Edgend

The Arc of Edgend

The pivots — what forced Edgend to reinvent.

1. 01

   The French Connection and The Nightmare Deal

   After cutting their teeth on early self-released material, the core trio of Sharon Halachmi, David Ezuz, and Ben Metal bet everything on an overseas sonic upgrade. Bringing in Adagio's Kevin Codfert to helm the console gave their progressive power metal a massive, razor-sharp European neoclassical mix. The result was 2009's A New Identity, picked up stateside by specialist imprint Nightmare Records. You hear it immediately in the high-stakes guitar-keyboard unison runs and Salmon's theatrical vocal delivery, sounding like a band swinging for continental European festival stages.

2. 02

   The Studio Freeze and Roster Overhaul

   Following the push for the debut, momentum ground to an absolute halt as the rhythm section and vocal spot fractured. The band went dark for the better part of a decade while remaining an obscure deep-cut fixture in progressive metal collector circles. By 2016, Halachmi, Ezuz, and Ben Metal rebuilt the engine from the ground up, bringing in vocalist Alex Linezki and drummer Refael Hevrony to replace Salmon and Horesh. It marked a stubborn refusal to pack it in, even when the release pipeline stayed bone dry.

3. 03

   The Attached by Insanity Genesis

   Before chasing high-gloss European production, the Tel Aviv outfit spent their formative years testing complex arrangements on shoe-string local gear. Halachmi, Ezuz, and Ben Metal locked into a shared obsession with odd time signatures and symphonic power metal bombast. That underground push culminated in their 2006 independent demo extended play, Attached by Insanity. The raw, unvarnished tracking laid bare their technical chops long before international producers got involved.

Influences

• Adagio — Keyboard player Kevin Codfert produced, recorded, and mixed their debut at The X Fade Studio, even laying down guest keys on 'Winds from the Abyss'. You hear that heavy, symphonic neoclassical darkness stamped all across the rhythm section on A New Identity. It is the direct sonic blueprint for their entire studio presence.
• Symphony X — Michael Romeo's brand of high-octane progressive power metal is practically tattooed across Sharon Halachmi's guitar phrasing. The complex, chopped-up rhythm riffs paired with aggressive neo-classical shredding on tracks like 'A New Identity' pull straight from The Divine Wings of Tragedy playbook. It is pure American prog-power worship.
• Dream Theater — The keyboard-and-guitar unison leads traded between David Ezuz and Sharon Halachmi owe everything to the Petrucci and Rudess dynamic. Songs like 'Inner Voice' pivot on extended instrumental breaks built entirely around sudden meter shifts. Without Images and Words, this rhythm section doesn't exist.
• Kamelot — The theatrical vocal delivery from Rami Salmon and the inclusion of guest female vocals from Shahar Lavi mimic the operatic, dramatic arrangements Roy Khan fronted throughout the early 2000s. You hear that lush, melancholy dynamic driving the slower passages on A New Identity. It keeps the technical shred from running purely on math.
• Yngwie Malmsteen — Halachmi's entire lead technique is anchored in the harmonic minor sweeps and classical scale runs pioneered on Rising Force. Every lightning-fast solo break on their 2009 debut treats the guitar neck like a violin fingerboard. It is the fundamental root of their power metal DNA.