Your average newsflash from the middle east deals about the fucked up shituation between the Jewish population and their Palestine neighbours. Suicide bombing here, destroying a house over there, they never seem to get along. Trying to find something positive coming from that area, seems like searching for a needle in a haystack. For a number of years however I have been aware of a metalband aptly called Orphaned Land surfacing from the promised land. Mostly because of their message of hope and tolerance, not because of their music. The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR is the first time I heard any music from them. OrWarrior means Warrior of Light, and the concept is about the battle between light and darkness.

 

Combining Jewish and Arabic influences, it is one of the most unusual acts I have ever come across. At first I feared the production, as they do not come from a country were you’d expect a good sound. Much to my surprise I found out that I was being overzealous with drawing my conclusions. It is a crystal clear production, provided by no less than Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree.‘Sapari’ is a Yemenite folk song arranged by Orphaned Land and sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is a voyage to a musical world that has been mostly unexplored by me. Not only does Orphaned Land making use of Jewish sounds and structures, they also use Arabic melodies in their music. ‘Olat Ha’tamid’ is a perfect example of that. It contains typical Arabic violins and chanting. It is probably one of the reasons this band has gained a large following in Arabic countries. Imagine that for a Jewish band!

 

The three parts of which this concept album is build on, are very cleverly interwoven with each other. Musically chapter 2 is the most aggressive and thus more metal part of the album. The members of the band know how to integrate traditional instruments such as saz and bouzouki with heavy metal guitars and percussion.      Considering they have worked on it for almost five years, one wouldn’t expect any less. 2010 has just begun and I can already say that this is going to be on the top of my list. This is by far one of the best releases of the year. I definitely recommend you check this fourth album of Orphaned Land out.  I’m looking forward to seeing them on Wacken!