The history of SONNE ADAM
(which roughly translates into "hate humanity" in Hebrew) dates back to
2007 when a young Israeli duo consisting of Davidov (all instruments)
and Dahan (vocals) started a musical project to create "death metal in
the vein of early PARADISE LOST but with a more shamelessly evil and
blasphemous touch and some MORBID ANGEL thrown into the mix." The band's
first recording was an EP entitled "The Sun Is Dead" (which so far
remains unreleased), followed by another EP called "Armed With Hammers".
The resulting underground buzz culminated in renowned German magazine
Rock Hard naming it "Demo Of The Month" and predicting the band would
become a hot topic among all death metal maniacs.
After seeing SONNE ADAM developing into an amazing, highly
promising underground act, Century Media Records picked them up for the
release of the band's debut album, ‘Transformation’, in cooperation with
Imperium Productions, who will handle the album's vinyl version. The
cornerstones of SONNE ADAM's sound are heavy, downtuned, diverse
and all-consuming lava-esque riffs, unholy, triumphant vocals,
thundering drums and song-writing filled to the brim with fascinating
twists and turns. Combined with metaphorical, dark and blasphemous
lyrics, ‘Transformation’ ultimately stands out from the masses as an
authentic, occult and earnest metal opus that leaves nothing to desire
and should find many new supporters among extreme metalheads worldwide.
It's an album that propagates originality, implying respect for the
original precursors and creative ingenuity in equal measure.

In order to get to know all about
SONNE ADAM's
debut album we tracked down
Dahan (Vocals,
Bass) to answer some
questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com.
First of all, how are you doing?
Could you start this interview off with a short introduction of the band
and an explanation of the origins of the band’s name?
Dahan:
Hey man, I'm good, thanks. We're Sonne Adam, started by me and Davidov
around late 2007. We have recorded 2 EP's and an album which was just
released lately under a collaboration between Imperium Productions and
Century Media. Lately we added two new members to our line up, Steel and
Mayer, so now it's possible to perform live and everyone can focus on
their own gear. The band name is something which is pretty much lost in
translation from Hebrew to English, but generally it's Sonne = Hate or
Hater, Adam = Humanity.
How did you launch into writing
material for your album ‘Transformation’ and how much time did you spend
creating the songs?
Dahan:
Most of ‘Transformation’ was written by Davidov in something like three
months totally dedicated to writing. We work in those kind of workframes
as this is what reality allows us. Also working under a deadline is
something we prefer. It may be stressful but the results are much more
satisfying.
What were the goals you had in mind
when you started to record ‘Transformation’, any elements you definitely
wanted to include on the album?
Dahan:
To make the most evil and killer death metal album we could. The way
things are looking now, this will forever be our goal, at least when it
comes to releases under the name Sonne Adam. The elements are simply the
things we adore. We like dark motives, we are attracted to the occult.
The fact this is being reflected into our music isn't surprising.
How did the recording process
proceed and how much time did you spend in the studio?
Dahan:
The recording itself was something like 2 days for drums, 5 hours for
vocals, and around 2 days for guitars and bass. We used re-amping
technique for the electric guitars, which meant we could record and edit
the perfect track of direct guitars ourselves, and then play that track
through an amplifier and simply choose the sound we liked without having
to think about playing performance issues. We went in that direction as
it's simply a really good money saver. We hope that on the next album we
won't have that kind of problem and will be able to record straight to
the amp like in the good old days.
Could you please describe the
implications of the title ‘Transformation’, what does it stand for and
is there a special meaning behind it?
Dahan:
‘Transformation’ was picked mainly because it sounded good and it
related to the overall release. It was picked up from the title track
with the same name, which talks about Transformation through flames,
which is like a test you need to pass in order to reach a higher
understanding or to be consumed by the flames.
Where do you get your inspiration
from, can you tell me a little more about the songs?
Dahan:
If you're talking about the lyrical side of things, then they come from
different aspects of our personal lives. We are using very dark
metaphorical phrases to describe them as there's no other way to go. The
words must fit the music perfectly.
How important is it to you that
people pay attention to the lyrics apart from listening to the music?
Dahan:
I did my best so that people will understand the words without even
needing to look at the lyrics in front of them. It's important that the
vocals have a meaning, both lyrically and technically as in how they
sound on the music. We tend to dislike vocalists where you just listen
and you ask yourself what the fuck is he singing about.. When you
understand the words, even some words alone, the song gets much more
personality, which is always a good thing for us.
