The Fading

The Fading is an Israeli based melodic death/thrash metal band, founded in 2000 under the name Excessum. The band released two EPs before winning the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle contest, earning them a contract with Wacken Records, where they released their debut album In Sin We'll Find Salvation on August 3, 2009.

Band history

The band started writing materials and playing together in 2000 by vocalist Ilia Badrov and guitarist Boris Aranovich. For several years, the lineup was in constant flux while the band was looking for the right musicians for them. Finally Boris recruited his younger brother Arie Aranovich (then only 14 years old). He has joined as the lead guitarist, while Itamar Cohen joined on drums and Maor Bitton on the bass. Boris was replaced by Leon Notik (previously in Arafel) on the guitars after 2002. After a while, Itamar could not continue with the band and Nadav Luzia took his place for a while. Not after long, Nadav and Maor were both replaced by drummer Shaked Furman and bassist Elad Manor.

In 2005 the band entered the studio with producer Daniel Varfolomeyev (Acropolis) to record their debut EP Instruction for Self Destruction. By the time the recording and mixing of the EP has finished, Leon was replaced by Jonathan Bar-Ilan (of Dissonant).

In spring 2007, the band entered Jonathan's studio to record the promotional EP Chaos in Flesh. Produced by Jonathan himself and mixed by Swedish musician and producer Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry, Carnal Forge) at his own Black Lounge Studio, Chaos in Flesh featured 3 crushing new tracks and 2 re-recorded and reworked versions of tracks taken from Instruction for Self Destruction. After Jonathan finished his job producing the new recording, he left the band and was replaced by Paul Mitiyanine (Arafel, Deface).

Since then, The Fading have been playing in many venues around Israel with leading Israeli acts like Betzefer, Whorecore, Eternal Gray, etc.

On May 22, 2008, the band participated in the Israeli Wacken Metal Battle competition in which the participating bands competed over a place at the WET stage at the annual Wacken Open Air festival, the biggest heavy metal festival in the world. The Fading competed against local such bands as Acropolis, Breorn, Sexes and Vipress and won.^[1]

On August 1, 2008, the band represented Israel at the Wacken Metal Battle competition, competing against other European countries. This is a rare achievement for Israel as the band is the second Israeli band ever to perform at Wacken Open Air after doom/death veterans Orphaned Land in 2006. The next day, at the end of the Wacken festival it was announced that The Fading are the winners of the Wacken Metal Battle competition.^[2] The band won an international record deal with Wacken Records,^[3] and new instruments from the Metal Battle sponsors, as well as invitations to play more European festivals in the upcoming year.

In January 2009, the band left for Västerås in Sweden to record their first full-length album for Wacken Records at the Studio Underground. Mixing and mastering of the album was done by Jonas Kjellgren at The Abyss studios.

The band's debut full-length album, entitled In Sin We'll Find Salvation was releases on August 1, 2009 at Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, where the band performed again, and August 3, 2009 in the rest of Europe. It was produced by Pelle Saether (Ebony Tears, Necrodeath, Carnal Forge), with artwork provided by the talented British artist Colin Marks (Nevermore, Strapping Young Lad, Aborted).

The band completed their first European tour on the Infecting Nations Tour with Evile and Warbringer, through January–February 2010.^[4]

On March 27, 2010, the debut album In Sin We'll Find Salvation was released in the band's home country of Israel, in a special release show in Tel Aviv, featuring special guests Tomer Jones of Whorecore, Sven de Caluwé of Aborted and Oren Balbus of Eternal Gray.^[5] Later that year, The Fading supported Ensiferum on their only show in Israel, in the Barby club in Tel Aviv.^[6][7] Their first music video for the single "The Sin Collector" off their debut album In Sin We'll Find Salvation was released later in the same month.^[8] In December 2010, the band went on another short European tour, playing mainly UK dates supporting The Rotted and Desecration, and the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. This was followed a 3-date Israeli tour co-headlining with The Rotted in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, featuring Israeli support bands.

In 2011, the band played as a supporting act for Misery Index on their one-off show at the Sublime club in Tel Aviv, on May 5.^[9][10] A week later, the band went on their first headlining tour of Ukraine, dubbed as the Wind of the Other Side Tour. The tour consisted of 11 dates, co-headlining with Russian symphonic black metal band Little Dead Bertha, taking place between May 12–22, 2011.^[11][12] At the end of October, as a consequence of their successful performances earlier that year, the band returned to Kiev, Ukraine to support the Swedish melodic death metal giants In Flames. After the concert with In Flames, they rushed back to Israel to be the supporting act for Children of Bodom on their one-off show at the Barby club in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 3.^[13] Two months later, on January 11 of 2012, it was announced that the band will be supporting another major melodic death metal band, Arch Enemy, on two shows in Russia, to take place on January 28–29 at Moscow and Saint Petersburg.^[14]

By the end of 2012, the band formed a new line up including Alex Zvulun (Guitar), Eyal Ben Shushan (Bass, ex ‘Eternal Gray’) and Ran Shenkerman (Drums, ex 'Demented Sanity’).

On February, 2013, the band finished recording their second full-length studio album entitled ‘Till Life Do Us Part’. The album was recorded at A.G. Studios, Israel, self-produced by the band itself. The album was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Soilwork, Amon Amarth, Opeth, Amorphis, Kreator) at ‘Fascination Street Studios’. Artwork for the digi-pack album was done by the talented Israeli animation artist, Tim Razumovsky. In June 2014, the band released a video for the title track ‘Till Life Do Us Part’, a full length animation video, also done by Tim Razumovsky.

In April 2015, 'The Fading' headlined 'Tbilisi Jam! Fest' (alongside Vader, Diary Of Dreams, Dead By April) in Tbilisi, Georgia. In June 2015, the band supported American heavy metal act, Five Finger Death Punch, in Moscow & St. Petersburg (Russia). In December 2015, the band completed a full scaled Eastern-Europe tour, supporting British metal act, 'Bring Me The Horizon' in Kiev (Ukraine), Minsk (Belarus), St. Petersburg & the Moscow Olympic Stadium (Russia).

Band members

Current members

• Ilia Badrov - lead vocals (2000–present)
• Paul Mitiyanine - lead & rhythm guitars (2007–present)
• Eyal Ben Shushan - bass (2012–present)
• Ran Shenkerman - drums, percussion (2012–present)

Former members

• Alex Zvulun - lead & rhythm guitars (2012–2016)
• Shaked Furman - drums, percussion (2003–2013)
• Arie Aranovich - lead & rhythm guitars (2000–2012)
• Elad Manor - bass (2003–2012)
• Jonathan Bar-Ilan - guitars (2006–2007)
• Leon Notik - guitars (2002–2006)
• Nadav Luzia - drums, percussion (2003)
• Itamar Cohen - drums, percussion (2000–2002)
• Maor Bitton - bass (2000–2003)
• Boris Aranovich - guitars (2000–2002)

Timeline

Discography

References

External links

• (English) The Fading official MySpace page
• (Hebrew) The Fading official forum on Metalist.co.il magazine
• (English) The Fading official page @ Wacken Records