Narratives is out now!
20 October 2021
The new album NARRATIVES is finally out! Work on this was done over a long period of time (also due to procrastination as well as a global pandemic, you know how annoying those can be).
‘Narratives’ combines material that was written around the time that HEAVY CROWNS was written and recorded, with some material dating back even way further back than that. A majority of the songs were written and recorded between late 2018 and late 2020.
This album is different from its predecessor as its predecessor is different from the album before it. Diversity and trying different directions has always been a goal of mine and each album aims for that, as will be the case with the next album (spoiler).
While ‘In Human Sight’ was a progressive/classic rock album (kind of) and ‘Heavy Crowns’ is a bit more metal, ‘Narratives’ was something I intended to be much more acoustic-based, though not at all folky – justa different aesthetic.
I think it came out very well and I hope you will like what you hear. The fact that there are quite a lot of people who enjoy my music is mind-boggling but I’m glad that you do.
And to all the people who have asked about buying physical media – good news! Limited print CDs (digipak) will be available, not just for ‘Narratives’, but for ‘Heavy Crowns’ as well. More on how you can get those soon.
Thanks for your support, it’s very appreciated.
Tom
HEAVY CROWNS is out
28 January 2019
The new album HEAVY CROWNS is available now! Get it here on Bandcamp (it’s also available on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify et al)
Work on this album started about 3 years ago. I went in a different direction from 2013’s debut album IN HUMAN SIGHT and wanted to focus on my love for heavy music and inspirational bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Opeth, Mastodon, Devin Townsend and many more. While not a concept album like the previous album, HEAVY CROWNS does have a common theme and subjects, although it is equivocal on purpose.
The album was recorded in 3 different studios in London, including Blue Room Studios where we recorded most of the vocals (as well as piano) and Floodgate Audio, where the drums were recorded. The guitars, bass, pads/effects and also the vocals for 3 songs were recorded in my home studio.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to and was involved in the making of this album:
Chris Allan
Itay Kashti
Meyrick de la Fuente
Michael H. Brauer
Maor Appelbaum
Nikolina Petolas
Recording drums!
27 September 2019
Recording drums for the new album HEAVY CROWNS was a lot of fun thanks to drummer Chris Allan and producer Meyrick de la Fuente at Floodgate Audio. Thanks guys!
The new album is almost done
10 September, 2018
So… heading to Floodgate Studio to record drums with Chris Allan for the second batch of songs for the album in a couple of weeks. We have five songs to record drums for. Once those are done the songs are pretty much done and ready for mixing. Hopefully the album will be mixed, mastered and ready to be released before the end of 2018.
I’ll post some pictures and videos from our time in the studio soon.
House of Slaughter – Official Music Video Released
April 7, 2016
The latest music video has been released and this time it’s a lyrics video. Shot in a real abandoned slaughterhouse, this dark and eerie video matches the song and the lyrics.
The full album, containing 10 songs, is now available for digital download and physical purchase. Twenty percent (20%) of all album profits will be donated directly to animal rights organizations.
Voiceless – Official Music Video Released
August 11, 2014
Voiceless, the latest music video off of the debut album In Human Sight, has finally been released, after having been in production for a ludicrous amount of time. Hope you like it and sympathies with its message.
A big thank you to Israel’s Anonymous for Animals organization for allowing the use of their footage of factory farms in the video.
The full album, containing 10 songs, is now available for digital download and physical purchase. Twenty percent (20%) of all album profits will be donated directly to animal rights organizations.
The Artist Behind the Album Cover
February 19, 2014
The cover art for In Human Sight was meant to be both a thought-provoking image and also hint to the nature and concept of the album.
After reviewing the works of many artists, one artist stood out with his amazing style, unique vision and his surrealistic way of interpreting (or even creating his own) reality.
American artist Steven Kenny was the perfect choice and created the perfect cover art for the album.
Here’s a taste of his paintings. Check out his Facebook page and site to see them all:
http://www.stevenkenny.com/
Shooting the 2nd Music Video – Voiceless
February 3, 2014
The shooting for the Voiceless music video started on Saturday in Tel Aviv’s beautiful Rothschild Boulevard. More than 30 strangers off the street agreed to take part in the video (not before we made them sign an agreement that allowed us to use the footage and also give us their first-born child).
This video is going to be very different than our first music video, We Bleed For Real, but hopefully it will turn out to be just as good, if not more powerful.
Music videos seem to be the best way to bring music to people’s attention, through amazing channels like YouTube, Facebook or music magazines and blogs. They allow a visual, complementary, outlet for the music, which can help the message and the spirit of the songs come forward in an interesting way, if done well. This is why there will also be a 3rd music video… soon.
Fanaticism
People call vegans fanatics. To be more precise, some people call some vegan fanatics. But what is fanaticism? According to Wikipedia fanaticism “is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal”.
So some people claim that some vegan are fanatic because they go too far with their agenda and their way of life. What is going too far? For example, not eating a piece of chocolate, only because it also contains an infinitesimal portion of dairy seems to them like fanatic behavior.
Is fanaticism always a bad thing?
There are 2 things that I am fanatic about. The first one is life. The second one is freedom. By declaring this, I’m not different than most people; people have made laws to protect life and they have made laws to protect freedom, they have actively stopped people from taking lives and have stopped people from taking away others’ freedom. They educate their children, they educate others too, that life and freedom are the basis of existence.
I claim that people who are not vegans, who eat meat and dairy and eggs, who buy products that were tested on animals, who buy fur and leather – those people are fanatics. But the sad truth is that, like most fanatics, they don’t realize what they are; they don’t see their behavior as fanaticism.
So why are those people fanatics? And why are vegans not fanatic? The answer to the second question is simple: Vegans are extremists in their advocacy of life and freedom for every living being, and that, obviously, includes animals. Is there any logical or moral reason why animals should not be entitled to their own life and their own freedom?
Who fits the description?
The answer to the first question, however, is more difficult because the answer goes against something that was programmed into our brains since birth and has been part of civilization for generations. That is the reason why eating meat and dairy, even at the cost of the lives and freedom of millions and billions of animals, is not considered abnormal or extreme. The harsh reality is that people who are extreme about protecting life and freedom are considered a fanatic minority, while the people who are extreme about taste, their food habits and their convenience are not.
The sad reality is that people who invite death and suffering into their homes, their plates and their bodies are not extreme in any way – and that in itself is extreme. A behavior that ignores any thing in its way in order to justify a tasty meal can be considered “dietary fanaticism”, ironically the same “crime” that vegans are often found guilty of.
Speciesism
Racism is now taboo, but racism has been common and accepted in most parts of the world until the fight for equality and human rights began and continues to this day.
Speciesism has also always been and still is a part of human behavior, but unlike racism, those who suffer from this discrimination cannot speak, protest or resist.
The victims of speciesism are animals and the crimes committed against them in the name of speciesism are the most cruel, remorseless and vast, forming the most prolonged and colossal genocide in history.
The fight against speciesism is a long fight, longer even than the fight against racism or sexism. It is hard to fight for speechless victims. It is a struggle to be humane; to live up to our ideals not just for our sake, but for the sake of non-humans as well. And who better to succeed in being humane towards other living beings than us humans?