Nephilim

Nephilim: In the Torah and several non-canonical Jewish and early Christian writings, nephilim (Hebrew; Those causing others to fall) are a people created by the crossbreeding of the sons of God (b'nei elohim,) and the "daughters of men", sometimes referred to as fallen angels (from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org). "Great Odin's raven, I need to jam!" exclaimed drummer Max Whelihan, after leaving his former band. Following a suggestion from a friend, Max met up with guitarist Andrew Hicks in August 2006. Although Max and Andrew had attended the same high school in Irvine, their paths had not crossed until they set up a practice space in the garage of Hicks' parent's home in the liberal, professor filled neighborhood bordering the University of California Irvine (University Hills). Hicks went door-to-door asking permission to practice and warning the many professors in the neighborhood that he and Max would be very loud; no one objected. Immediately, Max and Andrew meshed, and within their first weekend had laid down the beginnings of the fast-tempo, thrash metal songs, "Fire and Ice" and "Those of the Fallen". Throughout the Fall of 2006, Andrew and Max continued with their school-work (Andrew a history major at UC Riverside and Max a philosophy major at UC Irvine), and jobs (Andrew a water polo coach and Max working at Hoag Hospital). The two continued to jam and practice and by early Fall, they had laid the ground-work for two additional songs, "The Wanderer", a melodic rendition of a traditional Nordic poem, and "Luminare", a song composed of complex guitar riffs and intense frantic drumming. The search for a front man resulted in Mike Hess joining the band. Hess is a recently graduated Psychology major from UC Irvine and was a regular performer for the improvisational group Live Nudes. Following his graduation, Mike worked as a house-sitter and professional dog walker. Max and Andrew soon learned that Hess' experience with improvisation and his natural uncoordinated, loose-style body movements (which resulted in him failing a sobriety test one Fall evening), translates into an uninhibited, frenetic bundle of energy on stage. More importantly Hess has an interesting lyrical style and he was soon writing all of the lyrics to the newly formed songs. In a period where metal music is often dominated by guttural grunts and groans, Hess brings raw intensity while maintaining a voice. Nephilim's lower end was filled out with the addition of bass player, Arya Zarrinkelk. Arya and Andrew are old high school friends, having played varsity water polo together, and have continued their friendship throughout college. While attending UC Davis, Zarrinkelk played in local bands. The underlying bass lines of Ayra Zarrinkelk are distinctive in their progressions and rhythms, and richly fill out the bottom end. In addition to his bass lines, Arya is fluent in Farsi, providing a unique touch to the beginning of the song "Those of the Fallen". In December 2006, the band headed into the studio and during a 48 hour marathon session, recorded their first EP, Frost and Flame. The EP contains four original songs, with lyrics reflecting the Scandinavian heritage of band members Hicks (Sweden) and Whelihan (Norway) and proving that metal music, with speed and thrash origins, continues to be a powerful force. The band's goal for 2007 is to play as many gigs as possible and to be signed by a label. On March 17th, Nephilim will play in a metal show at the Whisky A Go Go, in Hollywood.