Artist Spotlight: Lior Golan Turns Personal Struggle Into Raw, Uncompromising Rock

Tel Aviv-based rock artist Lior Golan has never approached music as simply a form of entertainment. For him, songwriting has become a way to confront pain, process loss, and find a path forward. Shaped by personal struggle, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to authentic expression, Golan creates music that is deeply emotional, uncompromising, and rooted in the classic power of rock.

His story is inseparable from the experiences that have shaped him. Golan has spoken openly about living with PTSD following his IDF service, struggling with substance abuse, and enduring the devastating loss of his sister, who was at the NOVA party. Rather than allowing those experiences to silence his creative voice, he has transformed them into songwriting that functions as a form of personal therapy—and, he hopes, a source of comfort for listeners navigating their own difficult chapters.

At the heart of Golan’s musical journey is his longtime partnership with guitarist Gabriel Lefelman. The two first connected approximately 15 years ago after Golan met Lefelman through another guitarist he had traveled with in New Zealand. Their musical chemistry was immediate, and the pair began writing songs together soon afterward.

Their early years were anything but conventional. They would meet on the streets of Tel Aviv, sometimes in the rain, while trying to build a rock band capable of performing original English-language material in Israel. Finding musicians, securing gigs, maintaining a stable lineup, and eventually recording professionally proved to be enormous challenges.

After several incarnations of the band, Golan eventually told Lefelman that they should stop waiting and simply make the record happen. That decision ultimately led to the recording of what would become MIDNIGHT TRAINS.

Released on March 12, 2026, MIDNIGHT TRAINS marks Golan’s first professionally recorded EP. The five-track project is the culmination of years of writing, setbacks, persistence, and personal recovery. Interestingly, the recordings remained on Golan’s laptop for four years before he was finally able to return to them with renewed focus.

During that period, Golan was dealing with mental-health struggles and substance abuse while also processing profound personal loss. His eventual recovery gave him the clarity to revisit the music and finally share it with the world.

“I think my PTSD and drug abuse were the engines behind writing those songs, as a way of escapism and dreaming,” Golan explains. “These five songs were on my laptop for four years.” The EP was recorded at Shardo Studio in Israel, a professional facility known for its large SSL console. Golan says the recording environment was particularly meaningful because he was experiencing significant stress during the sessions, while studio owner Sharon helped him navigate the process.

One of the defining characteristics of MIDNIGHT TRAINS is its organic recording approach. Bass and drums were recorded live together, with guitar used as a guide, helping preserve the feeling of musicians playing in the same room rather than constructing the songs entirely piece by piece.

Keyboardist Niv Hovav also contributed Hammond, synthesizer, and piano parts, while additional guitar sessions were later used to build layers and textures throughout the tracks. The result is a sound designed to retain the immediacy and physical impact of a live rock performance.

Golan’s musical influences reveal the foundation behind that approach. Led Zeppelin sits particularly high on his list, especially for the band’s dynamics, precision, and ability to give every instrument space within a powerful arrangement. His influences also include Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Muse, Faith No More, King Crimson, Cream, and Lamb of God.

“I guess I like rock that hits hard, no compromise,” he says.

That philosophy runs through MIDNIGHT TRAINS. Rather than attempting to disguise the experiences behind the songs, Golan embraces vulnerability and intensity. The EP brings together torment, passion, imagination, and melody, turning deeply personal experiences into something intended to connect with people beyond his own story.

For Golan, that connection is ultimately the purpose of the music.

“It’s my first album ever, recorded professionally, mixed and mastered by pros as well,” he says. “All of my torments, and Gabe’s, dreams and passion are in those songs, unfiltered and exposed—a fusion of my emotions into melodies and lyrics.”

The process of creating the EP also became part of Golan’s healing journey. He hopes listeners who are dealing with their own struggles can find something in the music that speaks directly to them.

“That process healed me whatsoever,” he says. “And I want this medicine to reach as many broken hearts in this world because there are far too many. I always wanted to bring some light to this dark world, and I hope I made it.”

The release arrives after a long and complicated road, but Golan is already looking forward. Although the lineup behind the recording has since dissolved and there are currently no performances planned, the artist says more music is coming. Golan and Lefelman wrote more songs than they were able to record for MIDNIGHT TRAINS, leaving the door open for another EP and another chapter in their long-running creative partnership.

Among the words that best capture Golan’s journey is a lyric from “YOU TRIED YOUR BEST,” a song he wrote and composed: “And now my time has come, to be whole again, from distant stars to a human art, I shall serve a light.”

That idea—turning darkness into light—sits at the center of Lior Golan’s artistic identity. MIDNIGHT TRAINS is not presented as polished perfection or commercial calculation. Instead, it is the sound of an artist confronting his experiences honestly and transforming them into something tangible.

For Golan, rock remains a language of freedom, emotion, and survival: music composed from torment and passion, guided by emotion and imagination, and created with the hope that something born from personal struggle can ultimately become healing for someone else.

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