Interview No-mad

No-mad discuss their self-titled debut, blending progressive metal with alternative, nu metal, and death metal influences while exploring personal struggles, musical identity, production, and their ambitious future.

1. ״No-mad’s self-titled debut album takes listeners on a 40-minute journey through false love, inner demons, paranoia, optimism, and self-discovery״. What personal experiences or ideas shaped the album’s overall emotional journey?

Ofer: All of our songs are about our own personal experiences. They’re the sum of the process and the result.  Blindman, the opening song of the album for example, is about - false love. Following our emotions and gut feeling in the search of true love while sometimes, we’re falling in love with the idea of the person instead of the person itself. It was a low depressing moment that needed to be let out, as it is, without any filters.

After Ofir and I examined all the lyrics of our songs we realized there’s a shared common: Inner struggles. We thought that it goes well with a journey or inner journey (because of our name No-mad) and that’s how the idea of overall emotional journey came to be. 

2. Your sound combines progressive metal with alternative, nu metal, and death metal influences. How did you bring these different styles together while keeping No-mad’s identity cohesive and distinctive?

Ofer: At first, we didn’t think about genres at all. We just played and let the ideas flow while we did the first demos. Then while practicing for concerts and establishing the post-production we dug into the songs and asked ourselves what each of us likes? which bands? It has so much effect when each player brings his own inspirations. It was tough to learn ourselves and to realize our own identity as a band. We consulted with tons of friends, musicians, and fans until we reached the point we released who we are and what we want”.

3. You cite Dream Theater, In Flames, Opeth, Tremonti, and Tool as major influences. What have you learned from these bands, and how do you think their influence can be heard in your own music?

Ofer: The balance between instrumental, and singing. For me it was most important to give space and time for the instruments to play without any singing. Blindman for example from 02:56 - 04:10 is all about playing instruments, while at 03:44 - 04:10 there’s a ‘quiet part’ which reminds us of the song ‘Alias’ by ‘In Flames’ at 02:33.

Composing and ‘assembling’ different parts. The classic obstacle for progressive metal composers: how to make it feel like it’s all wrapped together, in one piece and not just a bunch of different grooves and guitar riffs? ‘Scatterbrain’ was a huge composing challenge in that aspect and ‘Dream Theater’ and ‘Opeth’ were the teachers. Composing a song that breaks the platforms of AAA , ABAB and so on, is hard: For beginners try to write a song and never repeat in the same way the guitar riffs, the harmony or the groove. Another challenge is trying to musically connect between two different (very different) parts. In Scatterbrain for example: connecting between 02:18 and 02:56 or , between 04:09 and 04:27, was tough. It’s more like writing a story that goes one way only. We learned a lot from Dream Theater’s ‘The Dance Of Eternity’ and although it doesn’t sound similar, (we didn’t use augmented scales, sorry) and we didn’t use the same technique, we did compose a song that develops and goes one way only - just like ‘The Dance Of Eternity.’

Guitar riffs , harmony and grooves - that is the most major commonality with all of our inspirations: Oh Me - 02:50 - 03:11 the guitar melodies reminds us of ‘In Flames’. Scapegoat - 01:30 - 01:44 The guitar harmonies remind us of ‘Opeth’. Same goes for Exile at 04:44 - 05:12”.

4. The album moves between gentle passages, heavy aggression, sweeping harmonies, and dissonant sections. When writing a song, how do you decide when it needs to become heavier or more atmospheric?

Ofer: It just changes: sometimes it’s the lyrics and the idea of the song that ask for it, sometimes it’s the process and sometimes it’s just guts. We’re just trying to listen and understand it together”.

5. Progressive metal often allows musicians to experiment with unusual structures and rhythms. How important are technical musicianship, complex arrangements, and experimentation in No-mad’s songwriting?

Ofer: It’s our musical identity so everything mentioned is important. But we do keep in mind that it’s not just about complex, different time signatures and so on. It’s about the mix of all of it and enjoying it as a whole. It’s not hard to hear an idea that was meant to be ‘complex’ and an idea that is just very cool and interesting but complex. You don’t think about it, you just feel it. That’s what we aim for”.