If someone was only going to read
the lyrics and not listen to the music, what would you hope they would
take from them?
Dahan:
I would hope they would get lured into actually listening to the damn
music. Haha.
What is the utmost important
ingredient for a song according to you?
Dahan:
This is a really good question, as it shows how normally a lot of bands
put 90% of their effort into a single element instead of looking at the
whole package. Even when we write our demos, before we even have the
general structure of the song, we always write drums as well. A simple
riff should go with drums and vocals. Writing this way, for me at least,
really saves time afterwards where many simply stick with a lot of good
guitar riffs that simply can't work with drums or with vocals for
example.
How would you describe this album
to someone that has never listened to the band before?
Dahan:
I don't know, I don't remember myself pushing the album in any direction
other than close friends. I guess I'd say it's oldschool mid-tempo death
metal drowned in some doom and black metal elements, but that's quite
long, right? Haha..
When I listen to ‘Transformation’ I
feel a lot of energy and power coming back, is this something you felt
as well during the recording process?
Dahan:
Sure man, it's music. If you wouldn't get anything from it what's the
point? We don't seek "energy" or any other terms people define for
themselves while listening to the music they like. We went naturally
with what gave us the chills, what we felt was totally right. Glad to
hear you got something out of it as well!
Which element of the CD are you the
most proud of?
Dahan:
There's always stuff to improve, and some elements aren't exactly the
way we want them to be because of things beyond our control like money
and time, but all in all we are very pleased with the overall release in
each of its formats. Everything you see in this release from the sound
way into the special edition artwork went through our hands, so it's not
a surprise we are proud of it – this is us.
Can you tell us a little about
yourself and the kinds of things that motivate you in your writing, your
poetry, and your lyrics? What are you personally into?
Dahan:
Motivations aren't clear as day. We do what we do because it feels
right, period. We don't stop to question why, as it's irrelevant. Our
personal lives are boring as fuck man, trust me. Nothing too flashy or
rock star like.
Could you respond to the following
terms in just one word or sentence:
Metal : My cup of tea
Underground : My cup of coffee
Internet : Probably the best platform
for bands to rise on
Religion : No god
Politics : No thanks
The Netherlands : Great drugs
Israel : Not so great drugs
What is your opinion on the metal
scene in Israel and how difficult is it to be in a metal band in your
country?
Dahan:
As a band, It's the home we never wanted to be born in. It's very hard
for a metal band to exist in Israel, but not because of the reasons many
Europeans think. Our everyday lives are quite normal and boring. The war
and politics don't interfere directly with our lives and freedom of
speech lets us sing about whatever we want. The problem is when you want
to tour, the nearest country is overseas. Equipment is very expensive
and people aren't as organized and united like in Europe, at least this
is what it looks like from here.
I think most people in Europe and
the US do not know much about the metal scene in Israel. Could give us
some facts about your country and could you recommend any up-and-coming
Israeli bands which could be interesting for our readers?
Dahan:
I have no idea what kind of facts people wanna know. It's a very
political and troublesome country that goes to war once in a while.
Boring stuff really, google it up and see. Upcoming bands? I dunno. If
you want a heart-full recommendations I can say Tangorodrim and O.B.E.Y.
– for the lovers of black metal.
What makes Sonne Adam different
from the other death metal bands out there?
Dahan:
Every band is different in its own way. Some for the worse and some for
the better. I have no other comment about that, sorry.
Which goals did you have when the
band started out and how do those goals stand now after finishing your
debut album?
Dahan:
It all started just for fun, we didn't have any big plans for the
future, we made this totally for ourselves. It took us some time to
realize people were digging our music, so we feel we want to do some
quality shows in Europe, we hope to achieve this in the summer.
What can we expect from Sonne Adam
in the near future? Any touring plans?
Dahan
We are going to write our next album in the next months and hopefully do
some shows in Europe. A tour will probably happen, but I find it hard to
believe we will manage to do everything in one summer. Maybe next year
or somewhere in between. Hard to tell.
A last statement?
Dahan:
Thanks for the interview, Eugene.

Members:
Dahan - Vocals, Bass
Davidov - Guitars
Mayer - Guitars
Steel - Drums
Albums:
Transformation – (2011)
EP’s:
The Sun Is Dead – (Unreleased)
Armed With Hammers – (2010) |