NEOLIA Embrace Feverish Riffs And Heavy Grooves In “Rise And Fall” Off S/T Debut
L-R: Neolia Current Line Up - Tomer Mash (Bass), Yair Ben Shalom (Drums), Ben Reiss (Vocals), Guy Greenberg (Guitar), Inbar Davish (Guitar)
Photo Credit – Avi Veldman
Photo Edit by: Rana Sneider
Israel’s Neolia's debut self-titled album is a masterpiece of experimental, progressive metal that will leave you speechless. From the haunting melodies to the complex rhythms, every aspect of this album has been crafted with care and precision. Get ready to be transported to another dimension with this Israeli band's stunning debut and the recently released single “Rise and Fall” being presented now with a lyric video. The band shares the background of the track:
“It was the first one of the first songs we wrote for the album. Its first draft was recorded with just an electric guitar as a very basic demo, but it had most of the original riffs. The next demo version that was crafted at Tomer’s home studio was already in its final form, but it had had tweaks done to it and other parts and elements added as well. It is directly related to the concept of the album and the struggles of day-to-day life but not only the common ones, and is based on a fictional story Tomer had written. The main character, Alex, tries his best to recreate his past as a raging prophet that leads the weak, bruised, and innocent to follow his path but he doesn’t succeed this time so he crawls back to the demons that comfort him in his depression.”
The track starts off with a heavy groove intro, but it breaks once the verse enters with a drum and bass-like pattern demonstrating the duality of the song as the energy stretches back and forth. Containing some odd signature rhythms and polyrhythmic components it even leans into different genres becoming thought-provoking, alongside relatable, cathartic lyrics.
Watch and listen to“Rise and Fall” via its lyric video's premiere on Space Untravel Youtube channel - https://youtu.be/QUjIK5fSQNA
On a musical level, Neolia aspires to be a new horizon in the rock and metal scene, allowing a sense of freedom within the parameters of rock and metal, and leaving space for other musical inspirations such as African, Latin, and contemporary jazz music. They are recommended for fans of Protest The Hero, Coheed and Cambria, The Human Abstract, and Tool.
Neolia's self-titled album released on May 5th is available on https://neolia.bandcamp.com/album/neolia, Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3nsmoaf
Previous Videos:
Karma - https://youtu.be/DJUrWQkljrA
Blow The Leaves - https://youtu.be/kcsOO7tCf-Y
Version Of You - (Live at Barby) - https://youtu.be/pI_qa14kZ-k
Track Listing:
1. The Shed – 3:44
2. The Shed Outro – 0:52
3. Your Prophecy – 7:44
4. Dance of Violence – 7:10
5. Carried Away - 5:49
6. Carried Away Outro – 1:24
7. Karma – 4:09 ft. guest vocals Ran Yerushalmi
8. Karma Outro – 0:44
9. Day In Day Out – 11:06
10. Anchors – 7:14
11. Rise and Fall – 5:06
12. Blow the Leaves – 7:02
13. A Better Version of You – 4:53
14. Refahim – 8:00
Album Length: 74:57
For more info: Neoliaband.com | Facebook.com/neoliaband | Instagram.com/neoliaband
"This band is going to be huge. You know how Tool and the Mars Volta developed into their own sound and how they have a legion of devoted fans? That’s what Israel’s Neolia is about to do with this self titled debut album." - Transcending the Mundane
"Karma", (the video) accompanied by a beautiful shot somewhere in the deserts of Israel, has that fantastic balance of aggression and melody that I love about alternative metal. At its more frenetic moments, like the excellent transitions from the heavier moments near the end of the track and the more melodic chorus, it reminds me of The Mars Volta, and that is one big compliment. Elsewhere, Yerushalmi's guest vocals are expertly utilized to balance the rawer, more harried vocals of the band's own singer, Ben Reiss. Together, they present the major melodic force on the track, while the instruments deliver well written, complex, and undeniable groove. This mix is exactly what alternative metal is so good for, hitting on both the emotional and the visceral level of enjoyment. The track ends up being both interesting to dissect and take apart but also something you can move and sing to. If the band's self-titled is as good as this, and the other tracks released so far seem to indicate that that is indeed the case, then we're in for a treat. Make sure you head on over to the band's Bandcamp to pre-order it; I think it's going to be a lot of fun!" - Heavy Blog Is Heavy
"Neolia's Self-titled debut album is a reflection of years of soaking up music of different genres from rock to pop to world music and whatnot. It’s a fusion of bits upon bits of pieces absorbed and processed and then spat out from a personal perspective. In its musical aspect, its rock and metal based, but with a twist of African, Latin, Jazz, and ambient that reaches the spectrum of high and low, tender, extreme, and crazy." - New Prog Releases
“It’s as if Ben's screams had come straight out of hell tearing the skies in all directions” – Metalist Magazine
“Filled with different time signatures, that incorporate beautiful melodic parts and screams that hit you directly in the center of the stomach” – Radio Ze Rock Magazine