A quite original release this one is. I never heard from this band before but with their new album Mabool, they are probably going to bring out a quite original release. Orphaned Land is the band name, and the music is a combination between folk and metal. The biography reads that this is already the 4th album by these Israeli. Their lyrics are about religion in a variety of countries, like the Jewish, Christian and the Islamic. Mabool is handling about the big flood in the Christian history, which caused the building of the great ark of Noah. The album is a concept album, and is fully entitled Mabool: The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven. The first song reminded me on the German band Crematory, and the music is comparable with it too. The vocals vary from deep howls and grunts, with clean parts as well. The uses of special instruments like the sitar and things like that are also used on this album. On the second song I was entirely sure that this band has heard albums of Crematory and the somewhat later Amorphis albums like Tuonela. A little resemblance with Anathema is also easily made when listening to the clean vocal parts. A song that is burned on my mind was Halo Dies: (The Wrath Of God), I listened to this song and it�s melody was produced in an original way. It�s quite rare that such bands are from Israel, but there are certainly some bands. I enjoyed this album because of the dark atmosphere it brings with it. It�s merely a question of love and hate, because this music is quite hard to understand. Sometimes they manage such riffs as the mighty Opeth, but then create just something completely different, something that you do not expect. I must say that I enjoyed this band from Israel, and they�ve created a strong album with different atmospheres. It can be totally gloomy and it can be clear as crystal. This is a quite special release and certainly worth looking for. I would not say that you must have this, but if you are into spacey doom metal filled up with death metal like Crematory, and if you can stand a guitar solo or two, then this is a quite fine album for you I guess. Track List: 1: Birth Of The Three (The Unification) 2: Ocean Land (The Revelation) 3: The Kiss Of Babylon (The Sins) 4: A�Salk 5: Halo Dies (Wrath Of God) 6: A Call To Awake (The Quest) 7: Building The Ark 8: Norra El Norra (Entering The Ark) 9: The Calm Before The Flood 10: Mabool (The Flood) 11: The Storm Still Rages 12: Rainbow (The Resurrection) Line Up: Vocals � Kobi Farhi Guitars � Yossi Sassi Guitars � Matti Svatitzki Bass � Uri Zelcha Keyboards � Eden Rabin Drums � Avi Diamond