Father of Peace: The Antidote for the Common Commercial Music Blues

In “The Chaos,” the opening song of Israeli alt-rock trio Father of Peace’s debut album “The Year of Madness & the Mystery Century,” starts with the band’s guitarist, vocalist, and Sideshow Bob-lookalike Avshalom Ariel intoning:

Your turn to try to entertain us
You are the beast who tried to tame us
Strange plastic boy just tryna play us
Never seen the eyeball of the chaos
Rubble all around me
Everyone can find me
Boy oh boy I better send my a** to outer space
Or to a hole beneath the world
Where I get to look at charts and numbers till my soul becomes too old

Sabrina Carpenter this is not.

Since its inception in 2023, the band, consisting of Ariel, bassist/background vocalist May Alpert, and drummer/background vocalist Tom Bollig, has built a following through constant self-promotion via Facebook Reels and TikTok clips, enough to sell out club dates literally the world over despite little terrestrial radio and zero music industry support. In a crowded, primarily post-music industry world, Father of Peace has found a way to stand out.

All the clever videos in the world will not sustain an act if it cannot deliver the goods, and Father of Peace can. Stylistically, the band defies easy pigeonholing. At times, it rocks hard with jagged cuts and twists reminiscent of System of a Down, yet can switch without warning into almost breezy pop with melodic sensibilities that would make Weezer proud. Its members are adept at their instruments, and Ariel’s vocals often soar into upper registers seemingly without strain. The band’s style is straight-ahead but seldom if ever straightforward, challenging the listener while rewarding those willing to stretch beyond the mainstream.

Lyrically, Father of Peace makes the listener work. Even a relatively direct love song such as “Blueish,” which, for the record, has nothing to do with Bluey, makes its point in a wonderfully weird, roundabout fashion.

Is she, is she just a wish
Why she color me bluish?
Pixeled voices through the phone
Is she, is she just a glitch
Strangely beautiful language?
Feel her pulsing through my bones

As noted above, Ariel is Israeli. From there, he is unafraid to confront those who seek to destroy his country.

I get sick just thinking back to all the damage you’ve done
I don’t want to be your friend, your magician or loved one
Don’t know if I should, but if I could
I would kick you right out of the car
Kick you right out of the country
And if you got hate in your heart

Forget me right now
As you leave our town

In my family there’s a person
That I believe is a Persian
Trojan
An insertion by the author
I don’t wanna spoil the ending
But you know how it goes

His story blows
In the face of history

Father of Peace is anything but the everyperson’s band. The band’s sound is too experimental and, at times, too abrasive for mainstream pop-attuned ears. Its lyrics contain too much profanity, albeit not superfluous, for commercial radio. In terms of visual presentation, it is never going to be mistaken for the Jonas Brothers, though it is worth noting that in the live clips shared by the band, Ariel and Bollig have their fair share of female devotees, and Alpert can be seen breaking many a grown man’s heart, which means nothing if the music and artistry aren’t there. It is. If you’re looking for something outside the norm, Father of Peace is worth checking out.

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