Heavy-hitting alt-rock band, GreenblacK, is led by lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Yohai Portal. Hailing all the way from Israel, but currently based in Los Angeles, Yohai Portal is best known for his work in the Israeli rock band The Genders.
Quickly becoming a well-known name in the music scene, this led him to create his own project, GreenblacK.
Releasing the highly anticipated single, “Consumption Overkill,” we get to fixate ourselves upon the amplified essence of what Yohai Portal does so well. Through chugging riffs, there’s a particular fury that comes hailing from the upbeat tempo that douses us in the vibrant wrath of GreenblacK.
Immediately we succumb to the gleaming energy that seems to be intensified through each note carefully shedding its own poetic zest through the speakers. Once Yohai Portal’s smoldering vocals make themselves present, there’s a foreboding atmosphere that dwells over us as we take in this emotionally charged offering.
With lyrical motifs such as, ‘Self-righteous phase. Soup of the day. Shi*t you do just to get laid,’ putting us in a spellbinding trance, there’s a cognizant reflection of pent-up aggression that unleashes itself in “Consumption Overkill.”
Co-written and produced by Daniel Jakubovic, you hear the top quality essence of the musicality form an interlaced universe when authenticity meets total release. Using this song as a vessel for the thoughts that keep Yohai Portal up at night, he has mastered his mission in allowing listeners to relate to a song that is equally as powerful with the abstract lyricism conveyed and prominence of tightly knit drum patterns that cast out an undeniable vigor.
Welcome to BuzzMusic GreenblacK, and congratulations on the release of "Consumption Overkill." We love how the environment that you create practically jumps out of the speakers. What inspired the narrative heard in this song?
Musically, it started with the main riff that opens the song, which I had been playing with for a few years, and when we started exploring and developing the idea, it was clear where this song was heading. Lyrically, the inspiration came from our everyday life endured in the last few years. The overconsumption of news, everyone having something to say about everything, no one listening or wanting to listen to another point of view while standing behind their agendas without actually checking if their information is reliable or not. As a direct result, too many social media "influencers" with millions of followers end up spreading misinformation that one way or another affects others in ways they're not even aware of.
The collaboration between yourself and Daniel Jakubovic is remarkable! How did you two end up working together? What was this process like?
Daniel and I met for the first time when he was the opening act for a Dream Theater show. Since then, I have been a fan of his work. During 2015 we both ended up moving to LA, got together, and became close friends. It took me a minute to take this step to be a frontman, but I knew all along that Daniel was the guy that could help turn my ideas into Consumption Overkill. It feels great, and I think we have a good creative mindset when we are working together at the studio.
What are you hoping that your audience takes away from the messaging? Does it line up with what this song means to you as the artist?
I hope that people would not be quick to judge… anything. There're two sides to every coin on pretty much any subject on earth. I personally wish that everyone would stop taking every conversation to the extreme and instead do their best to listen and respect each other.
Since branching out into a solo project, have you noticed any changes in your creative process? Do you prefer working on your own for the most part, or would you rather bandmates?
I would prefer bandmates 100%. I'm aiming for GreenblacK to become a band eventually. A group of friends that would be my ride or die kind of a thing, and then tour the world with my favorite bands. In the meantime, this process has been an entirely different POV. It's a different focus in terms of the creative process. It allows me to pay more attention to the bigger picture and how I want to impact the listeners.
What's next for you?
Continue working on the next releases. I first want to establish a few solid releases before attempting to play live. I'm aiming for a live show sometime in 2022.