’ve been through so much shit in my life and Linkin Park was a great beacon of light for me back then. I will always be grateful to him.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
We love meeting new and interesting people, and we love sharing with them our opinions and views about life. We also love the fact that music is the only language that unites people, no matter who they are, how old are they, where were they born, etc. We hate the fact that for us to be musicians, we must concentrate on a lot more than just the music itself. Things like fitness or industry laws and politics at. I mean… just let us hit the stage!
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
The bureaucracy and its cold-hearted side, the part of it that is focused only on the money side of it. Don’t get me wrong, money is great and there is no shame in earning money! But we need more soul in that tasty dish, ladies and gentlemen.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Metallica’s Black album.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Downloads and then vinyl, of course!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
The best gig we played so far is the IMF 2021. The IMF 2021 was a local metal festival, during the covid 19 pandemic we suffered from closure on our borders, so no band outside of Israel was allowed to fly here, so a local promoter created a festival based on more than twenty local metal bands! It was amazing! Great vibes and energy!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Doing? I would probably die. We don’t know… maybe a more secure work in our local high-tech industry? We’ve heard there is a lot of money there 😉 Or probably just eat… eat to death.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
James Hetfield because he’s awesome, Gordon Ramsey because then we know the food will be incredible, our producer Omer Lampert because he’s always super fun and funny to have around, Ariana Grande because, I mean, just look at her… and a random reporter ‘cause that dinner is going to get super crazy super-fast and we need someone to report it.
What’s next for the band?
The release of our EP on the 9th December and we are already working at the studio on a new album which includes 10 new songs. We hope you’re ready 😉
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.facebook.com/twistedmindmusic
https://www.instagram.com/twistedmind.bandil/
https://www.youtube.com/@TwistedMindband
https://orcd.co/twistedfstp
https://www.tiktok.com/@twistedmind.il
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
I would like to say the right answer is Bap! “Can I have this Bap please?” sounds great to me LOL.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We thank you for the interview it was a lot of fun, and we hope to meet you face-to-face next time. Maybe in one of our shows.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.