Tel Aviv-based doom metal band Tomorrow’s Rain are set to release their second full-length studio album, Ovdan, on 19 April 2024, through AOP Records. The band first emerged in 2020 with Hollow, a project that had been in the works for four years and featured a variety of guest artists from bands such as My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. Ovdan is crafted with contributions from a new set of collaborators, including members from Mayhem, King Diamond, and Sisters of Mercy.
In discussing the equipment used during the recording of Ovdan, bassist Yaggel Cohen shared insights into his choice of instrument and approach to sound. “I recorded the whole album with the same bass, the legendary Rickenbacker 4003,” Cohen stated. “This guitar gives a low range of sound mixed with high range when I am using the pick. This can help to better control the feel of the sounds, whether it is fast with double drum bass or slow with atmosphere. Another quality that this guitar gives is the sustain that lasts longer when I’m strumming open strings.”
Cohen told us about his approach to effects and amps: “I am very minimalist when it comes to effects; I only use the Tech 21 SH1 preamp, and it helps me to shape the sound and add a little bit of overdrive. When I gave a thought on how I would like the bass to sound for this album, I really tried to aim for the familiar sound of the 70s (such as Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd) mixed with the new wave 80s sound (such as The Cure and The Sisters of Mercy).”
Cohen also detailed his creative process for composing bass lines for the album. “In every song in the album, when it comes to the bass line, I tried to add to the basic bass line a unique melody that can give an extra sound to it. For example, with Sunrise, which we play in 3/4, I wanted to add the feeling of waltz music, and I chose a line that reminded me of a dancing ball. In Roads, I took influence from Pink Floyd’s Hey You. I recorded each song separately and approached each song in a different way. I started the recording after the guitars were already recorded, and this helps to build the bass both with the beat unit and the strings to specify each song’s needs.”
The album features a variety of guest artists, which Cohen described as a targeted choice based on the fit for each track. “We sent it to a guest that we were thinking they can fit in this song,” he said. “There are songs that don’t have any guests and songs with more than one guest; we were listening to the song and if we had a feeling that a particular guest could add something to it, we would get in touch with the guest. If the guest was not available in the recording period of the album, we didn’t look for a replacement because we felt that he was the one that could contribute to this part of the song. We also had some surprises from guests who came with an idea themselves, like the saxophone parts in Roads.
Cohen expressed hope that Ovdan will resonate well with the existing fan base and attract new listeners. “The new album is a progression of us, as musicians, and I really hope that the existing fanbase will be able to progress with us to the same point. The previous album, Hollow, was all about sadness and sorrow, and Ovdan starts with the same ending point, but it develops into some kind of hope, so our goal is to rise up from any difficulties we feel.”
You can pre-order Ovdan on Tomorrow’s Rain Bandcamp page.
