The tragic news about Yotam Haim's death has deeply shocked the local metal and punk music scenes. Abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, he was later found to have been accidentally killed by IDF fire in Shijaiyah in the Gaza Strip.
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Haim, the drummer of the metalcore newcomers Persephore, was scheduled to perform at a Tel Aviv metal festival on that fateful Saturday.
Following the tragic news, friends and colleagues, including musicians scheduled to perform in a special fundraising event next week in his honor, are sharing their deep sorrow and seeking to bid farewell to the 28-year-old musician.
"Just last night at our concert, we dedicated one of the Hanukkah candles we lit on stage to Yotam," mourned Kobi Farhi, lead singer of veteran rockers Orphaned Land, in a conversation with ynet.
"Urban warfare is the most difficult; soldiers are killed by our own forces' fire, and so are the hostages. We're sorry that we didn't have the strength and ability to bring him back home safely, him and the other victims. We embrace his family, the metal scene, and all of the people of Israel."
"My heart breaks for Yotam," Yotam Ben Horin, lead singer of the punk band Useless ID, told ynet, "I so hoped he would return home and to the music he loved so much. In a few days, there was supposed to be a benefit event by punk and metal bands to bring him back, which now turns into a memorial evening. It's unbelievably sad. Things like this shouldn't happen."
Corey Swift, the drummer of Useless ID and of the band Back Line, who was among the organizers of the fundraising event, added: "I share the grief of his family and friends, and I promise to try to perpetuate the energy Yotam and I shared as drummers through music and love. I want all the hostages to be brought back now."
Haim's band Persephore announced on Thursday on their Facebook page that the fundraiser concert would take place at Tel Aviv's Levontin 7 club next week. They pledged to donate the proceeds to fund musical equipment in Haim's honor.
"Yotam is currently captive in Gaza, and we will do everything we can to raise awareness and bring him back," they wrote.
2018 Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai, who performs alongside Haim’s brother, Tuval, shared on her Instagram story. "I can't believe it. I can't believe it. How much pain can a person bear, I'm screaming. It's just unreal," she wrote.
The metal band Shredhead also paid tribute to Haim, writing, “In deep sorrow we bow our heads in remembrance of our fellow musician and metalhead, Yotam Haim.
“The news of Yotam's passing has left us devastated after we all hoped for his safe return from captivity in Gaza. Our hearts ache and our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. Rest in power.”
Members of the metalcore band Her Last Sight told ynet, "Yotam was our friend. We were fortunate to know a person with a heart of gold and pure intentions, someone who always brought a smile to everyone's face. It was an honor to share stages with you and to see you grow from show to show.
“A fundraising concert was planned for Thursday, so that when you returned home, you wouldn't lack anything. But sadly, we received the worst news. Yotam, we promise to continue doing what you loved so much, and every time we step on stage, you will be with us and the entire Israeli metal scene forever."
The band Stained With Silver also bid farewell to their friend and colleague. "There's nothing more painful than losing a brother. Yes, a brother in every sense. Every room and stage you entered, you brought light, and we are sure you'll continue to perform and play up there. We will continue to spread the power of music in your honor and share your story. Thank you for all the performances we shared, the funny and the sad moments. You will always be remembered. We miss you very much."
On the day of the Hamas terrorist attack, Haim was scheduled to play in the PsychoWard Metal Festival. Vladislav Mazurenko, the event's producer and a resident of the southern city of Sderot, recalls that day.
"I woke up at 6:30 to the sound of Iron Dome launches and non-stop alarms. At 6:42, I wrote to Anna, the owner of the Gagarin club, that this wasn't a normal situation and it seemed like we were entering a war. By 6:50, we decided to cancel the festival to avoid endangering people. Not everyone got the message in time, including Yotam Haim. He posted a story as he went outside, recording the sounds of gunfire and speaking optimistically to the camera. He immediately returned to his room with his drum kit and continued to play, regardless of the situation.
“He was very excited to perform and was dedicated to his playing and the band. Later, he posted another story that the situation was worsening, and that was his last story. Just yesterday, the entire scene prayed for his safety at an Orphaned Land concert. There was light and hope, and we embraced each other, hoping he would return. That hope is gone. Today is a dark day in the metal scene. We are in pain, trembling and crying. He had his whole life ahead of him."
Max Bek, lead singer of the band brcds, which was set to participate in the festival, shared, "To think that we were supposed to perform together at the festival on the day everything happened is haunting. One moment I was looking forward to seeing him rock the drums, and the next, everything changed, and I was waiting for any piece of information about his condition.
