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Master of metal David Draiman shows Israel some heavy support

March 8, 2024 10:07
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Fearless frontman: David Draiman on stage with his band Disturbed. Credit: Getty

ByNicole Lampert, Nicole Lampert

3 min read

It was a bracelet with the words ‘Am Israeli Chai’ given to him by a young fan that prompted American heavy metal star David Draiman to almost break down on stage and speak to his fans about October 7 for the first time.

The lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Disturbed, who has family in Israel, is an active advocate for Israel online but until the concert last week in Florida, the Jewish New Yorker has deliberately stayed away from speaking about the Jewish state on stage.

But when he saw a young girl who he’d met before at one of his concerts had a placard saying, ‘I have a present for you’, he brought her on stage — and promptly unravelled.

Draiman on stage in Oslo, in 2017Alamy Stock Photo

“We try and keep politics separate from our music but when I was given that bracelet I felt like someone was trying to tell me something,” he tells me during a quick phone call before his flight to his latest concert venue. “The shows are an escape for people but it all feels very personal; I lost friends at the Nova Festival. So many were slaughtered. Even after all of these months I can’t shake the state of shock.”

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