EMQ’s With Canine
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Israeli Metalcore band, Canine. Huge thanks to them 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?
Nir: Nir, I’m the drummer and currently producing the music. The band has been moving through iterations since the very start in ‘09, and as such our tastes and preferences have changed quite drastically from the first EP to “The Uprising” to our upcoming release. Our minds are set on growing.
Eliav: I’m the guitar player and founder. I started the band when I was 17 in Modiin, Israel. Now the band is based in Tel Aviv. We started as a groove metal band and later on with lineup changes we evolved our sound and today we try not to limit ourselves when it comes to influences or genres.
Ben: I’m the vocalist of the band. I joined this band in 2014. Just right before we entered the recording process of our first album ‘The Uprising’.
How did you come up with your band name?
Amusingly enough, we just really love Canines.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We’re from TLV Israel. Our rock/metal scene consists of a wide variety of genres and styles. These don’t always nurture each other in the best of ways. Yet everyone is dedicated to their success and is pushing the envelope further with each generation of bands we get to see.
What is your latest release?
We released our latest single ‘I.U.T.B.F’ on the 15th of February.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Nir: Each of us comes from quite a different background but there are a couple of common ones.
Eliav: Machine Head, Lamb of God, Linkin Park, A Day To Remember, the Amity Affliction, Blink 182, Parkway Drive.
Ilya: Pantera, Betzefer, Bullet for my Valentine, Trivium.
Ben: I think that the main influence for my clean vocals style comes from Killswitch Engage. Especially the Howard Jones era. I remember practicing on my vocals with their live album “Set this World Ablaze” over and over. Also, Chester Bennington is a huge influence. As for the screaming – Black Dahlia Murder with some In Flames on it… My biggest love when it comes to extreme music goes to Behemoth.
What first got you into music?
Nir: It’s actually pretty funny when you think about it. I grew up in a music-playing household but was never too keen on picking up an instrument. At the time one of my cousins was playing the drums a bit and I was starting to get involved with African percussion and playing the “Djambe”. She decided the drums were not for her and my folks offered to buy me her drum kit. And the rest is history.
Ilya: My dad bought me a guitar and got me into listening to the Scorpions.
Eliav: I was always interested in music from a very young age. I started to take it seriously when I was 15.
Ben: I was always into music. It started at a very young age (10-12), when I sang in a choir and even got to perform in France and on some big stages in my country.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Nir: If given the opportunity I would like to collaborate with BMTH or an old-school band along the lines of “Unearthed” or a Japanese band “Maximum The Hormone”.
Eliav: The Amity Affliction , Eminem (that’s the longest shot ever) and Maximum The Hormone is actually an awesome idea.
Ben: I think the world is not prepared for the mix of metalcore and blackened-death metal yet – so I want to be first to do it! I will be absolutely thrilled to collaborate with Behemoth for some crazy ideas!
If you could play at any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Ilya: Wacken.
Eliav: Wacken, Jara Open Air, good things.
Ben: Any festival that will let us play. As long as people want to hear us – we will be there!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Persevere, endure, and know that you are not alone. You need to grab life by the horns and pursue your dreams.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Ilya: Dimebag Darell
Eliav : Chester Bennington
Ben: Chester Bennington
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The wonder of creation and expressing ourselves through music. We all hate the fact that being a musician entails a lot of elbow grease which accumulates stress over time.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
How revenue is being distributed to artists in the world of streaming music. Each artist should be paid respectfully and earnestly for their hard work and dedication to their fan base. This is not the case in today’s landscape.
Name one of your all-time favorite albums.
Nir: Scenes From A Memory – Dream Theater.
Ilya: A Vulgar Display of Power – Pantera.
Eliav: The Blackening – Machine Head.
Ben: Behemoth – The Satanist.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Whichever format suits you for your experience. For me, there is no particular “best” medium. I enjoy Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, and downloads the same.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
I think that the first show of our Russian tour with “The Black Dahlia Murder” was the first time we felt the rush of playing to a new audience outside of Israel, a crowd that doesn’t know us personally and has come only to hear the music.
Eliav: Our album release show for the uprising was something special, seeing the crowd react finally to something we’ve been working on for years.
We also played a very special show in September dedicated to our friend we lost to cancer. Arad Amitz – Lev, he was a major figure in our scene , came to every show and supported every band. We miss him everyday.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Nir: A producer or get my head into tech.
Eliav: art director, graphic designer.
Ilya: Engineer/Programmer.
Ben: Programmer.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Our close circle of friends.
What’s next for the band?
Releasing more singles and preparing the world for the album drop.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
You can catch all the latest singles and our other materials at:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/44NnuIVbzRdu8NCrpjGUjw?si=9vUjuECIRTGMwa1vGxRqIQ
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Nir: A hybrid of the two, a biscake if you will.
Eliav: Bro, it’s a cake.
Ben: Bro, it’s a cake.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you! Catch our latest releases on all the social media platforms.
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