“Unfortunately, I didn't get to know Yotam as well as I would have liked. I only got glimpses of his unique personality from our conversations between shared performances and was excited to see him continue to excel on stage this year with Persephore. We've lost a tremendous talent with an extraordinary passion for music and a golden human being. The entire metal scene is mourning and shares the family's sorrow."
Ben Saada, lead singer of the band Canine, talked about what was supposed to be their next meeting. "It's unbelievable that on that cursed day, we were supposed to share a stage for the second time. The first time was in Holon not long ago. After the show, I told him and Yossi, the lead singer, that they were amazing, and we talked about vocal techniques. Since that cursed Saturday, he's been on my mind. On all of ours. The tragedy is simply too immense to grasp."
The band Eternal Struggle also featured on the bill of the canceled festival. Ori Frank, the band's lead singer, shared, "I was supposed to see Yotam's band perform for the first time that Saturday at a big event in Tel Aviv where both our bands were set to play. There was a lot of excitement around the event, and I didn't know until that morning that Yotam was from Kfar Aza.
“He was a unique guy with super-high emotional intelligence, humor and a huge love for music. Since that day, the Israeli metal scene has been tinged with orange, and the Haim family has deeply entered all our hearts. This scene is a united and sensitive family, and I'm sure everyone would agree that it's a huge loss, a beloved and special child, an insanely talented drummer with a band about to break out.
“Our hearts are broken for him, Iris, the beloved Haim family and Persephore, who, in Yotam's spirit, never stopped raising awareness and voicing Yotam and the hostages’ plight. We hope for quieter and brighter days."
Tomer Mussman, admin at the Fogo online rock community, eulogized Haim. "Yotam was a part of Persephore, an emerging metal band. We were excited to share their singles and were looking forward to covering their performance at the PsychoWard festival, which was supposed to occur on the day of the tragedy. The Fogo team, along with the entire metal community, bows its head in immense sorrow and wears black tonight for a reason other than the norm. We send our sincere condolences to the family, the band, their friends and the fans."
Yishai Sweartz, lead singer of Tomorrow's Rain and manager of Raven Music which produces international metal shows in Israel, told ynet, "I share the sorrow of Yotam's family, his close circle and the members of Persephore on his tragic death, which resonates with the haunting and screaming words 'no justice'. Nothing is more frustrating than this. No greater injustice exists. No words can express the extent of frustration and the magnitude of grief. How fragile we are in the face of death, and how frustrating and painful it is when it comes in such a way. May his memory be a blessing."
The Gagarin club in Tel Aviv, the venue in which the PsychoWard festival was scheduled to take place on October 7, also paid tribute on their official page.
"The Gagarin family bows its head upon the difficult news of Yotam Haim, the drummer of Persephore. Yotam was supposed to play in that Saturday's metal festival, the end of which saw him abducted into captivity and today killed while trying to escape."
The owner, Anna Volchok, shared on her personal page a post by online rock community Radio Ze Rock, with photos of Haim and the caption, "The Radio Ze Rock family and Ze Rock community mourn with the Haim family upon learning of the tragic death of Yotam Haim, who was abducted from his home on October 7, survived 70 days in Nazi Hamas captivity, and was accidentally shot along with two other hostages by IDF forces. There are no words."
The Indnegev Festival also bid farewell. "The heart keeps breaking," they wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of the drummer.
Metal bands and community pages expressed condolences on social media, including the band Arallu, musician Sharon Kantor who shared his photo, the band StormbounD, and the online metal magazine Metalist, which just two weeks earlier had released a special video for Yotam. In the video, drummers from the local metal and rock scene showed solidarity and called for his release from captivity.
According to assessments, Haim was shot while trying to escape from his captors or was abandoned by them. On the morning of October 7, as the attack began and before its full extent was clear, he messaged his family on WhatsApp, "Damn it, we won't make it to our show in Tel Aviv because of these Hamasniks."
He also posted on Instagram a photo of himself playing drums in his safe room in Kfar Aza, captioning it, "Terrorists outside, and me." He later updated his family that he heard gunfire and sent them footage of a friend running outside, shouting: "There are terrorists in the kibbutz.” At 10:40am, he managed to tell them that intruders had entered and were ransacking his home.
Tuval, Yotam's brother, believed that through drumming and music, enough noise could be made to echo Yotam's story. After Yotam was abducted, he invited drummers to perform covers of Yotam's favorite bands and send them to him. Dozens of drummers responded to the call and played for Yotam.
In a conversation with ynet, Haim’s father Raviv recently shared that his son struggled with mental health issues, and music helped him cope. "He always says to me, 'Dad, this is our outlet for our pain, for screaming and for letting our emotions out.' His dream was to make a living from music like his older brother. He found the guys who became his band, and from there, he blossomed."