Israel's progressive/symphonic metal wizards, Scardust, persevered through the challenges presented by the events of 2020 and ended the year by releasing their  sophomore concept album, Strangers.

The group is poised to continue moving forward as 2021 progresses, though the makeup of the band has been slightly altered. Bassist Yanai Avnet and keyboardist Itai Portugali have said an amicable goodbye to Scardust, and the group has officially welcomed into the fold longtime songwriting collaborator Orr Didi (bass) and longtime friend of the band Aaron Friedland (keyboards).

“They are, and will always, stay good friends and part of the Scardust family,” the band says of Avnet and Portugali. “We called (Orr) the 'ghost member' of Scardust. Up until this point, he was writing and composing in the shadows. We are SUPER-excited to have Orr with us on-stage and in the studio from now on. Aaron is an old friend, and actually was the first keyboardist to get an offer to play with us back when we started the band. As you know, it didn't work out at first, but it was definitely worth the wait. Aaron is a magician on those keys, as you will all soon learn. We can't wait to rock stages together!”

Details on the new lineup's first live performance will be revealed soon. Full statements from Avnet Portugali, Didi, and Friedland - along with photos of the new lineup - can be found here.

Scardust in 2021 is:

Noa Gruman - Vocals
Yadin Moyal - Guitar
Aaron Friedland - Keyboards
Orr Didi - Bass
Yoav Weinberg - Drums

(Photo - Mariano Ruben Gonzalez Oliveira)