The Middle East isn’t known for its liberal politics and as far as my knowledge goes it would seem there is practically zero tolerance towards anyone who chooses to rock the boat. I am talking here about countries that have imprisoned bloggers and journalists for criticising their own government; sure metal fans are ostracised all too often in Britain but getting called a “dirty mosher” pales in comparison to the threat of getting thrown in jail just for playing in a band. I can’t begin to imagine how many extra hurdles there must be for a metal band in this part of the world, and understandably given that so many believe America is the be all and end all of music full stop there is a significant number of people who would be shocked to discover metal exists in Israel. Yet Orphaned Land have been making music for almost 20 years, with ORwarriOR being their fourth full length album. It has been six years since their last one Mabool, and the album before that El Norra Alilla was released eight years prior in 1996 and so up until now I have considered the Orphans to be a true purveyor of the meaning quality over quantity…
So where did they go wrong? I mean, Mabool was an absolute masterpiece and you’d be hard pushed to find a weak or dull moment on that album and this all makes this review very difficult. There was a driving strength to the last album that kept my interest through the mellow, tender moments and heavier parts alike but while I’ve persevered and persevered with this album crossing all my fingers and toes that it would all click neatly into place…always on the next listen, there comes a time to admit defeat. I set off on the journey with the best of intentions but after three or four tracks my attention has drifted away from the music completely. The album does start on a reasonably high note with the sweetly exotic ‘Sapari’ whose focus is clearly on the wailing voice of Shlomit Levi and ‘From Broken Vessels’ carries things along nicely with some emotive guitars as the piano radiates a certain warmth and dejected feeling. Kobi Fahri’s vocals are on top form here, transcending from deathly growls to a clean croon with ease. At over seven minutes this is about standard length for this album, and while I’m not one to complain about lengthy songs the majority of tracks here I feel could be skimmed by around a third quite easily. The melody often seems to fizzle out, becoming engulfed within overly complex, labyrinthine structures and not really finding their way out the other end.
‘Treading Through Darkness’ is more like treading water, plodding along ad tedium and by now it’s clear there is something lacking from this album. The guitars are technically flawless and work their way through with fluid ease, and as we reach
‘The Pilgrimage To Or Shalem’ those delightful female vocals soar across the hot desert landscapes while the rolling drums push along journeying smoothly across the land. There is a strong focus on the guitars on this album and there are places where I simply forget what I am listening to and instead think it’s the latest Yngwie Malmsteen that I have on the stereo. Perhaps this album will speak to you a lot more personally if you enjoy this sort of thing and I guess were I even half as competent on the axe as Yossi Sa'aron then it wouldn’t be such a problem.
‘Warrior’ sneaks in with stealth, a steady staccato and a low hum takes a confident waltz into the shimmering ‘New Jerusalem.’ It’s not all bad, and the Mikael Akerfeldt-esque vocals on ‘His Leaf Shall Not Wither’ are a nice touch. ‘Disciples Of The Sacred Oath II’ swirls into a kind of middle eastern dervish before flattening out into a fierce deathly chant. As expected there is an exotic Eastern flavour and you wouldn’t be blamed for getting the urge to belly-dance every now and again. At 80 minutes in length this album is rather hard work; it occasionally threatens to do something spectacular but is let down by excessive prog-noodling and complete lack of focus. Disappointing.
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