6. The album deals with subjects such as paranoia, inner struggles, and the search for identity. Is there a particular song on the record that feels especially personal or revealing to you, and why?

Ofer: Because I wrote most of the songs, I feel they're pretty personal and revealing. They represent personal experiences that I've encountered. However, I don't want to reveal the story or the 'meaning' behind them, because people tend to give personal significance to the music, and that's the beauty of it. We, as listeners, empathize with the song, and somehow it just connects with our own lives. There will be songs when I'll share the story behind them.

7. With Ofir Arnon on vocals and Dor Shaki and Ofer Tamir handling guitars, how does the songwriting process work within the band? Does a song usually begin with a riff, a vocal idea, a rhythm, or something else?

Ofer: Back in 2023, when it was decided to record the album, three members quit 'No-mad'. Ofir and I were the only members left, and we decided to go forward, so it was just the two of us most of the time. Usually, I start with a guitar riff or chords and write the drums note by note, bringing the first draft and 70% of the process with guitars and drums. I have to mention that the old members and some of the new ones contributed their ideas and left their mark on the music (they are also mentioned in the credits!). For me, the lyrics usually come after the instruments, but it can work the other way around too. Ofir gives the feedback, his musical ideas, the melody, and singing performance since I couldn't sing back then. The vocal parts were the hardest obstacle for me in making this album.

8. Your debut was recorded by No-mad’s Studio, mixed by Assaf Kassimov at Studio 272, and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. What did you learn about production and recording while creating this album?

Ofer: From production techniques to decisions, it feels like we learned so much that it is impossible to share everything in a paragraph, and still, we have so much more to learn. The biggest lesson I think we had was about producing the vocals. At first, I believed, 'If you can't do it live, you shouldn't record it' (like 2 or 3 voices at the same time), Then, with Assaf's advice, consulting with other bands (Ran Yerushalmi from 'Walkways' and Noa Gruman from 'Scardust'), and listening to tons of music, we opened ourselves up, and with Assaf's help and ideas, we added more vocal parts, bringing more dynamics and vibes."

Ofir: EVERYTHING. There is so much knowledge required to create a well produced album. We had to go through so much trial & error, consult with so many professionals, and remix, rerecord, rearrange etc’. It was a journey. We have learned so much through this production and I am now so proud of the outcome from this process. The years of work we put into this album helped us become professionals ourselves, and I can't wait to see what’s gonna happen with these “tools” we’ve earned, in the production of our next album!

9. This is your first full-length album, but the band already has a clear statement about refusing to compromise and staying true to itself. What does “being No-mad” mean to each of you as musicians?

Ofer: No-mad for me is the most important thing in my life: it’s my second family and the place to bring our ideas, and our identity - as a band and as individuals.

Shaki: For me, No-mad is a place to be both extremely playful and extremely intentional. We explore weirdness and take risks and big swings, but impose immaculate structures and a level of deliberate precision that makes these risks play out great in the end result.

Ofir: No-mad is a dream in my reality. If you’d ask me if I believed I am going to do all this, well over 5 years ago it wouldn’t seem possible to me. This band, this music helped me evolve as a musician and grow as a person. I wish I could tell 15 year old me what he would create in the future. I am so thankful for all we are experiencing.

Noam: For me, No-Mad is an adventure. The synergy between such talented musicians and our chaotic energy pushing us to forge something new, formed us as a strong group walking together with very little idea of our next destination.

10. Now that the self-titled debut is finally out in the world, what are your hopes for No-mad’s future? Are you already thinking about new material, live shows, or taking the band’s sound in a different direction?

Ofer: I hope for the band to expand and gain global recognition. To reach every stage we can and bring metalheads good fucking metal and good time. We‘re preparing for 2027 live shows and we have already begun working on our second album. Always thinking ahead.   

Our Album is OUT!!! Official: Instagram, Facebook | Linktree