5 Questions With... is your chance to get to know a new or up-and-coming metal band. Shiran are from Israel and recently released the EP Warm Winter Day. The band's namesake, vocalist Shiran Avayou, introduces us to her band.

Give us a brief history of Shiran.
We are Shiran, a djent metal band from Haifa, Israel. Me and Elram Boxer have been friends for years; Elram is Ferium's guitarist and I had worked with some jazz and metal bands.

One day in 2012, we decided to meet in the studio and work on a song called “Warm Winter Day” that I had just written about my state in life. We were pretty amazed by the outcome.

This was the moment we realized Shiran was going to be a main project in our lives. We wanted to find a good name for the project that would reflect the main concept of the music. After toying with names like Ashly Sexalot (laughs), we understood that Shiran would be the best choice. For the past two years we have been writing, producing and forming our special style until we chose the five songs that are on the Warm Winter Day EP.

Describe the songwriting and recording process for Warm Winter Day.
Our songwriting process usually begins with me writing the lyrics and composing a song. Then Elram begins writing the guitars, bass lines and drums. Elram is a producer, and he produced and mixed the album, so every song we write immediately turns into a pre-production recorded song. I write all the songs about my life, the loss of loved ones, my philosophy, strong emotions and betrayal.

This makes these songs very personal and deep.

How would you characterize the style/sound/genre of the EP?
The EP Warm Winter Day is a djent aggressive metal album that combines melodic vocals that are taken from jazz and blues with heavy riffs.

What's the metal scene like in Israel these days?
The metal scene in Israel is small but powerful. Everybody knows that when you come to perform in Israel you get a crazy, loud, warm crowd that gives you goose bumps. However, to succeed in Israel as an artist is very hard because there is not much of a scene to work with.

Anything else you'd like to promote or mention?
Elram is also the guitar player in Ferium, a death djent metal band that released their great album Reflections and is already touring in Europe. They are highly recommended for death and groove metal lovers. Shiran has released a lyric video on YouTube called “The Child” and began streaming a song on Soundcloud called “Remain.”  To follow us and stay updated these are our websites and pages: Facebook, Twitter, Official Site.

(interview published November 15, 2014)