Released: 2023
Genre: Stoner rock, Sludge, Punk
Sounds Like: 1000mods, Red Fang, Telekinetic Yeti
Homeland: Tel Aviv Yafo, Israel
What makes Bound By Gravity elite and sit atop OHMs Peak?
Israeli trio delivers one hell of an intelligent piece featuring thickly layered fuzz and wild meandering guitar leads
‘The Hunger’ is chock full of well-timed change-ups and brooding contrast that will take you from Crowbar to King Buffalo in one fell swoop
Bound By Gravity is full of raucous energy that is so brilliantly entwined with majestic cosmic melodies. They throw a fuck-ton at you in a controlled way that delivers a cathartic and powerful vision
The band’s second release after their 2019 self-titled gem takes a huge step forward diving deeper into thickly layered fuzz that provides a richer sonic experience. While the debut was excellent with a nice punk edge, Bound By Gravity hits new heights becoming a staple in our 2023 rotation.
Track Listing:
1. The Present 05:28
2. The Hunger 08:15
3. Your Fascist Pigs Are Back 07:38
4. Head of the Eye 03:32
5. Dirigibles 03:48
6. Bound by Gravity 06:10
7. Impeachment Abdication 02:15
8. I Don't Want to Be Remembered 06:53
Q&A with Warp
OHMs Peak: Would love to hear the backstory behind how the band formed and continues to expand its sound?
Warp: Warp emerged from the sewers of south Tel Aviv by members of the local Punk scene who had the passion for a heavier sound, riff-driven jams, and just straight-forward rock and roll.
After years of slowly brewing our sound on local stages and endless rehearsals, we recorded their debut self-titled LP and released it through German label Nasoni Records in 2019. The record displayed the band as an upcoming Proto-Metal outfit with a punk edge which was received favorably worldwide.
Following that, we went on a European tour in which we were exposed to a new audience and shared the stage with some of the bigger names of the Stoner realm – Dopelord, Valley of the Sun, Ecstatic Vision, Nightstalker, etc.
Since then, we took the COVID period to dig a bit deeper into our sound and writing, embodied a lot of our personal influences, and contributed equally to the process, which resulted in a brand new album titled Bound by Gravity, filled with heavy, gloomy-but-groovy tunes that we’re more than happy to share with the world.
OHMs Peak: As a band, your musicianship sounds more fine-tuned and a bit darker on this album. Bound By Gravity has a great flow, yet hits with moments of punk and sludge. Can you provide any insights to your writing and recording process on this album?
Warp: The album was conceived in some darker times while we were getting out of the lockdowns with no way to play any shows. In addition, a very tense political climate must have influenced our mental state. The album, in its entirety, was written as an instrumental first - riffs and lines were crafted together in the studio. We even attempted to write some lyrics intuitively, so some of the songs' lyrics were actually written while we were recording the album.
The recording itself was much more disciplined than the first record - unlike the first record, which was recorded in our rehearsal space, this one was recorded in an actual studio by engineers who know and love our stuff - so they had the ability to navigate and determine along with us how this is going to sound like.
We had a lot of ideas lying around - sound effects, sound loops, overdubs, etc.
Also, the after-production took a while. We had the privilege of stretching the timeline because Mor, our drummer, was living in the Netherlands for almost a year, and we had to wait for him in order to release this properly and get back to playing shows.
OHMs Peak: "Your Fascist Pigs Are Back" is a wild marching sludge ride. Take us through the impetus behind this track and the short yet nightmarish lyrics?
Warp: As I mentioned, all the tracks on this album have started off as instrumentals, but for this track, I always had an idea about the melody I wanted to make. I wanted to make this weird but still catchy.
Much like its preceding track "The Hunger," this track depicts a dystopian reality, which in our minds is "just a shot away." So with 'Fascists, ' I addressed an apathetic society that's indifferent to some evil messianic lunatics who are dragging us all to hell with them. So we have the first mildly relaxed-but-creepy segment in which we're talking about the settings, and then we have the climatic part in which shit hits the fan.
Generally, we tend to write more about what's really going on around us rather than being another leaf/doom/hell/demon/occult glorification band. That's all nice and great, but some other bands can tell these stories much better than we can. But we definitely can highlight some really harmful evil bullshit that we're facing on a daily basis. Like you said about 'Fascists,' most of our lyrics segments are short compared to the whole track, so we might as well put some substance into them.
OHMs Peak: What’s the band's go to and most influential music/albums that you all agree upon?
Warp: If we ignore the usual Sabbath/Sleep/Wizard, which of course, are first and foremost. We can also mention bands like Witch (first album), Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (Blood Lust), Pigs X 7 (Viscerals), Witchcraft (first two records), apart from that we all have different influences from different genres.
OHMs Peak: Can you tell us a bit about the unique album cover creation and the story behind the art?
Warp: Like the first album's cover art, the cover art was made by our good friend (and former drummer) Idan Ezra. Ezra excels in collage work, taking all kinds of shapes and images and turning all of these into this incredible piece.
I'm not sure if there's a story. We weren't looking to tell one. We were interested in creating an entire climate while listening to the record, trying to figure out what the hell is happening in the cover/back cover. Who are these ladies? What's in their baskets? Is this a head? Whose head is this? What's with the surroundings? What's with the king-frog in the back? The more questions - the merrier.
Warp are:
Itai Alzaradel : Guitar + Vocals
Sefi Akrish - Bass + Vocals
Mor Harpazi : Drums + Vocals
Recorded and Mixed at Polar studios by Gad Torrefranca
Drums Engineering by Roy Chen
Mastered at Audiosiege studios by Brad Boatright
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