Israel’s progressive/symphonic metal wizards Scardust persevered through the challenges presented by the events of 2020 and ended the year by releasing their critically acclaimed sophomore concept album “Strangers”. The group is poised to continue moving forward as 2021 progresses, though the makeup of the band has been slightly altered. Bassist Yanai Avnet and keyboardist Itai Portugali have said an amicable goodbye to Scardust, and the group has officially welcomed into the fold longtime songwriting collaborator Orr Didi (bass) and longtime friend of the band Aaron Friedland (keyboards).
“They are, and will always, stay good friends and part of the Svardust family,” the band says of Avnet and Portugali. “We called (Orr) the ‘ghost member’ of Scardust. Up until this point, he was writing and composing in the shadows. We are SUPER-excited to have Orr with us on-stage and in the studio from now on. Aaron is an old friend, and actually was the first keyboardist to get an offer to play with us back when we started the band. As you know, it didn’t work out at first, but it was definitely worth the wait. Aaron is a magician on those keys, as you will all soon learn. We can’t wait to rock stages together!”
Details on the new lineup’s first live performance will be revealed soon. Full statements from Avnet Portugali, Didi, and Friedland – along with photos of the new lineup – can be viewed here.
Scardust‘s latest album “Strangers” – which can be streamed on all major digital platforms or purchased on CD and limited-edition gray smoke vinyl at https://smarturl.com/scardust2020 – is a unique concept album built of complementary song pairs working from the outside in. Several recently released music videos, which can be seen at www.youtube.com/Scardust, further demonstrate the degree to which different tracks from the album are thematically connected.
Mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Arch Enemy), “Strangers” – described by by Dead Rhetoric as “captivating from start to finish” – was written and composed jointly by Gruman and composer Orr Didi, who also collaborated with Scardust on their full-length debut “Sands of Time” and their 2015 EP “Shadow”. The album features guest appearances by acclaimed German folk musician Patty Gurdy, the Hellscore choir (Orphaned Land, Amorphis, Ayreon) and England’s prestigious Westbrook Hay Prep School Chamber Choir.