- Betzefer
Infobox musical artist
Name = Betzefer
Img_capt =
Img_size = 250
Background = group_or_band
Origin =Maccabim-Re'ut ,Israel
Genre =Groove metal Thrash metal Metalcore
Years_active = 1998–present
Label = Roadrunner
Associated_acts =Nail Within (ex-Whorecore)
URL = [http://www.betzefer.com/ Betzefer.com]
Current_members =Avital Tamir Matan Cohen Rotem Inbar Roey Berman
Past_members = Evil Haim MashyBetzefer ( _he. בצפר) is an
Israel igroove metal band, originating from the Communal settlementMaccabim-Re'ut . The band was formed up in1998 and was signed toRoadrunner Records from2005 to2007 . Betzefer is notable for becoming Israel's first heavy metal band to have released its debut album on a major label.Betzefer's biggest influence is
Slayer , whilePantera andSepultura are also credited as being major influences. [ [http://www.gutzy.com/betzefer/biography.php Betzefer - Biography] , at the band's official site] The band's upcoming album will be produced by Down producerWarren Riker .History
Betzefer was formed in 1998 for a one-off high school gig. This fact is the origin of the band's name, which is an ad lib translation of the Hebrew term "Beit Sefer", meaning "
school ". The original lineup included singer Avital Tamir, guitarist Matan Cohen, drummer Roey Berman and another friend who was known by the name "Mashy". Following the usual gigs as a cover band and several replacings of the bass players, Betzefer started their own songwriting. 1999 saw the release of their first demo followed in 2000 by the EP, "Pitz Aachabar " ("Pitz the Mouse"), a parody on a popular Hebrew children song. In 2001 they released the EP "Some Tits, But No Bush " and later in 2003 the EP "New Hate" with new bass player Evil Haim (Haim Binyami), all self-financed and self-released.Not long after the release of the EP, Evil Haim left the band, and stayed only to work as the band's soundman, additionally for the new band he formed after the departure from Betzefer, Whorecore. Rotem Inbar replaced him as the bassist.
In June 2004 the band took off to
Belgium to record their first full-length album, "Down Low", with producer Kris Belaen to whom they were introduced by Sven De Caluwe of Aborted and Whorecore. They eventually recorded the album with Belaen, while the final mixing and mastering was done by Danish producerTue Madsen . During the recordings, the band was offered byFear Factory to tour with them as their supporting act. During their performances the band was noticed by the major labelRoadrunner Records who signed the band to a 4 album contract. After the signing, the band came back to the studio to finish the recording. OnJune 6 ,2005 , Roadrunner released "Down Low" and the band toured Europe intensively to promote it.Beginning
March 2007 , They toured withSepultura supporting theirDante XXI tour, supporting Lamb of God andSoulfly on their German tours andChimaira on their UK tour, and through 2007 performed in such venues asWith Full Force festival inGermany andPlanet Music inAustria . They were joined by Sepultura guitaristAndreas Kisser a few times for a performance of "Thunderstruck" byAC/DC . OnJuly 2 ,2007 , Betzefer opened forMegadeth inTel Aviv .On December 2007, Betzefer parted ways with Roadrunner Records, stating that the record label doesn't fit anymore for what they are looking for.
On
March 10 ,2008 , Betzefer opened for Machine Head in Tel Aviv. At the show the band performed all the songs from their upcoming second album. A few days later, the band entered the studio to start recording their second studio album.On
May 21 ,2008 , it was announced that Betzefer's upcoming 2nd studio album won't be mixed and produced byTue Madsen after all, and that it will be instead mixed and produced byGrammy Award winnerWarren Riker , who has produced albums for Down, Santana and more. The band has commented that as much as they liked working with Madsen, they decided to work with Riker instead, since they have the option, because they do not want the new album to sound like the latest one, and they hope Riker will bring the new sound they look for. The band stated that their new songs will combine the old elements of the band's music along with new experimental material.On
May 20 , Betzefer finished the recording of their second studio album and announced that the album is in its final mixing stage. They then performed at a donation heavy metal festival inHerzliya onMay 30 ,2008 , in which they said they were recording the crowd for a new song called "Doomsday" in which vocalist Tamir stated they needed to have people screaming the word "Day" in the chorus, for the record. At the show the band also played two new songs: "Doomsday" and "Best Seller". It was recently announced that the current title for Betzefer's second studio album is "Freedom to The Slave Makers " and that the album will be released inSeptember 2008 and notJuly 2008 as it was said before.Musical style and Influences
Betzefer's musical style is mostly regarded as
groove metal andthrash metal , influenced by bands such asPantera ,Slayer andSepultura , although on an interview with an Israeliextreme sports magazine, vocalistAvital Tamir also statedGuns N' Roses andMetallica , as influences, additionally toPantera .They are described by many as
metalcore ,groove metal ,thrash metal ,post-thrash and evenalternative metal andnu metal , but the band disproves any labeling on their genre and vocalistAvital Tamir stated in an interview that their genre is purely rock oralternative rock [ [http://www.adrenalinmag.co.il/site/Others.asp?CID=14&AID=838 An interview with Betzefer] , at Adrenalin magazine (Hebrew)] , and that they see themselves mostly as part of the Israelialternative rock scene, and that no one of the band members even saw himself as ametalhead before, and the connection between the band and metal music is simply because the music is fast, heavy and harsh.In another interview with
Avital Tamir andMatan Cohen , they statedAC/DC ,Aerosmith andBlack Sabbath as their rock-rooted influences. [ [http://www.musik.terrorverlag.de/interviews.php?id=265& An interview with Betzefer] , at Terrorverlag magazine] They also mentioned they have influences ranging fromhard rock and heavy metal, through punk and evenblues .Slayer is thought to be the band's biggest influence, since in their biggest hit single "Down Low" the last verse of the song praises Slayer's album "Reign in Blood " as "the best damn fuckin' album ever". They also play the opening riff of the Slayer song "Raining Blood " in almost every concert, as a finish to their song "Down Low".Band Members
Current members
*
Avital Tamir -lead vocals (1998–present)
*Matan Cohen -guitar (1998–present)
*Rotem Inbar - bass (2003–present)
*Roey Berman - drums (1998–present)Former Members
*
Evil Haim - bass (2001–2003)
* Mashy - bass (1998–2001)Discography
Albums
* "Down Low" 2005
* "Freedom to The Slave Makers " 2008 (upcoming)EPs
* "Pitz Aachabar" 2001
* "Some Tits, But No Bush " 2003
* "New Hate" 2005Links
* [http://www.betzefer.com Official site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/betzefer Betzefer] atMySpace
* [http://www.bnrmetal.com/v2/search.php?name=betzefer Betzefer] at The BNR Metal Pages
*Mooma artist|id=24430References
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