Israeli band Oceans On Orion seek to entertain with a thrilling brand of what they describe as “Glam Core Metal.” Expect dramatic vocals, big riffs and lively instrumentals in a sound that fuses metalcore with 80s influences. What’s not to love?
We actually featured the Tel Aviv band under its previous moniker Hartsbane back in 2019, when they played traditional heavy metal before evolving into a more modern tone and style. The band was formed by singer and principal writer Lev Kerzhner, alongside guitarist and leader Sergei Nemichenister, bassist and K-Pop aficionado Guy Schwartz, guitarist Logan Omer Cohen and drummer Aviram Zeevy.
Intriguingly, they’re well known in their local scene for, in Lev’s words: “Energetic and somewhat flamboyant performances and ridiculous vlogs, which we make a point of releasing regularly.”
And on what to expect from the Oceans On Orion sound, Lev tells us: “We combine a lot of classic ‘glammish’ vocal harmonies and leads with heavier, core-inspired riffing. Some call this ‘happy metal,’ but I think it’s because we have so much fun on stage. Some call it modern metal etc… but we just do what we like naturally – first and foremost, having fun and easy-going with music creation, despite some serious lyric themes in our songs.”
Our latest taste of this is Start From Nothing, which was released in September. It starts out with a quick vocal line before a cool guitar lick takes over and drops into engaging vocals entwined with delicious guitar flurries. It develops into a powerful chorus, which ends with a return of the guitar lick and drops into another verse and chorus. The main chorus lyric gives way to big palm-muted guitars and driving drums then some dramatic falsetto vocals before a heavy conclusion.
On the track, Lev says: “The feedback we’ve had is simply amazing and we didn’t really expect it, but we are very proud and happy about it. We are getting reactions from all over the globe, which is amazing and we’re really thankful and appreciate everyone who had the time to check it out.
“The key lyric in the song is: ‘If you’re too scared to start from nothing, nothing is all that you deserve.’ A powerful statement. When I wrote it, I was very ‘Up’ in my life and in my relationship. Fast forward to release time, I was going through a breakup and watching my world burn. So I had to put the walking to the talking and follow my own advice. Still working on it. Not easy.” Check it out here:
Start From Nothing will be the opening track on the band’s upcoming debut album, along with several already released tracks. That includes debut single Tomorrow’s Rain, which hit number four on Israel’s rock radio charts, stayed in it for 21 weeks and was nominated for song of the year. It starts with a twinkling guitar that’s joined by heavier guitar chords before Lev’s engaging vocals take over with building instrumentals that develop into a catchy chorus. Second time around, the chorus drops into a fun guitar solo, which ends with dramatic choral vocals that tee up a heavier blast of the chorus. Check it out in the video here:
More recently, they’ve released Weaponized Misery, which features a fun lively intro, and the dramatic Love, which particularly grabbed our attention as Lev describes it as “a real extravaganza of a song.” And he’s not wrong, it’s an absolute banger of a track, find out why in the video here:
On the album as a whole, Lev told us: “All of (these tracks) are included in our debut album and they’re a good representation of the variety we have on this album but under one ‘hat’ of style and approach in writing and composing. Very easygoing and fun. You will definitely like it. I hope so, at least.”
The Oceans On Orion sound is influenced by a wide range of musical styles from classic hard rock, heavy metal and glam metal to metalcore and emo metal.
And on what inspires them to write music, Lev explains: “That question is enough for a book. As a child, I always had ‘music in my head.’ A soundtrack that accompanied my life. I used to wander the yard asking existential questions, singing and humming the melodies in my mind, blissfully unaware of how unusual that is. My parents, curious about their singing kid, signed me up for a choir, where I quickly became the lead singer. Singing rather fanciful boyish soprano parts.
This was all during the 80s in the Soviet Union. I got introduced to metal and the guitar later on after we left for Israel as refugees in the 90s. It was a red coloured CD titled The Last in Line by Dio. It blew my mind. Dio’s vocals and Vivian Campbell’s guitar work. Just a massive extravaganza of sound, attitude, and energy. I was hooked and am still ever since.
“If I didn’t have music in my head, I imagine I’d still be asking existential questions and doing something with them. Building things. Creating. Spoiler alert, in many ways I’m fortunate enough to do that.”
We’ve only featured a handful of Israeli bands, so we asked Lev for his thoughts on their local scene. “We’re from Tel Aviv, Israel, where a small but very colorful metal scene exists,” he said. “Our people are well-known to touring bands as some of the warmest, most energetic audiences you’ll get to perform for.
“There are many amazing bands in Israel, Scardust for example is a truly epic progressive metal band, featuring some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever met. Walkways is another, and both performed at this year’s Wacken Open Air, which is pretty amazing.”
Oceans On Orion’s debut album is scheduled for release early this year and, if you happen to be in Israel, you can see them play their first-ever show in Haifa on 9 February. They’re also in talks with their management to book in dates in Europe with plenty more to come.
As Lev says: “Even though we’re a band with only a debut album ahead to be released, we are almost finished writing and compositing our next album. We are very active on social media and we will be grateful for your following, we have tons of content on our media and not only our music.”
You can follow Oceans On Orion on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music (and ridiculous vlogs) on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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