Moran Magal

Bands that started off in metal and shape-shifted a bit towards singer-songwriter, indie or folkish rock later are plenty today. But what would happen if a dedicated and poetic singer-songwriter and gifted pianist turned her head towards metal? The answer is here: Moran Magal is happening right now, and an ambitious feat of an album will see the light very soon.

Now before this thoughtful Israeli woman got positioned to go out all guns blazing, she went on an intense spiritual journey into the realm of metal, constantly testing her own artistic fidelity as her own transformation progresses and more and more of her romantic streak becomes a beautiful gift for the seething, archaic elemental force that is (dark) metal. Her 2016 travel log Shades Of Metal (Private Collection) shows all that, as Moran’s continuous drive towards artistic exploration, her backpack full of skills and the deep respect for the rock and metal heroes of her own music collection all made this selection of mesmerizing interpretations stand out as a treasure island in the ancient sea of cover albums: unfortunately hidden, mysterious and very rewarding once discovered.

And with great journeys there’s always great company to be found – particularly for the open-minded: No wonder fellow countryman Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land) and Moran crossed paths and paused for a moment to have a closer look at Orphaned Land’s From Broken Vessels, resulting in a more than successful attempt to reimagine this already brilliant song. Kobi’s fans reacted with nothing but love and blessing for the magic duet on Youtube. Moran’s interpretation of Black Sabbath’s Solitude, featuring dearly missed, iconic metal singer Warrel Dane (Sanctuary, Nevermore), came to life as a tribute to the most influential dark band of all times and can best be described as a warm, haunting memorial for a great man.

Today, Moran Magal lives in Berlin and can already proudly look back at many performances as composer, singer and pianist on great recordings both their own and for like-minded artists (Stimmgewalt, Nina Jiers, Orphaned Land) as well as a plethora of successful shows on acclaimed festivals across Europe, such as Carte Blanche Festival 2018 (BE), WGT Leipzig (GER), FemMe (NL), and as Opening act for Daniel Cavanagh (Anathema), just to name a few.